Finding Alvah Kittredge

The most elusive story of recent HBI projects is that of the original occupant of the Alvah Kittredge Housein Roxbury’s Highland Park: Alvah Kittredge himself.  We know from Kittredge genealogies that he was born in 1798 in New Hampshire and came from humble beginnings. We know he was a Roxbury Alderman and one of the founders of Forest Hills Cemetery from public records.  We know he was a cabinet maker and entrepreneur from furniture with his label that still occasionally is listed at auctions.  We know he was a devout orthodox Congregationalist and helped found the Eliot Congregational Church on Walnut Street in Roxbury from a sermon given from the church at his death in 1876.  We know he had several children, one of whom was responsible for Bombay India’s first horse-drawn rail cars.  And we know he is buried at Forest Hills near the other founders of the historic garden-style cemetery.

But it’s been nagging us that we don’t know what Alvah Kittredge looked like.  We had no knowledge of existing photos, paintings or sketches of this seemingly prominent man in any local archives.  But, as some might say -- especially in this case --  “the Lord works in mysterious ways!”   Pastor Evan Hines at the Eliot Congregational Church invited us to spend a Saturday morning at his church, one that HBI has worked with many times in the past, to talk about preservation plans.  We asked him about archives for his church, founded with the help of Alvah Kittredge in 1834.  He showed us a wall of record books and publications in his office and encouraged us to come back to peruse them.   On a tour of the building, though, we found more boxes and a stack of framed photos and asked if we might quickly sift through them.  Sure enough, there was Deacon Alvah Kittredge in not one but two photos. 

Supreme Court denies Boardwalk appeal. With the Kittredge groundbreaking later this month, HBI eagerly awaits the IRS’s next move.

In the wake of the Third Circuit Court of Appeals’ Boardwalk decision, which denied the allocation of federal historic tax credits to the project’s corporate investor, a chilling effect descended over the historic tax credit market.  The deal structure utilized in Boardwalk, which was consistent with industry practice, focused almost exclusively on the transfer of tax credits while shielding the investor from any meaningful risk associated with the outcome of the Atlantic City Boardwalk Hall rehab project.  Boardwalk, then, sent a strong signal that this type of deal would face heavy IRS scrutiny, as opposed to a transaction that created a more substantial and legitimate project partnership between the developer and investor.  Unfortunately, while Boardwalk gave an indication of what type of transaction structure would not pass muster, it provided little in the way of a clear set of rules for the industry to follow in structuring project partnerships moving forward.  As a result, investors, including the large corporations that have regularly invested in historic tax credits, are wary and have been reluctant to reenter the historic tax credit market as they wait for the questions raised by Boardwalk to be answered.   

Mark Your Calendar: Alvah Kittredge House Project Breaks Ground June 18th

Mark Tuesday, June 18^th in your calendar and join HBI, Mayor Menino, and the Highland Park Community for groundbreaking ceremonies at the historic Alvah Kittredge House at 10 Linwood Street in Roxbury.  Festivities get underway at 5:30 p.m. followed by a neighborhood barbeque until 7:30 p.m.

A property that has been abandoned for more than 20 years, the Kittredge House is one of the oldest homes in Highland Park and one of a handful of high-style Greek Revival Period houses remaining in the city of Boston.  Once part of a large rural estate built in 1836 by Roxbury alderman and Eliot Congregational Church deacon, Alvah Kittredge, the house later became home of prolific architect Nathaniel Bradlee until the 1890s.  The house was moved in the early 20^th century to make way for greater housing construction, and in the 1970s became headquarters for Roxbury Action Program, and African-American advancement organization. 

HBI acquired the building in 2011 and plans a full preservation-based redevelopment project that will result in five housing units that will be available for rent in early 2014.  Construction starts in June and will be completed in February 2014.

We hope you will join us to launch the re-emergence of this beautiful building and the creation of new housing for Roxbury.  Please email hbi@historicboston.org to RSVP.   

Governor Shirley Cordially Invites You For Tea….

Tickets are on sale now!

Friday, June 14

4th Annual Governor's Tea & An Abolitionist Meeting Re-enactment

4 pm - 6 pm 

Shirley-Eustis House
33 Shirley Street, Roxbury

Tickets $25 

Join us at our 4th Annual Governor's Tea, as we harken back to a time in history when folks, like you, the enlightened citizens of Massachusetts, rallied to support the anti-slavery society. Come enjoy afternoon tea at the Shirley-Eustis house and reflect on the courage of the abolitionists and the tenacity of their fight as we participate with actors in the re-creation of an abolitionist meeting. Light refreshments will be served. Dress code is smart casual, with ladies in hats.

A Special Evening for HBI’s Trilogy Fund

More than 65 city leaders were hosted by Mayor Thomas M. Menino for a festive spring reception at the Parkman House on May 7^th.  The evening was meant to engage new friends in HBI’s preservation mission and encourage contributions to the Trilogy Fund, the $1 million capital campaign to support preservation of the Hayden Building, the Kittredge House, and the Vertullo Building.

   

Trilogy Fund campaign chair and co-host for the evening, Ronald Druker, was particularly profound in his

remarks:   “We are here because we are all city-builders and we love this city.  It is important that we do our part in preserving the richness of Boston’s past because it speaks to who we are as Bostonians, and it’s the ticket to a healthy and vibrant economic future.”

HBI is in the home-stretch of the Trilogy Fund and expects to complete the campaign by summer.  The Hayden Building project  is complete and the Kittredge House will break ground on June 18^th.   Rehabilitation of the Vertullo building begins late this

summer.

HBI is grateful for the contributions that have come to the Trilogy Fund thus far, but it is equally grateful for the generosity of spirit from Boston’s civic leadership.   As Trilogy Fund donor Larry Curtis of the Winn Companies stated “With your help, we have no doubt that we will meet our goal; we’ll exceed it!”

Connect Historic Boston Initiative to Launch Exhibit at the BSA Space at 290 Congress Street from June 4th – June 17th

An opening reception will be held on Tuesday, June 4^th from 6 – 8PM. 

ConnectHistoric Boston is an initiative between the National Park Service and the Boston Transportation Department to promote improved access for visitors and workers in the downtown historic area. It will make easy to navigate, safe, and engaging links between downtown transit, business, and historic sites. Funded by the Federal Transit Administration, the initiative has an extensive advisory and inter-agency group with representatives from neighborhood councils, advocacy groups, non-profits, as well as Federal, State, and local government representatives.

Re-claiming the past

HBI is pleased to present architect, Chris Brown of b architecture studio, who is currently working on the Vertullo Building in Hyde Park. Chris has written a guest blog post on how he went about recreating the storefronts on this project.

As we know, the buildings we live and work in have a life all their own. While we think of preservation as doing our best to keep and re-attach handsome facades and features, sometimes we have to do a bit more to rediscover the past and recreate for years to come.