For years, a small Victorian structure with delicate gingerbread trim was a favorite gathering spot on Mary Baker Eddy’s front lawn in Concord, New Hampshire. Visitors posed for pictures there, and household workers stopped by to take in the summer breezes and the perfume of roses. More than a century later, the Pleasant View summerhouse is still a draw for visitors. It continues to be a preferred spot to pose for the camera—but this time at Longyear Museum in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.
After Mrs. Eddy moved to Massachusetts from Pleasant View, her beloved home from 1892 to 1908, the little gazebo eventually became the property of The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston. The Mother Church donated the structure to Longyear in 1975, and it was reassembled on the grounds of the Museum’s original home, the Longyear family mansion in Brookline, Massachusetts. When Longyear moved, the summerhouse went along, and today, it is a focal point of the Museum’s outdoor exhibits.
Like any other outdoor artifact, the summerhouse has needed repairs and maintenance from time to time. Despite this ongoing work, more than 100 years of New England snow and sun made a more comprehensive restoration necessary.
This photo gallery showcases Longyear’s recent preservation work on the summerhouse, performed in stages between 2018 and 2022. Enjoy both archival photos and present-day shots of the work, which safeguarded this important artifact for generations to come.
Click on the thumbnails below and scroll through to see larger images and captions.
