Image Gallery
Lynn Exterior Restoration: Research and Exploration
8 Broad Street (now #12) as it appears today
When Longyear Museum purchased Mary Baker Eddy’s former home in Lynn, Massachusetts, in October 2006, it embarked on a process of research and architectural “detective work” to rediscover the home as Mrs. Eddy knew it. During the past three years, a team of preservation consultants with expert knowledge across many disciplines have examined the house from top to bottom. Their findings are the basis for our restoration plans. This summer, the Museum will begin the first phase of the project — a complete exterior restoration, including a new visitor entrance in the rear, with a lift for improved accessibility.
8 Broad Street, ca. 1877
The house was newly built when Mary Baker Eddy (then Mrs. Glover) purchased it. It had been constructed in 1871 as a speculative real estate investment by F. A. Philbrick, a carpenter. Mrs. Eddy purchased the house on March 31, 1875. It is believed that she was the first owner. Since the house was only four years old, the original finishes on the house would likely have been the ones she knew. Even this black-and-white photo indicates that multiple tones highlighted the exterior in vibrant Victorian style. In this historic photo we see perhaps the first public use of the cross and crown as the emblem of the Christian Science Cause. It would later appear on the cover of the third edition of Science and Health, which Mrs. Eddy completed while living in this house. We also see Asa Gilbert Eddy sitting in the second-floor parlor window. Mrs. Eddy treasured this photo, hanging it near her desk at Pleasant View and later at Chestnut Hill.
Stepping up for a closer look at the exterior “fabric”
Sara Chase is a “historic fabric analyst,” which is the restoration professional’s term for an expert in the materials and finishes that form the “fabric” of a structure. Sara was charged with determining original paint schemes and finishes on the interior and exterior of the house. To do this she has had to analyze and date paint chips scraped from beneath layers of modern-day repainting. Perched high on this lift, she was able to examine hard-to-reach crannies where samples of original paint can often be recovered.
Decorative brackets help reveal the original color scheme
These decorative brackets are original to the house. The crackling paint texture, or “alligatoring,” seen in this close-up indicates multiple layers of paint. Sara had one of these brackets removed so she could obtain better paint samples. She was looking to get down to that first layer of paint, as that would have been the color seen by Mrs. Eddy. 
Getting to the bottom of things
Hard at work on the back porch, with mallet, scrapers and other tools, Sara Chase removes paint samples from lower-course clapboards that are believed to be from 1871. Uncovering bottom layers of many coats of paint helps reveal the original palate of paint colors.
Italianate window hood shows need for restoration
This second-floor window cap and these clapboards show graphically the need for repair and restoration, if this house is to be preserved for future generations. Multiple coats of paint over the years are now so thick that details in the woodwork are lost. Over time, such deteriorating paint and flashing can lead to water leakage and structural damage.
Rot — a threat to any house
This cornice is so far rotted that a screwdriver can be stabbed three or four inches into the wood. The screwdriver is not somebody’s idea of a joke — it’s a simple way of measuring the depth of rot and the degree of softness in the wood. One can also see a growing patch of green mildew. Paint is chipping away. And the flashing — that bent sheet of metal which is supposed to deflect water — clearly needs to be replaced. These are symptoms of deterioration that could threaten the very life of this house.
Mrs. Eddy’s skylight
All the windows in the house will be restored, including the skylight in Mrs. Eddy’s attic room, beneath which she edited galley proofs of Science and Health. Some good news: the roof itself has been inspected by a slate roof specialist, who found it to be essentially sound. Broken slates will be replaced, as recommended. 
How firm a foundation?
The 140-year-old house frame needs to be on a sound foundation. All corners of the house were examined by the structural engineer, architect, and carpenters. Here a carpenter carefully removes clapboards to examine the timbers where the house frame is joined to the foundation. Rotted wood was discovered in the sill and will be replaced to ensure the house’s longevity and structural integrity.
Just like new
This architect’s rendering and color swatches are the results of historic paint analysis. They represent the appearance of the house when it was new. Research has revealed that the house Mrs. Eddy saw was anything but a somber gray. The exterior had as many as five colors, shown in these paint samples. It was a typically bold Victorian color scheme that would have been right in style in the 1870s when Mr. and Mrs. Eddy lived here. Soon we expect the outside of the house will look “just like new.” 
Changes since Mrs. Eddy was the owner and landlady
The back of the house, especially the kitchen ell, looks quite different from what Mrs. Eddy would have seen. The back door, steps, and bulkhead were added after Mrs. Eddy lived here. A window was added to the second floor (the skinny window to the right). The side porch, also, has been modified since Mrs. Eddy left here for Boston — it has been elongated; the porch door on the first floor has been moved; on the second floor, a door has been added to access the porch roof deck; and the steps from the sidewalk up to the porch are gone. Many of these details will be removed, returning the house to way Mrs. Eddy would have known it. 
Welcome to the new visitor entrance
The first phase of the Broad Street house restoration project, beginning this summer, will include a new code-compliant accessible entrance at the rear. As depicted in this rendering by Gary Wolf Architects, Inc., visitors will enter the house through a new glass-enclosed foyer, designed to blend harmoniously with the historic site without appearing to be part of the original structure. The visitor lobby will feature a lift to the first floor — where, one day, tours will begin — and to new accessible restrooms in the basement.
