230 Marlborough is located on the south side of Marlborough, between Exeter and Fairfield, with 228 Marlborough to the east and 232 Marlborough to the west.

230 Marlborough was designed by architect Samuel D. Kelley and built in 1880 by Edward Chapin, mason, as the home of real estate dealer Frederick Augustus Whitwell and his wife, Mary Crowninshield (Silsbee) Whitwell. He is shown as the owner on the original building permit application, dated February 27, 1880, and on the final building inspection report, dated October 23, 1880. The house is numbered 226 Marlborough on the permit application and building inspection documents, but was renumbered 230 Marlborough soon thereafter, when houses to the east were constructed.

The house was built on a 25 foot wide lot composed of a 24.5 foot lot and a six inch strip on the eastern boundary with 228 Marlborough. Frederick A. Whitwell purchased the six inch strip on March 25, 1880, from his brother, Samuel Horatio Whitwell, who had purchased it from the Commonwealth on March 15, 1880. Construction probably began at that time. Frederick Whitwell purchased the remaining 24.5 foot lot from the Commonwealth on April 2, 1881, after the house was substantially completed.

Click here for an index to the deeds for 230 Marlborough, and click here for further information about the land between the south side of Marlborough and Alley 426, from Exeter to Fairfield.

230 Marlborough was one of nine contiguous houses (230-232-234-236-238-240-242-244-246 Marlborough) built in the same design and with similar architectural details, the only significant difference being the use of bows (rather than octagonal bays) at 244-246 Marlborough, the last two houses built. The original permit applications for all but 244 Marlborough are included in the Building Department’s files. Three of the applications – for 230, 232, and 246 Marlborough – indicate the architect as being Samuel D. Kelley. The other five applications do not indicate the name of the architect, but the houses are attributed to Samuel D. Kelley by Bainbridge Bunting’s Houses of Boston’s Back Bay, which, given the close similarity in design, appears to be correct.

Bunting also indicates that all nine houses were built for building contractor Samuel Tarbell Ames. This does not appear to be entirely correct. Based on the permit applications and final building inspection reports (to the extent that they are available), six of the nine houses were built for real estate dealers (and brothers) Frederick Augustus Whitwell (shown as owner of 230 Marlborough), Henry Whitwell (shown as owner of 238-240-242 Marlborough), and Samuel Horatio Whitwell (shown as the owner of 244-246 Marlborough), and three (232-234-236 Marlborough) were built for Samuel T. Ames.

The land for all nine houses was sold by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts through privately-negotiated agreements (rather than at public auctions) in November of 1879 and in early1880. Based on subsequent deeds and permits, it appears likely that the contracts for the four lots at 230-236 Marlborough, entered into on November 3, 1879, and for the four lots at 238-244 Marlborough, entered into on November 5, 1880, were with the Whitwells. The 25.3 foot lot at 246 Marlborough was composed of a 24.3 foot lot purchased from the Commonwealth on February 16, 1880, by George E. Niles, who sold it to Samuel H. Whitwell on March 23, 1883, and a one foot lot to the west that Samuel H. Whitwell purchased from the Commonwealth on January 15, 1884. The Whitwells probably retained Samuel D. Kelley to prepare a common design for the houses and retained Samuel T. Ames to oversee their construction, transferring to him their right to purchase the lots at 232-234-236 Marlborough as compensation. He then acted as the builder for those three lots and oversaw the construction of the other six. Alternatively, Samuel Ames may have held the original contracts for the three lots and used the same plans prepared by Samuel D. Kelley for his three houses.

In most cases, when the houses were nearing completion, they were sold to individual buyers who purchased the land directly from the Commonwealth and paid the Whitwells or Samuel T. Ames for the cost of the dwelling house. Frederick Whitwell kept 230 Marlborough, the first house built, as his home. Samuel H. Whitwell kept 244-246 Marlborough, buying the land and then reselling the land and houses to individual buyers.

230 Marlborough was completed and had become the Whitwells’ home by the 1880-1881 winter season. They previously had lived at 237 Beacon with Mary Whitwell’s parents, Nathaniel and Marianne (Devereux) Silsbee. They also maintained a home in Milton.

The Whitwells’ two children, Frederick Silsbee Whitwell and Natalie Silsbee Whitwell, lived with them. Frederick Silsbee Whitwell, a lawyer, married in November of 1893 to Gertrude Howard; after their marriage, they lived at 166 Marlborough.

The Whitwells and their daughter, Natalie, continued to live at 230 Marlborough during the 1895-1896 winter season, but moved soon thereafter to the Hotel Charlesgate at 4 Charlesgate East.  By the 1898-1899 winter season, they were living at 113 Marlborough.

By the 1896-1897 winter season, 230 Marlborough was the home of retired merchant Jonathan French, a widower, and two of his adult unmarried children, Cornelia Ann French and John Davis Williams French. They previously had lived at 42 Commonwealth, which continued to be the home of his other unmarried daughter, Caroline Louisa Williams French. His son, Aaron Davis Weld French, a widower, lived at 33 Fairfield.

