21 Commonwealth Avenue

21-23 Commonwealth Avenue

21 Commonwealth Avenue was built ca. 1868, designed to form a symmetrical composition with 23 Commonwealth, built at the same time. 

21 Commonwealth was built as the home of John Appleton Burnham and his wife, Jane (Denison) Burnham.  He was agent for various cotton mills and also served as President of the Nashua Iron and Steel Company.

The Burnhams also maintained a home in Brookline.

He died in August of 1884, and Jane Burnham continued to live at 21 Commonwealth.

In 1885, the Burnhams' daughter, Maria, married attorney Charles Fry.  After their marriage, the Frys lived at 21 Commonwealth with Jane Burnham.

Jane Burnham died in March of 1899.

After her death, the Frys continued to live at 21 Commonwealth.  They also maintained a summer home in Bar Harbor.

The house was not listed in the 1901 and 1902 Blue Books, and in 1902 the Frys were living temporarily at 253 Marlborough Street.  By 1903, however, they were living at 21 Commonwealth again.

Maria Fry died in February of 1906, and Charles Fry continued to live at 21 Commonwealth until his death in September of 1910.

The house was not listed in the 1911 Blue Book.

By late 1912, it was the home of Professor and Mrs. William H. Schofield.  He was a professor of Norwegian at Harvard.

In July of 1913, the Boston Globe reported that the Frys two sons, John and Charles Fry, had sold 21 Commonwealth to Ralph W. Dunbar.  He does not appear to have lived at the house.

By 1915, it was the home of Joseph Hall Cotton, treasurer of the American Tube Company (manufacturers of brass tubes), and his wife, Jane (Eaton) Cotton.  She is shown as the owner on the 1917 Bromley map.

They also maintained a summer home in Marion.

Joseph Cotton died in February of 1919.

In June of 1920, Jane Cotton married again, to Guy Murchie, a widower with four children.  He was an attorney.  In 1898, as a college student, he had organized the Harvard Contingent of the Rough Riders during the Spanish American War and had served under Theodore Roosevelt.

After their marriage, Guy and Jane Murchie lived at 21 Commonwealth.  By 1924, they had been joined there by Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Hoppin.

By 1925, Mrs. Murchie had become an antique dealer, operating Queen Anne Antiques at 739 Boylston Street, with her residence listed in the City Directory as the Hotel Puritan.  He continued to practice law, with his residence continuing to be listed at 21 Commonwealth.  By 1927, they were living together at 25 Chestnut Street.

By 1927, 21 Commonwealth was the home of Mrs. Joseph M. Baldrige, Dudley Wolfe, Grafton Smith, and Benjamin F. Smith.

By 1928, it was the home of Reginald William Bird, a wholesale roofing supply dealer.  His wife, Violet (Gooderham) Bird, had died in 1927, and he probably purchased and moved to 21 Commonwealth soon thereafter.  He is shown as the owner on the 1928 Bromley map.

In June of 1932, he married again, to Elizabeth Frances (Bowditch) Emery, the widow of Manning Emery. They continued to live at 21 Commonwealth in 1937, and probably later. He continued to be shown as the owner on the 1938 Bromley map.

By 1944, 21 Commonwealth was owned by the Stenographic Secretarial School, which converted it from a single-family dwelling to classrooms and offices.

By 1960, 21 Commonwealth was owned by the Chamberlayne School and Chamberlayne Junior College.  In October of 1960, it filed an application to convert the house from classrooms and offices to a dormitory for 40 students.  The application was not granted and the subsequent appeal was withdrawn, and in January of 1962, the school filed to confirm that the occupancy remained classrooms and offices.

In the Fall of 1966, the building suffered what appears to have been a major fire, requiring that Chamberlayne make repairs on all floors and to the roof and mansards.

Chamberlayne went bankrupt in the mid-1970s, and by July of 1975, 21 Commonwealth was owned by the Home Owners Federal Savings and Loan Association.

In July of 1975, the house was purchased by Newbury Junior College, which continued to use it for classrooms and offices.

In September of 1984, it was purchased by Emerson College.