205 Commonwealth is located on the north side of Commonwealth, between Exeter and Fairfield, with 203 Commonwealth to the east and 207 Commonwealth to the west.

205 Commonwealth was designed by Peabody and Stearns, architects, and built ca.1882 for Samuel Endicott Peabody and his wife, Marianne Cabot (Lee) Peabody. The original permit application has not been located in the Building Department’s files. However, on February 12, 1882, the Boston Globe reported that “Hugh McLaughlin for S. Endicott Peabody” had filed a permit application to construct a 26 foot wide brick dwelling on Commonwealth near Exeter. The application was probably made by Hezekiah (not Hugh) McLaughlin, a mason who served as mason for 25 Exeter and 229 Commonwealth, both designed by Peabody and Stearns and built about the same time as 205 Commonwealth.

205 Commonwealth was built on the middle lot of three 26 foot lots. The lots originally had been sold by the Commonwealth at its May 20, 1879, auction, and the successful bidders had subsequently sold or transferred their rights to purchase the land. S. Endicott Peabody held the rights by the early 1880s, probably acquiring the rights to all three lots in order to control the work done on the party walls of his new home. He did not purchase and take title to the property until after his home at 205 Commonwealth was substantially completed.

He purchased the lot to the west of his new home on March 13, 1883, and sold it four days later to a trust established for the benefit of Aimée (Rotch) Sargent. She and her husband, Winthrop Henry Sargent, built their home at 207 Commonwealth. On the same day he sold the land, he also entered into a party wall agreement with the trustees regarding the wall “now existing” on the boundary between 205 and 207 Commonwealth. On March 20, 1879, he purchased and took title to the lots at 205 Commonwealth and 203 Commonwealth, and then sold the lot at 203 Commonwealth on June 13, 1883, to Henry M. Melville.

Click here for an index to the deeds for 205 Commonwealth, and click here for further information about the land between the north side of Commonwealth and Alley 426, from Exeter to Fairfield.

By the 1882-1883 winter season, S. Endicott and Marianne (Lee) Peabody had made 205 Commonwealth their Boston home. They also maintained a home, Kernwood, in Salem, which previously had been their primary residence.

Samuel Endicott Peabody was a former merchant in the China and India trade.  During the 1870s, he and his family lived in England, where he was a partner in the US banking firm of J. S. Morgan & Co.  They returned in the late 1870s and in 1881 he became President of the American Loan & Trust Company in Boston.

The Peabodys were joined at 205 Commonwealth by their daughter, Martha Endicott Peabody, and their son, George Lee Peabody.  Their eldest son, John Endicott Peabody, a retired merchant and banker, and his wife, Gertrude (Lawrence) Peabody, lived at 80 Commonwealth, and their son Francis Peabody, an attorney, and his wife, Rosamond (Lawrence) Peabody, lived at 251 Beacon. Their son, Rev. Endicott Peabody, an Episcopal priest, lived in Salem and in 1884 would found and serve as headmaster of Groton School in in Groton Massachusetts.  He married in June of 1885, to his first cousin, Fannie Peabody, daughter of Samuel Peabody’s brother, Francis Peabody of Danvers.

Martha Peabody married in June of 1887 to John Lawrence, who owned a farm in Groton, where they lived after their marriage. John Lawrence and Rosamond (Lawrence) Peabody, the wife of Martha Peabody’s brother, Francis, were brother and sister, the children of Abbott Lawrence and Harriette (Paige) Lawrence.  Gertrude (Lawrence) Peabody, the wife of Martha Peabody’s brother, John, was the daughter of Abbott Lawrence’s brother, James Lawrence and his wife, Elizabeth (Prescott) Lawrence.

George Lee Peabody, an investment banker, married in June of 1891 to Elizabeth Copley Crowninshield of 109 Commonwealth. After their marriage, they lived at 109 Commonwealth with her widowed father, Caspar Crowninshield, and then, by 1893, at 205 Commonwealth with his parents.

S. Endicott and Marianne Peabody continued to live at 205 Commonwealth during the 1892-1893 winter season, after which they made Salem their year-round residence. By the 1897-1898 season, they were living at 40 Fenway.

George and Elizabeth Peabody moved back to live with her father at 109 Commonwealth.

During the 1893-1894 winter season, 205 Commonwealth was the home of cotton manufacturer Horatio Nelson Slater and his wife, Mabel De Carteret (Hunt) Slater. They had lived at 293 Beacon during the previous season. They also maintained a home, The Knolls, in Webster, where several of his cotton mills were located. By the 1894-1895 season, they were living at 315 Dartmouth.

On June 28, 1894, 205 Commonwealth was acquired from S. Endicott Peabody by Alice Ormond (Spaulding) King, the wife of Henry Parsons King. They had lived at 176 Commonwealth during the previous season.

Henry King was a boiler and elevator manufacturer.

