e-Newsletter | March 12, 2021 |
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The Legacy of William Graves Perry |
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Newburyport has been home to a significant number of men and women who have gone on to make their mark in science, exploration, law, art, writing, history, and architecture.
One of these native sons, William Graves Perry (1883-1975), was not born in Newburyport but descended from an important family involved in the maritime trades and grew up in the so-called Pierce-Knapp-Perry Place at 47 High Street.
The property was purchased by Georgianna Graves Perry after the untimely death of her husband in 1897. Her hometown was the place to raise her children across High Street from her childhood home. William Perry's grandfather and great grandfather, both William Graves, were successful shipmasters and community leaders, something for which their descendant would later become known.
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47 High Street, Historic American Buildings Survey, photo by Frank O. Branzetti, 1940 |
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Perry was a Harvard graduate and received degrees in architecture from both MIT and L’Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris. When he returned to this country, he taught architecture at Harvard for a year before joining the Aviation Section of the Army Signal Corps where he served as a Captain during World War 1. |
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A talented architect, Perry had two early commissions in Newburyport.
The first was in1907 after a fire destroyed the clubhouse and surrounding buildings at the American Yacht Club on Water Street. At the time, Perry, a draughtsman at Shepley, Rutan & Coolidge, designed the new clubhouse. It was constructed in 1908 and still serves the Club today.
Another devastating fire led to Perry's second hometown commission. The 1800s wooden structure of Saint Paul's Church was destroyed in April 1920.
The cornerstone of the new Rockport granite church was laid in August 1922, and the following year Perry founded the Boston firm of Perry, Shaw, and Hepburn with his colleagues Thomas Mott Shaw and Andrew H. Hepburn.
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Captain Perry. Courtesy photo: Find A Grave. |
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The firm became well known for its college and university buildings, but its crowning glory was the restoration of Colonial Williamsburg for John D. Rockefeller, Jr., planning for which began in 1926 with the commission awarded a year later when Rockefeller's identity was revealed.
The partnership, in which Perry had the leading role, resulted in a complete restoration of the colonial capital and encompassed 66 restored buildings and structures and 84 reconstructed structures. Another key player in this enormous project was Ipswich neighbor and landscape architect Arthur A. Shurcliff who created an American Colonial Revival landscape.
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American artist Charles Sydney Hopkinson inscribed his oil study of architects William Graves Perry, Thomas Mott Shaw, Andrew Hopewell Hepburn, and Arthur Asahel Shurcliff (standing): “To my four friends, designers of beauty.” Courtesy photo: Perry Dean Rogers, Boston. |
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Historic preservation took a radical turn in the 1920s with the Colonial Revival trend of converting historic houses and buildings into museums - a practice that flourished through the 1930s. Because of their work at Colonial Williamsburg, Perry, Shaw, and Hepburn became the restoration architects of choice. The firm retained ties to Colonial Williamsburg Foundation until it created its own architecture department in 1953.
Some of Perry's work brought him back to Newburyport. He served as Chairman of the National Advising Committee for the Historic American Buildings Survey in 1932 and was involved in documenting some of the High Street gardens for that project. Also in the 1930s, Perry, Shaw, and Hepburn redesigned the Summer House in the Cushing Garden based on early photographs.
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Summer House at the John N. Cushing Place, Historic American Buildings Survey, photo by Frank O. Branzetti, 1940. Notice the repurposed pew from the Old South Church which served as a garden bench. |
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In 1934, William Perry's mother died, and he inherited the house at 47 High Street and continued to use it as a summer home for the remainder of his life, spending his winters in Boston. During this decade, Perry also restored the Warner House in Portsmouth, NH.
Perry's last gift to Newburyport came near the end of his life. The city was at a turning point and urban renewal was foremost in everyone's minds.
Demolition of several buildings in the historic core was threatened. Perry became involved in the latter half of the 1960s at the urging of Dr. Robert Wilkins who was part of a dynamic group determined to save the city's historic architecture and integrity.
Perry and his firm created a three-dimensional model focusing on restoration-based renewal that resulted in the city we cherish today.
William Graves Perry died April 4, 1975 in North Andover at the age of 91 and is buried in Oak Hill cemetery with other members of his family.
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Madison Vlass, executive assistant, Museum of Old Newbury, on popular TV show, Chronicle. |
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ICYMI...The Museum of Old Newbury's Executive Assistant, Madison Vlass, made a guest appearance on WCVB-TV5's Chronicle this past Tuesday.
