12 Commonwealth Avenue

12 Commonwealth Avenue

12 Commonwealth Avenue was designed by architect G. N. Jacobs and built in 1927, a 40-unit apartment building called The Barclay.  It was built for Louis Kaufman, who is shown as the owner on the original building permit application, dated August 5, 1927.

The 1938 Bromley Atlas shows the Standard Commonwealth Corporation as the owner of this building.

The Barclay remained an apartment house through at least 2007.

12 Commonwealth replaced two townhouses, at 12 and 14 Commonwealth Avenue:

12 Commonwealth
12 Commonwealth Avenue was built ca. 1870 as the home of dry goods merchant and railroad investor Samuel Henry Gookin and his wife, Frances (Sistare) Gookin.  They continued to live there in 1872, but had purchased and moved to 224 Beacon Street by 1874.  12 Commonwealth subsequently became the home of Francis Cutting and then Henry Hobart.

In about 1884, it was acquired by Thomas Allen, Jr.  When he purchased the house, he was a widower, but remarried not long after, in October of 1884, to Alice Ranney.

Thomas Allen was an artist and maintained his studio as well as his home at 12 Commonwealth.  He chaired the faculty of the Boston Museum School of Drawing and Painting, and also served as President of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts and as Chairman of the Boston Art Commission.  The Allens continued to live at 12 Commonwealth until his death in August of 1924.

14 Commonwealth
14 Commonwealth Avenue was designed and built ca. 1871 by architect and builder Charles Kirby, probably for speculative sale.  By 1875, it had been acquired by merchant Patrick Grant and his wife, Charlotte Bordman (Rice) Grant.  Charlotte Grant died in February of 1882.  Patrick Grant continued to live at 14 Commonwealth in 1883.  His business failed in that year and he sold the house and, in the fall of 1883, moved to live at 104 Marlborough Street with his son and daughter-in-law, Robert and Amy (Galt) Grant, who had been married in July of 1883.  Robert Grant was both a judge and a popular novelist.  He also served as a member of the Commission which reviewed the conviction of Sacco and Vanzetti.