Image Gallery

The carpenters have set up their work area on the sidewalk along Broad Street Place. The white clapboards are a mixture of old and new, that have been primed on both sides.

The lead carpenter removes a section of rotted sill on the northeast corner of the house. Both sills on the northeast and northwest corners of the house had severe rot and were replaced. The brick foundation has been cleaned and repointed.

A carpenter removes clapboards that have air plugs in them. Several decades ago, small round holes were drilled through the clapboards and sheathing for ventilation. These holes are no longer needed for ventilation and as part of the restoration, clapboards with plugged holes are being removed and replaced.

The front façade is nearly ready for the main application of primer. Windows on the second and third floors have been boarded up and the sashes taken to a window restorer in nearby Topsfield, Massachusetts. This project calls for restoring all of the original windows.

This is a test area for the final paint colors. Four of the five exterior colors can be seen here: medium brown on the corner trim; sandy beige on the clapboards and the recessed panel on the corner trim; Roycroft red on the thumbnail on the corner trim; and dark brown on the water table. A paint analysis revealed that these were the colors the house had been painted at the time Mrs. Eddy lived here. The color scheme also includes a dark green/black for the doors.

Work on the roof is also going forward. The skylight in Mrs. Eddy’s attic room has been removed for restoration and a temporary cap has been placed over the opening. There are two other skylights on the roof. All three skylights appear to be original to the house and are being restored.

The west elevation of the kitchen ell is now ready for the reconstruction of a small side porch. Over the years this porch had been enlarged and enclosed — the steps leading to the sidewalk having been removed. Historic photos from the Longyear collection, as well as physical evidence behind the clapboards, led to the redesign of the porch. The new porch will be smaller and have stairs leading to the sidewalk along Broad Street Place.

The back door and basement entrance were not here when Mrs. Eddy lived in the house.

The back door and stairs have been completely removed. An access door to the basement will remain, but it will have a much lower profile.

The foundation walls for the new accessible entrance have been poured.