149 Beacon Street

149 Beacon Street was built ca. 1861 by Bourn & Leavitt, a partnership of carpenters Robert T. Bourn and William Leavitt. It was one of six contiguous houses (149-151-153-155-157-159 Beacon) they built for speculative sale.

By 1862, 149 Beacon was the home of Charles Henry Minot and his wife, Maria Josephine (Grafton) Minot. He was a partner in and treasurer of the Tudor Company, a shipping merchant specializing in the worldwide shipping of ice.

In about 1865, they moved to a new home they had built at 301 Berkeley Street (43 Marlborough Street).

By 1870, 149 Beacon was the home of Stephen Hopkins Bullard and his wife Elizabeth Lyman (Eliot) Bullard. They had lived at 70 Chestnut Street in 1865.

Stephen Bullard and his brother, William Story Bullard, were partners in the shipping merchant firm of Bullard, Lee & Co. By 1870, he also was president of the Mercantile Marine Insurance Company.

Stephen Bullard died in July of 1873. Elizabeth Bullard continued to live at 149 Beacon until her death in August of 1895 The Estate of William S. Bullard is shown as the owner on the 1874 Hopkins map, Charles W. Elliott is shown as the owner on the 1883 Bromley map, and William S. Bullard, et al, Trustees, are shown as the owners on the 1888 Bromley map.

By 1897, 149 Beacon was the home of Charles Lowell and his wife, Beatrice (Hardcastle) Lowell. They had lived at 73 Marlborough Street in 1894.

Charles Lowell was a banker and served as Vice President and actuary of the State Street Trust Company. He died in May of 1906. Beatrice Lowell and their two children, Mary and Alfred Lowell, had moved to 3 Fairfield Street by 1907.

By 1907, 149 Beacon was the home of Morris Gray and Flora (Grant) Gray. They continued to live there in 1908. Charles Lowell's Heirs continued to be shown as the owners of 149 Beacon on the 1908 Bromley map.

Morris Gray was an attorney and trustee of estates.

By 1909, it was the home of bond dealer Charles Wilson Taintor and his wife, Caroline Tileston (Hemenway) Taintor. They previously had lived at 242 Beacon Street with Caroline Taintor's widowed mother, Ellen (Tileston) Hemenway. Caroline H. Taintor is shown as the owner of 149 Beacon on the 1917 and 1928 Bromley maps.

They continued to live at 149 Beacon until about 1935. They also maintained a summer home in Topsfield.

The house was not listed in the 1936 Blue Book.

By 1937, 149 Beacon was the home of Dr. Edward F. Bowman and his wife, Doreen. In 1936, they had lived at 322 Beacon. Edward Bowman was a physician. Doreen W. Bowman is shown as the owner of both 149 Beacon and 322 Beacon on the 1938 Bromley map. The Bowmans also maintained a summer home in Scituate.

Edward Bowman's brother and sister-in-law, Wordsworth and Carrie Bowman, lived with them. They also had lived with them at 322 Beacon.

149 Beacon subsequently changed hands several times, and in December of 1977 was purchased by John T. Manelas, Jr. In May of 1978, he converted the property into six condominiums. Although it probably had been apartments for many years, the property had never been legally converted from a single-family dwelling, and in September of 1979, John Manelas was cited for not changing the legal occupancy. In March of 1980, he filed for (and subsequently received) permission to legalize the occupancy as six units.