92 Marlborough Street

92 Marlborough Street

92 Marlborough Street was built ca. 1870 for building contractor George Wheatland, Jr., for speculative sale, one four contiguous houses (92 Marlborough and 263-265-267 Clarendon).

By 1872, 92 Marlborough was the home of wool merchant Charles Larkin.  He previously had lived in Milton, where his wife, Susannah (Rich) Larkin died in November of 1870.  He is shown as the owner of 92 Marlborough on the 1874 Hopkins map.  He continued to live there in 1879, but had moved to the Hotel Hamilton at 260 Clarendon by 1880.

By 1880, 92 Marlborough was the home of Joseph Brown Thomas, Jr., and his wife, Annie (Hill) Brown.  He is shown as the owner on the 1883 and 1888 Bromley maps.

Joseph Thomas was president of the Standard Sugar Refinery, which was owned by his father.

The Thomases continued to live at 92 Marlborough in 1890, but had moved to 19 Bay State Road by 1892.

By 1892, 92 Marlborough was the home of merchant George Snelling and his wife, Jane (Robinson) Snelling.  In 1890, they had lived at 95 Boylston Street.

By 1893, 92 Marlborough was the home of Dr. Virgil Clarence Pond, a dentist, and his wife, Maud (Closson) Pond.  He is shown as the owner on the 1908 and 1917 Bromley maps.

The Ponds moved to Brookline in the mid-1890s and he converted 92 Marlborough into medical offices and apartments.  He continued maintain his dental office there, joined by Dr. Francis Sedgwick Watson, a physician and surgeon.  Dr. Watson and his wife, Mary (Perkins) Watson, lived at 263 Clarendon.  In 1894, Dr. Watson had maintained his office at 80 Marlborough.

Dr. Pond and Dr. Watson continued to maintain their offices at 92 Marlborough until about 1915.

Longer term residents of the apartments at 92 Marlborough included musician and advertising agent Frank Herbert Robie and his wife, Mariam (Sugarman) Robie, who lived there from 1900 (and possibly somewhat before until about 1915); college instructor Samuel Gideon and his wife, Sadie, and their lodger, Frederic C. Kneeland, also a college instructor (from 1908 through about 1911); and Miss Eleanor Rosalie Thornton (from about 1911 through 1915), joined by Miss Janet Thornton by 1915.

By 1917, Drs. Pond and Watson had moved their offices, and the Robies and the Misses Thornton no longer were living there.

92 Marlborough continued to be a multiple dwelling.  Longer term residents included Miss Ellen Wayles Coolidge and Miss Lillie M. Peck, both social workers (Miss Coolidge had lived at 81 Marlborough in 1917; she and Miss Peck lived at 92 Marlborough from 1920, and possibly somewhat before, through 1922, when they moved to 12 Fairfield), and Mrs. Agnes (Harty) Flint, the widow of Dr. Carleton Phillips Flint, a physician (who lived at 92 Marlborough from about 1922 through 1925).

In April of 1924, 92 Marlborough was acquired by Edward J. Bell.  He continued to operate it as apartments.  In 1925, several of his neighbors filed complaints that a dressmaker (Miss Justine Johnson) was conducting a commercial business in her apartment.

By 1926, 92 Marlborough had been acquired by Katharine Gibbs School, which had purchased 90 Marlborough in about 1925.  In July of 1926, the school applied for (and subsequently received) permission to remodel the property and convert it into a dormitory.

Katharine Gibbs School is shown as the owner of 90-92 Marlborough on the 1928 and 1938 Bromley maps.

The School continued to be located at 90 Marlborough in 1953 and continued to operate 92 Marlborough as a dormitory through at least 1945 and probably through 1953 (92 Marlborough was not listed in the 1947 City Directory and was shown as vacant in the 1949 and 1951 City Directories).

By 1954, 92 Marlborough was owned by the Bond Realty Company, T. J. Diab, president. In October of 1954, it applied for (and subsequently received) permission to convert the property from a dormitory into nine apartments.