Hunnewell/ARCO Block
125-133 Federal Street
Boston, Mass.
Year Built: 1873
Year Demolished: ca.1958
Sturgis & Brigham designed a five-story building on Federal Street at the corner of Federal Ct. It was demolished sometime in the late 1950s. Through the late 19th century maps refer to the building as “”H. Hollis Hunnewell,” but in the early to mid-20th century it is called the “Arco Block,” although still owned by the Hunnewell family.
A contemporary Boston Globe article described the architecture:
“The block is constructed with a central pavilion through which, at the first story, is the main entrance. The pavilion has two openings at each story. In the roof story, these are spanned by a single arch within a gable, the gable being the crowning feature of the facade. The openings of the first and second stories are square, the lintel being chamfered. Those of the third story have Gothic arches; those of the fourth story have arches which, at the openings are segmental and on the upper margin have the Gothic outline; those of the fifth or attic story have square heads. The gable is constructed with exterior round columns, set in a recess in the stone work.
“The side section have three openings in each story, the arches corresponding to those of the pavilion. At the Mansard roof is a double dormer in each section. All the piers of the facade have pilasters with molded capitals, except those of the third story, where the construction is that of coupled windows with an intermediate column, having a molded capital, which interlocks and supports the two arches. There are molded sill cornices in the third and fourth stories and a cornice above the first story, the main cornice being above the fourth story.
I have been unable to locate any photographs of this building.
References
• “Hunnewell’s Building,” Boston Globe, October 24, 1873, p. 2.
• G.M. Hopkins, Atlas of Suffolk County, Vol. 1, Plate J, 1874.
• G.W. Bromley & Co., Atlas of Boston Proper and Back Bay, Plate 12, 1938
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