1 Marlborough Street

1 Marlborough Street

1 Marlborough Street was built ca. 1863 as the home of William Taylor Glidden and his wife, Catherine (Glidden) Glidden.  He is shown as the owner on the 1874 Hopkins map and 1883 Bromley map, and Catherine Glidden is shown as the owner on the 1888 Bromley map.

William Glidden was a master mariner and partner in the shipping firm of Glidden & Williams, a major owner of clipper ships operating between Boston and San Francisco.

The Gliddens maintained their primary residence in Newcastle, Maine, at his family home, called Gladisfen, and spent winters at 1 Marlborough.

Catherine Glidden died in about 1890.  William Glidden continued to live at 1 Marlborough until his death in January of 1893.

By 1894, 1 Marlborough had been acquired by Dr. Arthur Tracy Cabot, a surgeon specializing in urology.  He and his wife, Susan (Shattuck) Cabot, lived next door, at 3 Marlborough, and acquired 1 Marlborough to serve as his medical office.

Dr. Franklin G. Balch also maintained his offices there from about 1894 through 1899 (he and his wife lived at 279 Clarendon Street), and in about 1900, Arthur Cabot's cousin, Dr. Hugh Cabot, who had graduated from Harvard Medical School in 1898, joined his practice.

In addition to medical offices, 1 Marlborough was also was a boarding house, with up to seven (and possibly more) boarders living there.  Hugh Cabot lived there as a boarder from about 1900 until his marriage in 1902 to Mary Boit, after which they moved to 5 Marlborough.

Arthur Cabot died in November of 1912 and 1 Marlborough was not listed in the 1913 Blue Book.

By 1915, it was the home of Dr. Richard Clarke Cabot and his wife, Ella (Lyman) Cabot.  Richard Cabot was Arthur Cabot's cousin (and the brother of Hugh Cabot).  He was a physician and professor of social ethics at Harvard University, and established the Social Service Department at Massachusetts General Hospital. Ella Cabot was an educator, author, and lecturer.

Ella Lyman's father, Arthur T. Lyman, is shown as the owner of 1 Marlborough on the 1917 Bromley map.  Richard and Ella Cabot continued to live there in 1922.

By 1923, it was the home of Joseph T. Brown, Jr., and his wife, Irene (Jenney) Brown.  In 1922, they had lived at 254 Beacon Street.

Joseph Brown was a druggist in his father's firm and later trustee of his father's estate.

Living with them were their unmarried adult children, Martha T. Brown and Joseph Frank Brown.  Joseph Frank Brown was a real estate and insurance broker.

Joseph T. Brown probably died in 1927 or 1928, and Irene, Martha, and Joseph F. Brown moved soon thereafter to 114 Marlborough.

In about 1928, 1 Marlborough became the site of the Charlotte Cushman Club of Boston.  The club is shown as the owner on the 1928 and 1938 Bromley maps.

It appears likely that the Charlotte Cushman Club (named after a well-known actress) was affiliated with the club of the same name in Philadelphia, founded in 1907, which provided safe and inexpensive lodgings for traveling actresses.

The club continued to be located there until the early 1940s.

In September of 1942, 1 Marlborough was purchased by Curtis G. Metzler, who converted it into the Marlborough Service Club, designed to provide reading rooms, libraries, and social facilities for Army and Navy officers, trainees, and their wives.

By 1944, 1 Marlborough was owned by Ida Anderson, who operated it as a lodging house.