In 1898-1899, the Kings built a home, Sunset Rock, in Pride’s Crossing, designed by architect John Lavalle.

In February of 1900, the Kings purchased the stable at 350 Newbury. The King family continued to own it until 1915.

The Kings continued to live at 205 Commonwealth during the 1906-1907 winter season. In May of 1907 they purchased 118 Beacon, which they demolished and replaced with a new house. During the 1907-1908 winter season, while they were awaiting the completion of their new home, they lived in Chestnut Hill at the home of Morris and Flora (Grant) Gray, who were living at 149 Beacon for the season. The Kings moved to 118 Beacon for the 1908-1909 season.

During the 1907-1908 winter season, 205 Commonwealth was the home of Bayard Thayer, a banker and noted yachtsman, and his wife, Ruth (Simpkins) Thayer. They had spent the past several winters at their home in Lancaster, before which they had lived at 183 Marlborough for the 19021903 winter season. They also owned a stable at 342 Newbury. During the 1908-1909 and 1909-1910 seasons, they lived at 12 Arlington.

On July 1, 1908, 205 Commonwealth was purchased from the Kings by Philip Shelton Sears.  He and his wife, Mary Cabot (Higginson) Sears, made it their home.  They previously had lived at 315 Commonwealth. They also maintained a home, The Pines, in Pride’s Crossing.

Philip Sears was a lawyer and trustee.  After World War I, he retired from the law and became a noted sculptor.

During the 1909-1910 winter season, the Searses were traveling in Europe and 205 Commonwealth was the home of John Stanley Ames and his wife, Anna (Nancy) McKinley (Filley) Ames. They had married in April of April of 1909 and 205 Commonwealth was their first Boston home together. They also maintained a home in North Easton.  Prior to their marriage, he had lived at 306 Dartmouth and she had lived in Sherborn. He was a trustee of his family’s investments. They moved to 412 Commonwealth for the 1910-1911 winter season, and Philip and Mary Sears resumed living at 205 Commonwealth.

During the 1914-1915 season the Searses were traveling in California and spent the remainder of the winter at their Pride’s Crossing home, and 205 Commonwealth was once again the home of John and Nancy (Filley) Ames. They previously had lived at 306 Dartmouth and resumed living there during the next season.

Philip and Mary Sears resumed living at 205 Commonwealth during the 1915-1916 and 1916-1917 winter seasons, after which they moved to Brookline.

On April 25, 1917, James McNaughton purchased 205 Commonwealth from Philip Sears.  He and his wife, Mary E. (Morrison) McNaughton, made it their home.  They previously had lived in Brookline.

James McNaughton was general manager of the Calumet and Hecla mines in Calumet, Michigan.

They continued to live at 205 Commonwealth during the 1921-1922 winter season, but moved soon thereafter back to Brookline.

In 1922, 205 Commonwealth was briefly the home of paper manufacturer Herbert Warren Mason and his wife, Persis Emery (Furbish) Mason.  They had lived at 14 Gloucester in 1921.  They also maintained a home in Ipswich.  By 1923, they had moved to 24 Chestnut.

On October 24, 1922, 205 Commonwealth was purchased from James MacNaughton by Robert Gould Shaw, II.  He and his wife, Mary (Hannington) Converse Shaw, made it their home. They also maintained a home, Boulder Farm, at Oak Hill in Newton Centre. Robert Shaw’s father, Quincy Adams Shaw, was the developer of the Calumet and Hecla mines.

On April 14, 1926, 205 Commonwealth was acquired from Robert Gould Shaw, II, by Margarett Hunnewell (Sargent) McKean, the wife of Quincy Adams Shaw McKean.  They had lived at 21 Commonwealth during the 1925-1926 winter season.  Quincy Adams Shaw McKean was Robert Gould Shaw, II’s, nephew (the son of Shaw’s sister, Marian). The McKeans also maintained a home in Pride’s Crossing.

Quincy Adams Shaw McKean was a banker and broker.  Margarett Sargent McKean was a noted painter and sculptor.

Robert and Mary Shaw appear to have continued to spend their winter seasons at 205 Commonwealth through the 1928-1929 winter season.  They, and not the McKeans, were listed there in the 1927-1929 Blue Books.

During the 1930-1931 winter season, the McKeans spent their winter season at their home in Pride’s Crossing.  They subsequently leased 205 Commonwealth to others.

By 1931, it was the home of retired Rear Admiral Cameron McRae Winslow and his wife, Theodora (Havemeyer) Winslow.  They previously had lived in Rhode Island.  He had served as Commander in Chief of the US Pacific Fleet in 1915 and 1916.  The Winslows’ adult children lived with them: Natalie Winslow, Cameron McRae Winslow, Jr. (a naval officer), Theodora Winslow, Emily Winslow, John Chilton Winslow, and Arthur Winslow.  They also maintained a home in Newport.

Admiral Winslow died in January of 1932.  Theodora Winslow and their children moved to 166 Marlborough.

