156-160 Beacon Street

158 Beacon Street

160 Beacon Street was designed by architects Peabody and Stearns and built in 1902 by McNeil Brothers as the home of banker and broker John Parkinson and his wife, Gertrude (Weld) Parkinson.  It replaced two houses, at 156 and 158 Beacon, which John Parkinson purchased in November of 1901 and had razed.  The Parkinsons previously had lived at 238 Marlborough Street and also maintained a summer home in Bourne.

John Parkinson is shown as the owner of 160 Beacon on the original building permit application, dated December 24, 1901, and on the 1908 Bromley map.

Gertrude Parkinson died in June of 1904.  John Parkinson continued to live at 160 Beacon.  His son, John, Jr., also a stock and bond broker, lived with him.  John Parkinson, Jr., married in June of 1905 to Mary Ann Wales Emmons, and they lived with his father at 160 Beacon until about 1913.

John Parkinson continued to live at 160 Beacon until his death in October of 1918.

After his death, John and Mary Ann Parkinson resumed living at 160 Beacon, and remained there until about 1920.

By 1922, it was the home of Mabel (Shaw) Walker, the widow of Grant Walker.  Grant Walker was an investor and director in various textile mills and related businesses; he had died in April of 1920.  Prior to his death, the Walkers had lived at 330 Beacon Street.

Mabel Walker continued to live at 160 Beacon until 1940, and probably later, and also maintained a summer home in Lenox.  160 Beacon is shown as owned by Grant Walker's heirs on the 1928 and 1938 Bromley maps.

By 1946, 160 Beacon was owned by Boston University.  In August of 1946, it applied for (and subsequently received) permission to convert the property from a residence to a nursing school and dormitory.  The school remained there until the early 1950s.

By 1954, 160 Beacon was owned by Willis Munro.  In October of 1954, he filed for permission to convert the property from a nursing school and dormitory to an educational institution operated for profit so that it could be occupied by Burdett College, a business college previously located at 156 Stuart Street.  The Board of Appeal approved the change in November of 1954, noting that 160 Beacon had been "vacant for some time."

Burdett College continued to be located at 160 Beacon in 1961, and probably later.

By 1973, it was owned by Nick Ferren.  In June of 1973, he applied for (and subsequently received) permission to remodel it into eight apartments.  In March of 1975, he converted the apartments into eight condominiums.

156-158 Beacon, which 160 Beacon replaced, had been designed and built ca. 1861 by Charles K. Kirby.

156 Beacon was the home of Mrs. Caroline Maria (Welch) Crowninshield, the widow of Edward Augustus Crowninshield. 

In December of 1870, Caroline Crowninshield married again, to attorney Howard Payson Arnold.  The Arnolds lived at 156 Beacon after their marriage, occasionally making it available to others while they were traveling or living elsewhere.  In 1875, it was the home of banker Richard Tucker Parker and his wife, Martha Sylvester (Thorndike) Parker, and in 1876, it was the home of shipping merchant and woolen textile manufacturer Thomas Quincy Browne and his wife, Juliet Frances (Wheildon) Browne.

Caroline Arnold died in October of 1897.  Howard Arnold continued to live at 156 Beacon until about 1901, but moved to Pasadena, California, soon thereafter and in November of 1901, the house was purchased by John Parkinson.

158 Beacon was the home of Rev. William Mountford and his wife, Elizabeth (Crowninshield) Mountford.  Elizabeth Mountford was the sister of Edward Augustus Crowninshield, whose widow lived at 156 Beacon.  By 1865, the Mountfords had purchased and moved to 101 Beacon Street.