39 Marlborough Street

39 Marlborough Street

39 Marlborough Street was built ca. 1869, one of three contiguous houses (35-37-39 Marlborough).  37 and 39 Marlborough are mirror opposite buildings, with a shared central entrance porch which creates a symmetrical entryway.

Early photographs (ca. 1900) show that the bay of 37 Marlborough stopped at the cornice line and there was a dormer in the mansard roof, whereas the bay of 39 Marlborough extended to the top floor.  This may have been the original design, or the top floor bay at 37 Marlborough may have been removed and replaced by the dormer.  In October of 2000, the Back Bay Architectural Commission concluded that the latter was more likely and permitted replacement of the dormer with a bay matching the bay at 39 Marlborough.

By 1870, 39 Marlborough was the home of dry goods merchant Henry Cleaves Dodge and his wife Almia (Lamb) Dodge.  Almia Dodge is shown as the owner on the 1874 Hopkins map.  Also listed there in the 1872 City Directory was James Haughton, a dry goods jobber.

The Dodges were no longer listed at 39 Marlborough in the 1875 City Directory, but the house remained in the Dodge family.  Almia Dodge is shown as the owner on the 1883 and 1888 Bromley maps, the Heirs of Almia Dodge are shown as the owners on the 1908, 1917, and 1928 maps, and A. P. and A. L. C. Dodge are shown as the owners on the 1938 Bromley map.

By 1875, 39 Marlborough was leased by merchant James Dillon.  He continued to live there in 1877.

By 1878, it was the home of Rev. William Wilberforce Newton and his wife, Emily Stevenson (Cooke) Newton.  They previously had lived in Newark, New Jersey, where he was rector of Trinity Church (Episcopal) until October of 1876, when he resigned to accept the position of rector of St. Paul's Church in Boston in 1877.

The Newtons continued to live at 39 Marlborough in 1880, and probably until about 1882, when he was named rector of St. Stephen's Church in Pittsfield.

By 1882, it was the home of paper manufacturer Mortimer Blake Mason and his wife Mary (Phillips) Mason.  They had been married in October of 1880, and 39 Marlborough may have been their first home together.  By 1884, they had moved to 190 Commonwealth Avenue.

By 1884, 39 Marlborough was the home of Dr. Buckminster Brown, an orthopedic surgeon, and his wife, Sarah Alvord (Newcomb) Brown.  They continued to live there in 1885, but had purchased and moved to 19 Marlborough by 1888.

By 1889, 39 Marlborough was the home of attorney Russell Gray and his wife, Amy (Heard) Gray.  They also maintained a summer home in Nahant.  Their son, Augustine Heard Gray, a career Naval officer, lived with them.

Russell Gray died in 1929.  Amy Gray continued to live at 39 Marlborough.  Augustine Gray continued to live with her until his marriage in about 1934.

Mrs. Gray continued to live at 39 Marlborough in 1937, and probably later.

By 1954, 39 Marlborough was owned by Francis Licata and occupied as a two-family dwelling with doctors' offices on the first and second floor.

By 1965, 39 Marlborough was owned by Margarat L. Stuart.  She converted the house into a dormitory for women students and, in October of 1965, filed an application to legalize the occupancy as a lodging house.  At the same time, she also filed to legalize the occupancy of 61 Marlborough, which she also had converted into a dormitory.

On February 16, 1966, the Board of Appeal denied her petitions.  The Building Department subsequently required that she remove all remodeling that had been installed to convert the house into a dormitory, thereby returning it to its legal use as doctors' offices and two apartments.

By 1967, 39 Marlborough was owned by Kenneth Kruger.  In July of 1967. the remodeled the house into four apartments.