Fall River Painted Ladies

Victorian Homes and City Buildings

In the South End

1 Comment Posted by administrator on July 24, 2008

Not all the great old Painted Ladies are on The Hill and in the Highlands. There are some architectural beauties to be found in the south end of town, in the Globe section and in Corky’s Row. Architectural diversity is one of the great charms of Fall River, whether in commercial and civic buildings or residential dwellings. The double and triple decker construction, so commonly seen in New England mill towns still abounds in the city, with a great many of these dwellings now clad in aluminum siding. Occasionally a shingled example still exists, and more rarely still, a brick dwelling. Some resourceful means have been found to preserve at at least some of the carved “gingerbread” ornaments and embellishments of these South End Painted Ladies. A few boast some eye-catching paint schemes as well.

Perhaps the most impressive example, in sheer size, of mill architecture in the area is the King Phillip Mill which engulfs several blocks.

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The Simeon Borden/ Sarah Brayton House

1 Comment Posted by administrator on July 14, 2008

This elaborate High Victorian Ruskinian Gothic residence was built in 1875 for Simeon Borden. He was a prominent civil engineer and land surveyor who was deeply involved in Fall River’s expanding street system following the Civil War.

The residence was built of brick instead of wood, which at that time made this an unusual building for the city. This particular style was popular in the mid-1870′s and many of the city’s buildings which resemble this house were designed by Hartwell and Swazey, such as the Academy Building in the Borden Block and the Central Congregational Church on Rock Street.

Simeon Borden sold the residence to Sarah Brayton in 1895 and it was then christened “Broadview”. Sarah S. Brayton died in 1915 and willed the home to her niece, Nancy Jannett Bowers Brayton who married Judge James Madison Morton in 1955. Their heirs donated the mansion to the Christian Day School which closed in 1992. Since 2001, it has been the address for the Women’s Center/ OB-GYN.

Architectural Elements, Founding Families, Gingerbread Gems, Highland Avenue, House Tales, The Hill and Historic Highlands Hartwell and Swazey, Sarah Brayton, Simeon Borden

Summer in the Garden

Leave a Comment Posted by administrator on July 9, 2008

Everything is in bloom at the Fall River Historical Society’s Victorian Garden!

Gingerbread Gems, Not Quite Painted Ladies, The Hill and Historic Highlands Fall River Gardens, Fall River Historical Society

The Academy Building

Leave a Comment Posted by administrator on March 30, 2008

Academy Building
Designer	Hartwell & Swazey
Location	Fall River, Massachusetts, USA
Date	1876
Building Type	Commerce/Trade
Construction System	Brick, Sandstone, Granite
Architectural Style	Ruskinian Gothic
Street Address	S. Main St.
Notes	also known as Academy of Music Building;Borden Block

East side stone carvings and remaining two pillars from the old city hall at the start of Old Second Street, now a pedestrian mall.

(The music heard is from the 1980 film Somewhere in Time- based on the novel Bid Time Return by Richard Matheson which was set in 1896 at the Hotel Del Coronado in California. The film version was updated to 1912 and filmed at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Michigan).

Architectural Elements, Gingerbread Gems, Not Quite Painted Ladies, The South End Beauties Fall River Granite, Hartwell and Swazey

New Boston Road Gingerbread Gem

1 Comment Posted by administrator on February 29, 2008

Also in the north end of town, New Boston Road, which passes by the Charlton Hospital is peppered with charming smaller Victorian homes and storefronts. The former 1890 Leanna Barker grocery store is a captivating and nicely -restored storefront, now functioning as Dr. McDonald’s Primary Care office. The porch is an inviting spot to linger in the summer months.