The Frenches first leased the house from Frederick Whitwell, and then, on March 15, 1898, it was purchased from him by John D. W. French. He also maintained a farm, Cochichewick Farm, in Andover.

John D. W. French died in May of 1900 and Jonathan French died in May of 1901.

In his will dated January 3, 1890, and subsequent codicil dated November 19, 1895, John D. W. French left his property, including 230 Marlborough, in trust for the benefit of his brother, Aaron Davis Weld French and his sister, Cornelia Ann French. He named his brother, Aaron, his first cousin, John Davis Williams (the son of his maternal uncle, David Weld Williams), and his friend, Arthur Lincoln, as trustees.

Aaron D. W. French died in October of 1896, predeceasing John D. W. French,

Cornelia Ann French continued to live at 230 Marlborough until her death in March of 1918.

During the 1918-1919 winter season, 230 Marlborough was the home of banker and stockbroker Matthew Bartlett and his wife, Serita (Lincoln) Bartlett. Serita (Lincoln) Bartlett was the son of Arthur Lincoln, the friend whom John D. W. French had named as one of his trustees; he had died in December of 1902. The Bartletts previously at 356 Beacon.  They also maintained a home in Beverly Farms.  By the 1919-1920 season, they had moved to 15 Gloucester.

On December 26, 1919, 230 Marlborough was purchased from John Davis Williams, the surviving trustee under John D. W. French’s will, by Dorothy (Brayton) MacAusland, the wife of Dr. William Russell MacAusland. They previously had lived at 5 Gloucester, where they continued to live in January of 1920 while they remodeled 230 Marlborough.

William Russell MacAusland and his brother, Andrew Roy MacAusland, were physicians and orthopedic surgeons.  They maintained their practice together at 240 Newbury.  They also were brothers-in-law, Andrew MacAusland having married Dorothy (Brayton) MacAusland’s sister, Katharine.

In the late 1920s, William and Andrew MacAusland acquired 412 Beacon and converted it into medical offices for themselves and other doctors.

William and Dorothy MacAusland continued to live at 230 Marlborough in 1929.

During the 1929-1930 winter season, the MacAuslands were living elsewhere and 230 Marlborough was the home of attorney Frederick William Eaton and his wife, Jennie Stevens (Smith) Newman Eaton.  They maintained their primary residence in Concord.  They continued to live at 230 Marlborough during the 1930-1931 season.

By the 1931-1932 winter season, Dr. and Mrs. MacAusland resumed living at 230 Marlborough. They continued to live there in 1949, but had moved to the Hotel Victoria at 273 Dartmouth by 1950.

On May 10, 1949, 230 Marlborough was purchased from Dorothy MacAusland by Frederick M. Sturnick and Joseph Sturnick.  It became the home of Frederick and Joseph Sturnick and their sister, Pauline Sturnick.  Pauline Sturnick was president and Frederick Sturnick was treasurer of Morse-Sturnick, Inc., retail druggists.

Pauline Sturnick died in February of 1953.  In May of 1954, in anticipation of selling the property, Frederick and Joseph Sturnick applied for (and subsequently received) permission to convert the house from a single-family dwelling into a dental office and single-family dwelling.

On August 17, 1954, 230 Marlborough was purchased from the Sturnicks by Dr. Calvin O. Stanton, a dentist.  He previously had been a lodger at 358 Marlborough.  In February of 1955, he applied for (and subsequently received) permission to convert the house into a dental office and three apartments, indicating that he would occupy the basement and first two floors, and would rent the third and fourth floors as apartments.

He continued to live and maintain his dental office at 230 Marlborough until about 1965.

On July 29, 1965, 230 Marlborough was purchased from Calvin Stanton by Myrna (Steinowitz) Esser, the wife of Kurt Esser, a tax attorney with the Gillette Company. They lived in one of the apartments.  They previously had lived in an apartment at 362 Marlborough.  They continued to live at 230 Marlborough until 1968, when they purchased and moved to 303 Commonwealth.

On May 31, 1968, 230 Marlborough was acquired from Myrna Esser by David Manning White and his wife. Catherine (Wallerstein) White. David Manning White was an author and professor of journalism at Boston University, where he chaired the School of Public Communication. Catherine White was a research biochemist. They lived in one of the apartments at 230 Marlborough until about 1973.

On June 20, 1975, 230 Marlborough was purchased from the Whites by Beverly C. Barstow. He lived in one of the apartments.

On June 12, 1978, 230 Marlborough was purchased from Beverly C. Barstow (then a resident of New York City) by John V. O’Neil, trustee of the 230 Marlborough Street Realty Trust. In August of 1978, he applied for (and subsequently received) permission to convert the property from three apartments and a doctor’s office into four apartments.

On October 4, 1978, he converted the property into four condominium units, the 230 Marlborough Street Condominium.