The Ayer Mansion was built in 1900, designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany in a partnership with Alfred J. Manning. It is one of three surviving examples of Tiffany designed interiors. The other two sites are the Samuel L. Clemens (Mark Twain House) in Hartford, Connecticut (1881), and the Ferry House in Seattle, Washington (1903–1906). What makes the Ayer Mansion so unusual is that Tiffany also designed exterior mosaics for the property. The only other building known to have included this feature by Tiffany was his private residence, Laurelton Hall, which was destroyed in a fire in the 1950s. Individual components from Laurelton Hall survive in museums, but the Ayer Mansion is now the only place that has intact in situ interior and exterior components designed by Tiffany.[3]
The mansion was sold by the family after Frederick's death in 1918 and converted to office space. The Trimount Foundation and Bayridge Residence and Cultural Center, affiliates of the Roman Catholic Opus Dei organization, purchased the Ayer mansion and adjacent buildings in 1964. They are currently operated as private residential facilities for area college students, although tours are occasionally given of the public spaces where Tiffany-designed elements have been preserved.
PreservationEdit
Since its purchase by the Trimount and Bayridge Residence and Cultural Center, several renovations have been done to the buildings. The first renovation occurred in 1971–72 when the two buildings were joined. In 1999, Jean Carroon Architects conducted an assessment of the building's preservation needs as well as a detailed proposal on how to achieve it.[4] The first of the projects outlined was the restoration of a 24-foot lay light which had been concealed for fifty years.[5] Also renovated was the front living room in 2000. The drop ceiling installed when the building was converted into offices was removed to reveal the original floral-patterned ceiling, and the parquet floor was also restored. The mosaic on the interior hall was restored in 2002.
Currently, efforts are being made to restore the exterior of the building. The project will include repairing 4 out of the 7 mosaics on the exterior balcony which have been damaged or lost due to water infiltration; recreation of the two missing stained-glass screens on the first floor; restoration of the remaining window on the first floor; and recreation of the missing stained-glass screen along the top floor.[6]
GalleryEdit
The mansion's central stairway
Detail of mosaic design in the central hall
Detail of the original ceiling in the living room
Center stair and original light designed by Tiffany
Bayridge Residence & Cultural Center sign next to front gate of Ayer Mansion
Exterior mosaic detail above the main entrance
Stained glass window seen in exterior detail image
frederick, ayer, mansion, national, historic, landmark, commonwealth, avenue, back, neighborhood, boston, massachusetts, national, register, historic, placesu, national, historic, landmarku, historic, districtcontributing, propertyshow, bostonshow, massachuset. The Frederick Ayer Mansion is a National Historic Landmark on 395 Commonwealth Avenue in the Back Bay neighborhood of Boston Massachusetts Frederick Ayer MansionU S National Register of Historic PlacesU S National Historic LandmarkU S Historic districtContributing propertyShow map of BostonShow map of MassachusettsShow map of the United StatesLocationBoston MassachusettsPart ofBack Bay Historic District ID73001948 NRHP reference No 05000459 1 Significant datesAdded to NRHPApril 5 2005Designated NHLApril 5 2005Designated CPAugust 14 1973The mansion was the home of Frederick Ayer owner of the American Woolen Company and features well preserved design work by Louis Comfort Tiffany 2 The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2005 1 Contents 1 Historical significance 2 Preservation 3 Gallery 4 See also 5 References 6 External linksHistorical significance EditThe Ayer Mansion was built in 1900 designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany in a partnership with Alfred J Manning It is one of three surviving examples of Tiffany designed interiors The other two sites are the Samuel L Clemens Mark Twain House in Hartford Connecticut 1881 and the Ferry House in Seattle Washington 1903 1906 What makes the Ayer Mansion so unusual is that Tiffany also designed exterior mosaics for the property The only other building known to have included this feature by Tiffany was his private residence Laurelton Hall which was destroyed in a fire in the 1950s Individual components from Laurelton Hall survive in museums but the Ayer Mansion is now the only place that has intact in situ interior and exterior components designed by Tiffany 3 The mansion was sold by the family after Frederick s death in 1918 and converted to office space The Trimount Foundation and Bayridge Residence and Cultural Center affiliates of the Roman Catholic Opus Dei organization purchased the Ayer mansion and adjacent buildings in 1964 They are currently operated as private residential facilities for area college students although tours are occasionally given of the public spaces where Tiffany designed elements have been preserved Preservation EditSince its purchase by the Trimount and Bayridge Residence and Cultural Center several renovations have been done to the buildings The first renovation occurred in 1971 72 when the two buildings were joined In 1999 Jean Carroon Architects conducted an assessment of the building s preservation needs as well as a detailed proposal on how to achieve it 4 The first of the projects outlined was the restoration of a 24 foot lay light which had been concealed for fifty years 5 Also renovated was the front living room in 2000 The drop ceiling installed when the building was converted into offices was removed to reveal the original floral patterned ceiling and the parquet floor was also restored The mosaic on the interior hall was restored in 2002 Currently efforts are being made to restore the exterior of the building The project will include repairing 4 out of the 7 mosaics on the exterior balcony which have been damaged or lost due to water infiltration recreation of the two missing stained glass screens on the first floor restoration of the remaining window on the first floor and recreation of the missing stained glass screen along the top floor 6 Gallery Edit The mansion s central stairway Detail of mosaic design in the central hall Detail of the original ceiling in the living room Center stair and original light designed by Tiffany Bayridge Residence amp Cultural Center sign next to front gate of Ayer Mansion Exterior mosaic detail above the main entrance Stained glass window seen in exterior detail imageSee also EditList of National Historic Landmarks in Boston National Register of Historic Places listings in northern Boston MassachusettsReferences Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Frederick Ayer Mansion a b National Register Information System National Register of Historic Places National Park Service April 15 2008 NPS Press Release April 7 2007 Archived from the original on April 14 2009 Retrieved May 19 2008 NHL nomination for Frederick Ayer Mansion PDF National Park Service Retrieved May 30 2014 Jean Carroon Architects Inc Ayer Mansion Comprehensive Assessment April 1999 TMs Potfolio Frederick Ayer Mansion www mcginleykalsow com Archived from the original on July 14 2011 Ayer Mansion dead link External links EditNational Register Listing information Registration Form42 20 57 59 N 71 05 25 23 W 42 3493306 N 71 0903417 W 42 3493306 71 0903417 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Frederick Ayer Mansion amp oldid 1169028715, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
