37 Commonwealth Avenue

37 Commonwealth Avenue

37 Commonwealth Avenue was designed by architect Nathaniel J. Bradlee and built ca. 1872, one of three contiguous houses (35 Commonwealth built ca. 1873 and 37-39 Commonwealth built ca. 1872), and one of nine contiguous houses (31-33-35-37-39-41-43-45-47 Commonwealth) built in the same design between 1864 and 1873 (a tenth house, 29 Commonwealth, also built in 1864 but razed in 1894, may also have been of the same style).

35-37 Commonwealth were built for ship owner, importer, and sugar refiner Elisha Atkins and his wife, Mary Ellen (Freeman) Atkins.  Elisha Atkins is shown as the owner of 35-37 Commonwealth on the 1874 Hopkins map.

Elisha and Mary Ellen Atkins lived at 37 Commonwealth and sold 35 Commonwealth to dry goods merchant Charles Marsh and his wife, Julia (Barrett) Marsh.  Mary Atkins is shown as the owner of 37 Commonwealth on the 1883 and 1888 Bromley maps.

The Atkins’ daughter, Grace, married in January of 1887 to William Howell Reed, treasurer of the Ashton Valve Company (manufacturers of steam valves).  After their marriage, they lived at 37 Commonwealth with the Atkins.

Elisha Atkins died in December of 1888, and Mary Atkins died in 1897.

The Reeds continued to live at 37 Commonwealth in 1902, but had purchased and moved to 218 Commonwealth by 1903.

By 1903, 37 Commonwealth was the home of banker John Martin Graham and his wife, Ludovica (Dimon) Graham.  They had been married in July of 1901, and had lived temporarily at 173 Commonwealth in about 1902.

He is shown as the owner of 37 Commonwealth on the 1908 Bromley map, and Ludovica D. Graham is shown as the owner on the 1917 Bromley map.

The Grahams continued to live at 37 Commonwealth there in 1917.  They also maintained a summer home in Manchester.

The house was not listed in the 1922-1924 Blue Books.

By 1923, 37 Commonwealth was owned by Mrs. Lucy E. Choate, who converted it into a lodging house and also made it her home.  By 1925, it also was the clubrooms of the Junior League of Boston.

The Junior League remained there in 1928, but by 1929 had moved 6 Commonwealth, where it remained until about 1930, when it moved to a new building at 6 Arlington Street (0 Marlborough Street).

In about 1928, the house appears to have been converted from a lodging house into eight apartments.  Lucy Choate is shown as the owner on the 1928 Bromley map and continued to live there in 1930.  The house was not listed in the 1931-1937 Blue Books.

The Massachusetts Hospital Life Insurance Company is shown as the owner on the 1938 Bromley map.

By 1949, 37 Commonwealth was owned by Maurice E. Goldberg.  In February of 1949, he applied to convert the house from eight to nine apartments, but subsequently abandoned the permit.

In December of 1966, the M. E. Goldberg Charitable and Educational Trust filed to legalize the occupancy as eight apartments, noting that it had been converted into a lodging house in 1923, and that in 1928 it was converted into eight apartments and had remained as such even though the legal status had never been established.

The building was damaged by the March 29, 1968, fire that destroyed the First and Second Church at the corner of Marlborough and Berkeley Streets.  In December of 1968, the Ramsey Realty Trust received permission to repair the damage to the roof and fourth floor and, at the same time, to remodel the house to increase the number of apartments from eight to twelve.