Boston Neighborhood Architectural Details
A Portfolio of Elegant Design Delights
By: Mark Favermann - 12/14/2008
Romanesque sculptured floral pattern archway at 857 Beacon Street, Boston, MA c.1885.All photographs by Mark Favermann with a Leica D-Lux 4. 
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Romanesque carved detailing on archway at 857 Beacon Street, Boston, MA, c.1885. 
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Entrance of 857 Beacon Street, Boston, MA, c. 1875, at night. 
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867 Beacon Street Wrought iron Door and Entrance, Boston, MA, c. 1875 
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Nighttime image of door and wrought iron at 867 Beacon Street, Boston, MA 
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Unusual Copper Bay Window on Second Floor of 867 Beacon Street, Boston, MA c.1875. 
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Unusual Copper Bay Window at 867 Beacon Street, Boston, MA 
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Roofline and fenestration at Monmouth Street, Brookline, MA, c.1875 by architects Tilden and Putnam. 
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Monmouth Street Facade, Brookline, MA, c.1875 by architects George Tilden and J.P. Putnam.
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Inlaid diamond shape tile detailed at Monmouth Street, Brookline, MA c. 1875 
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Brickwork and Ceramic Patterned Detail Rosette on Monmouth Court, Brookline, MA, c.1875., architect J. Pickney Putnam. 
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Unusual Bracketed Overhang Detail (Faux Balcony) Monmouth Street, Brookline, MA c. 1875. 
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Side View of Unusual Bracketed Overhang (Faux Balcony) Detail Monmouth Street, Brookline, MA c. 1875. 
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Brickwork Inlay Circle and Diamond Pattern with Bracketed Overhang (Faux balcony) at Monmouth Street, Brookline, MA c. 1875 
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Brickwork and Ceramic Patterned Inlay at Monmouth Court, Brookline, MA , c. 1875 
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Monmouth Court, Brookline, MA, c.1875, by architect J. Pickney Putnam. 
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Monmouth Court, Brookline, MA, c.1875, by architect J. Pickney Putnam. 
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Entrances, walkways and garden areas at Monmouth Court, Brookline, MA, c.1875, by architect J. Pickney Putnam. 
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Vertical Sundial on 68 Monmouth Street, Brookline, MA, c. 1895. 
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Vertical Sundial on 68 Monmouth Street Facade, Brookline, MA 
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Corner of Building on Keswick Street, Boston, MA, c. 1890’s. 
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Carved Door on Keswick Street, Boston, MA 
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Another Similar Carved Door on Keswick Street, Boston, MA 
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Another Carved Door on Keswick Street, Boston, MA 
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Carved Ornate Frieze on Cornice at 853 Beacon Street, Boston, MA 
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Carved Ornate Frieze on Cornice at 855 Beacon Street, Boston, MA 
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Unusual Building detailing and Roofline on three conjoined houses at 8,10 and 12 Aberdeen Street, Boston, MA. Notice the round windows and copper edging. 
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On a beautiful one block street in Boston right next to Brookline runs Keswick Street. Keswick Street has seventeen doorways. Strangely, each door has the exact same design as all the others even though ownership is historically different.
At 853 Beacon Street, there is an ornately carved cornice frieze. Adjacent to this is a different frieze design carved into 855 Beacon Street. However, they both appear to be done at the same time.None of the other brownstone buildings on that part of Beacon Street have similar decoration. A short block away, on 867 Beacon Street, a bulding owned by Boston University, there is a unique bay window encapsulated in a beautifully stained green copper sheathing. There is nothing like this anywhere else in Boston. What was the architect or builder thinking?
The City of Boston is the most European of American cities. The architectural details of these Boston area buildings are certainly on a par with many great European cities' architectural ornamentation. We just have to stop, look, savor and appreciate. They are a gift for all seasons.
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