Anderson-Watson Home
Restore America : Episode RAM-304 -- More Projects »
Dorchester, Massachusetts More than a century ago, many of Boston's wealthy considered Ashmont Hill the finest neighborhood in the city. It was here that Boston architect Harrison Atwood designed a Queen Anne, shingle-style mansion in 1889. The home was owned by only two families for almost a century, but was abandoned in 1985 and sat vacant for a decade until Jim Anderson and his partner, Orson Watson, purchased the structure.
Anderson and Watson began restoration on the outside, slating the wraparound porch as their first project. They re-glazed the windows, then primed, painted and sanded everything. They also refinished the floors and rebuilt much of the woodwork on the exterior of the porch.
The interior woodwork was in much better shape than the exterior. The cherry wood in the den was filthy, and Jim enlisted the help of a live-in crew, who spent several months cleaning, scraping, oiling and waxing it.
The dining room's original 1889 wallpaper also needed special attention. After much scrubbing and vacuuming, the room, with its restored wallpaper and curved glass, eventually looked much as it did in the 19th century.
The living room, painted bright white, was another challenge. Anderson and Watson recreated the moody, dark feeling in the room by hiring an artist to paint trompe l'oeil on the walls.
To accompany the two original stained glass windows in the house, Anderson created additional stained glass in the dining room door, front door and other locations in the house.
Anderson also added an artistic touch in the garden, blending English and country styles, with an informal area around a formal center. As the final stage of the seven-month-long restoration, he and his partner restored the carriage house next to the new garden.
(Homeowners James Anderson and Orson Watson have requested that their contact information remain private.)
Resources Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce
Website:
www.bostonchamber.com
Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau
Website:
www.bostonusa.com
Massachusetts Historical Commission
Massachusetts Historical Commission
220 Morrissey Boulevard
Boston, MA 02125
Phone: 617-727-8470
E-mail:
mhc@sec.state.ma.us
Website:
www.state.ma.us/sec/mhc/mhcidx.htm
Massachusetts Historical Society
The Massachusetts Historical Society
Boston, MA
Phone: 617-536-1608
E-mail:
masshist@masshist.org
Website:
www.masshist.org
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