In a story on Folk Art, Vlass waxed poetic about the MOON's fabulous rooster weathervane, formerly atop the First Religious Society Unitarian Universalist church on Pleasant Street and now forever preserved at the museum.
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Learn about upcoming programs, register, find Zoom links and catch up on previous presentations here. |
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Miss a Recent MOON Program? Watch here. |
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Thanks to the wonder of the Zoom platform, all of our programs are recorded and available online shortly after presentation. Visit our website for upcoming events, previous recordings, including the four 2020 Virtual Garden Tours, our Annual Meeting, children's and holiday programs, as well as all episodes of "Yeat Yeat, Don't Tell Me!"
In lieu of a printed program book, we will be featuring monthly events here, as well as maintaining a complete list on our website: www.NewburyHistory.org.
All of our virtual programs are free, however donations are gratefully accepted to help defray speaker fees.
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Tea: so much more than a soothing & delicious beverage!
Talia Jachimowicz, '21, was the second Governor's Academy student to present this year as part of the annual student symposium held by the Museum of Old Newbury.
In this cultural history program, Jachimowicz looked at social and political causes, on both sides of the American Revolution, that became steeped in tea. Upper class and lower class colonists alike enjoyed the aromatic brew, an entrancing drink that indulged the pretensions of British aristocrats while instilling colonial Americans with the democratic notion that they were equal to anyone.
But it was imperious British taxes on tea that activated American men -- and women! -- in common cause against hereditary privilege and tyranny. Representing liberty to Americans and insubordination to British loyalists, tea brewed the American Revolution.
More than 100 people registered for the Zoom presentation. Watch it here.
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Newburyport, Slavery and Racism – The past meets the present on "Yeat Yeat Don't Tell Me!"
The Yeat Yeat team welcomed Edward Carson, historian, community activist and Dean of Multicultural Education at the Governor's Academy, to Friday, March 5, 2021's episode of "Yeat Yeat, Don't Tell Me!"
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Friday, March 19 2021
Jack Santos, Custom House Maritime Museum, and Colleen Turner, Museum of Old Newbury, celebrate Women's History Month with Camille Garro on the next episode of "Yeat Yeat, Don't Tell Me!"
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Thursday, March 25, 2021
Naomi Wade: A British Woman in 18th Century New England. Meet an 18th century woman from London who became a camp follower with a British Regiment during the American War for Independence.
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Thursday, April 8, 2021 @ 7:00 p.m.
Wallace Nutting and the Invention of "Old America" Shelburne Museum's Tom Denenberg digs deep into Nutting's shaping of "Old America."
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Thursday, April 22, 2021 @ 7:00 p.m.
The Governor's Academy student symposia concludes with China's Rocket Man: A Deportee from the US Launches China into Space. Presented by Tianyu Fang, '20, this program serves as a cautionary tale for our time. Register here.
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Puzzle Me This...
The Top of the Morning to you this Saint Patrick’s Day and every day. From the collections of the Museum of Old Newbury.
Click on the image to begin.
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Something is Always Cooking at the Museum
Perfect for lunch or as a side, this sweet and savory take on Brussels sprouts from Erin Ouimet is sure to please most everyone. If an extra protein is desired, consider adding in some sliced grilled chicken.
Roasted Brussels Sprouts & Cranberries with Barley
1 pound Brussels sprouts, cleaned and cut in half
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt
2/3 cup fresh cranberries or 1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup Gorgonzola or goat cheese
1/3 cup pecans, toasted
1 1/2 cups cooked barley or cooked rice, warmed
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Preheat broiler. Toss Brussels sprouts with olive oil and salt. Heat a 12-inch cast-iron skillet to medium-high heat, 2 to 3 minutes. Once sizzling hot, place sprouts into pan, quickly arranging cut side down. Cook for 2 minutes. Toss cranberries into pan. Place skillet under broiler for 3 minutes, until sprouts are browned and bottoms are caramelized. Cranberries should be popping. Remove from heat and add barley or rice, pecans and cheese. Mix well. Drizzle with vinegar and maple syrup. Adjust seasoning. (Adapted from a recipe by Cookie & Kate.)
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During this difficult period of COVID-19, we rely on your support more than ever. We continue to develop new, online programs for you to enjoy and keep us connected and look forward to in-person events as protocols for safety loosen. We hope, if you are able, that you will consider a donation to the museum. Thank you for your continued support.
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generosity of our sponsors:
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Museum of Old Newbury
98 High Street
Newburyport, MA 01950
978-462-2681
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