During the 1932-1933 winter season, 205 Commonwealth was the home of Bayard Tuckerman, Jr., and his wife, Phyllis (Sears) Tuckerman.  They also maintained a home in South Hamilton.  Bayard Tuckerman was an insurance broker and racing enthusiast, one of the founders and the first president of the Suffolk Downs race track. During the 1931-1932 season, they had maintained their Boston residence at 97 Mt. Vernon, and by the 1933-1934 season they were living at the Hotel Sheraton at 91 Bay State Road.

By the 1944-1934 winter season, 205 Commonwealth was the home of attorney Bartlett Harwood and his wife, Mary Louise (Ramsdell) Spaulding Harwood.  They previously had lived at 170 Beacon.  Mary Louise Spaulding, Mary Harwood’s daughter by her first marriage, to Henry Blanchard Spaulding of Buffalo, lived with them.  They continued to live at 205 Commonwealth in 1937, but had moved to 49 Beacon by 1938.

By 1938, 205 Commonwealth had once again become the home of Quincy Adams Shaw McKean and Margarett McKean.  By 1939, they had moved to Beverly.

The house was shown as vacant in the 1939-1941 Boston City Directories.

On July 9, 1941, 205 Commonwealth was purchased from the McKeans by Marie C. Sullivan. She previously had lived in an apartment at 291 Commonwealth. In November of 1941, she applied for (and subsequently received) permission to remodel 205 Commonwealth and convert it from a single-family dwelling into a lodging house.

In October of 1942, 205 Commonwealth became the headquarters of the Pan-American Society of Massachusetts.  In 1941, it had been located at 115 Commonwealth, and then temporarily in Cambridge and at the Natural History Society building at 234 Berkeley.  The Pan-American Society was formed (according to an April 6, 1941, Boston Herald article) “at a time when the friendly relations between the Americas are of increasing importance.”

The Society continued to be located at 205 Commonwealth in the fall of 1944.

On September 11, 1946, 205 Commonwealth was purchased from Marie Sullivan by The Duncanbury School of Arts.

Duncanbury School had been founded in 1945 by Miss Evelyn M. Duncanson and Miss Helen M. Canterbury.  Miss Canterbury (who also was a piano teacher) was president and Miss Duncanson was secretary-treasurer; they lived at 238 Hemenway.

In March of 1947, the school applied for (and subsequently received) permission to convert 205 Commonwealth from a lodging house into a school.

On October 21, 1949, 205 Commonwealth was purchased from The Duncanbury School of Arts by Massachusetts Memorial Hospitals, Inc., operators of the Boston University’s hospitals and medical services. It had purchased 203 Commonwealth in June of 1949.

By the time of the sale, it appears that Evelyn Duncanson and Helen Canterbury no longer were affiliated with the school: Alfred H. Avery was the president and Alden I. Avery was the treasurer. On October 2, 1949, the Boston Globe noted that “Helen M. Canterbury and Evelyn M. Duncanson, founders of the Duncanbury School of Arts, Inc., announce the opening of a new studio of dance at 334 Newbury.” In April of 1950, they purchased 116 Commonwealth.

In October of 1949, Duncanbury School of Art and Massachusetts Memorial Hospitals jointly filed for (and subsequently received) permission to combine 205 Commonwealth and 203 Commonwealth, and to convert the combined building into offices and laboratories for examination, study and treatment, including minor surgery.  The remodeling was designed by architects Campbell & Aldrich (Walter E. Campbell and Nelson W. Aldrich), with the client shown on the plans as the Smithwick Foundation.  Architectural plans for the remodeling — including floor plans and a building section — are included in the City of Boston Blueprints Collection in the Boston City Archivest (reference BIN R-108).

203-205 Commonwealth remained medical offices until 1969.

On January 14, 1970, 203-205 Commonwealth were acquired from University Hospital, Inc. (successor to Massachusetts Memorial Hospitals, Inc.) by real estate dealer Nick Haddad, trustee of the Cook Realty Trust.

In April of 1970, Nick Haddad was cited by the Building Department for failing to secure a permit to change the occupancy from a doctors’ clinic to offices. He subsequently obtained a permit to convert the property into 22 apartments, and in March of 1973, was cited by the Building Department for failing to secure a permit to change the occupancy from 22 apartments to 21 apartments and real estate office (which had been established in the first floor front).

In August of 1978, he applied for (and subsequently received) permission to legalize the occupancy as 24 apartments, stating that the work was authorized “under permit No. #100/1970 which has been issued and lost.”

On May 10, 1979, Stephen V. Miller, trustee of the 203-205 Mil-Cav Renewal Trust, purchased 203-205 Commonwealth from Nick Haddad. In August of 1979, he filed for (and subsequently received) permission to convert the property from 24 apartments into ten apartments. And on December 10, 1979, he converted 203-205 Commonwealth into ten condominium units, the 203 Commonwealth Condominium.
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