185 Beacon Street

185 Beacon Street

185 Beacon Street was built ca. 1872 as the home of John Francis Anderson and his wife, Ellen Sears (Amory) Anderson.  In 1872, they had lived at 92 Charles Street.  He is shown as the owner of 185 Beacon on the 1874 Hopkins map, and on the 1883 and 1888 Bromley maps.

John Anderson served in the Civil War as an aide-de-camp to General John G. Foster, and at the end of the war was brevetted a Brigader General.  He subsequently became a dry goods merchant in Boston.  The Andersons continued to live at 185 Beacon in 1893.

The house was not listed in the 1894 Blue Book.

By 1895, it was the home of attorney Amory Eliot and his wife, Mary (Clark) Eliot.  He is shown as the owner on the 1908 Bromley map.  They continued to live there in 1907.

185 Beacon was not listed in the 1908 Blue Book.

By 1909, it was the home of Bentley Wirt Warren and his wife, Ellen (Windom) Warren.  They also maintained a summer home in Williamstown.  He is shown as the owner of 185 Beacon on the 1917 and 1928 Bromley maps.

Bentley Warren was an attorney in Boston.  From 1925 to 1927, he served as president of the Sentinals of the Republic, an ultra-conservative organization formed to protect states’ rights, oppose government regulation of business, and fight international communism.

The Warrens continued to live at 185 Beacon in 1937, and he continued to be shown as the owner on the 1938 Bromley map. In 1938, they purchased 228 Beacon, which they significantly remodeled and then made their home.

By 1940, 185 Beacon was owned by Roger F. Monet.  In March of  1940, he applied for (and subsequently received) permission to convert the house from a single family dwelling into a lodging house.

The house subsequently changed hands several times, remaining a lodging house until the mid-1970s.

In July of 1977, it was purchased by Mary A. Cocuzzo and Nancy A. Casey.  In October of 1977, they filed for (and subsequently received) permission to remodel the house and change the occupancy to twelve apartments.  In their application, they noted that the property had been "used as such since 1966" (notwithstanding the fact that inspection certificates had been issued as late as September of 1976 to the previous owner allowing the property to be used as a lodging house).

185 Beacon subsequently changed hands several times several more times, and remained an apartment house as of 2008.