321 Beacon is located on the south side of Beacon, between Exeter and Fairfield, with 319 Beacon to the east and 323 Beacon to the west.

321 Beacon was designed by Frederick B. Pope and built in 1871-1872 by James P. Neal, mason, one of three identical houses (321-323-325 Beacon) built for speculative sale, and one of fourteen contiguous houses (303-305-307-309-311-313-315-317-319-321-323-325-327-329 Beacon) Frederick Pope designed and built in the early 1870s. Frederick Pope filed a Notice of Intention to Build for 321-323-325 Beacon in late November of 1871 (reported in the Boston Herald on November 28, 1871) and is shown as the architect and owner on the final building inspection report for all three houses, dated June 28, 1872.

321-323-325 Beacon – each 16 feet 8 inches wide – were built on two 25 foot wide lots. The eastern lot was owned by Frederick Pope and the western lot was owned by Augustus Napoleon Loring.  They had been the successful bidders for the lots at the Commonwealth of Massachusetts auction on December 27, 1870, but did not take title to the property until June 28, 1872, the same day as the completed houses received their final inspection report. Frederick Pope then sold 321 Beacon and he and Augustus Loring sold 323 Beacon together. Augustus Loring retained 325 Beacon as rental property and then as his home.

Click here for an index to the deeds for 321 Beacon, and click here for further information about the land between the south side of Beacon and Alley 417, from Exeter to Fairfield.

On March 11,1872, Frederick Pope advertised in the Boston Herald that 321 and 323 Beacon would be among several houses that would be “built this season and finished by October,” and on September 4, 1872, he advertised them for sale in the Herald, described as “freestone fronts, 17×50. Three stories, French roof and basement. Two stories in walnut.”

On October 1, 1872, 321 Beacon was purchased from Frederick Pope by William N. Mills. He and his wife. Annie Maria (Howe) Mills, made it their home. They previously had lived in Cambridge.

William Mills was a barrel stave and heading dealer, in business with his brother, Henry Franklin Mills, who purchased 323 Beacon next door at the same time as William Mills purchased 321 Beacon.

During the 1880-1881 winter season, William and Annie Mills were living elsewhere and 321 Beacon was the home of Abby Wade (Chapman) Chamberlin, the widow of Daniel Chamberlin, who had been proprietor of the Adams House hotel at 553 Washington.  At the time of his death in April of 1879, they had lived at 1474 Washington and were building a home at 315 Commonwealth, which was then sold by his estate.  She moved to the Commonwealth Hotel at 1697 Washington and moved back there after having lived at 321 Beacon.

By the 1881-1882 winter season, the Millses were living at 321 Beacon again.  They continued to live there until about November of 1885, when they purchased and moved to 337 Beacon.

On November 6, 1885, 321 Beacon was purchased from William Mills by Samuel Wallis Winslow, a retired drug merchant. He and his unmarried sisters, Maria Elizabeth Winslow and Lucy Waldo Winslow, made it their home. They previously had lived at 52 Pinckney.

Maria Elizabeth Winslow died in June of 1893 and Samuel Winslow died in August of 1895. In his will, he left 321 Beacon in trust for the benefit of Maria and Lucy Winslow, with the provision that the survivor of the two would devise the property to the children of their brothers or their issue.

Lucy Waldo Winslow continued to live at 321 Beacon until her death in September of 1899. In her will, she left 321 Beacon to her brother, Edward Miller Winslow, and her nephew, George Scott Winslow, as trustees for the benefit of the children of her deceased brother, George Scott Winslow: George Scott Winslow; Eleanor Winslow; Amabel (Winslow) Cairnes, the wife of John Jameson Cairnes; and Charles Gibson Winslow.

The house was not listed in the 1900 Blue Book.

During the 1900-1901 winter season, 321 Beacon was the home of Edward Burlingame Hill and his wife, Mary Alison (Bixby) Hill.  They had married in June of 1900, and 321 Beacon probably was their first home together. Mary Hill’s father, Dr. George Holmes Bixby, a widower, lived with them.

Prior to their marriage, Edward Hill had lived at 43 Chestnut, and Mary Bixby and her father had lived at 16 Exeter (196 Marlborough).

Edward Burlingame Hill was a composer and music teacher, and later would become a professor of music at Harvard.

George Bixby died in February of 1901. Edward and Mary Hill moved soon thereafter to 480 Beacon.

321 Beacon was not listed in the 1902 Blue Book.

By the 1902-1903 winter season, it was the home of cotton broker Philip Gardner and his wife, Virginia Rebecca (Atkinson) Gardner.  They previously had lived at 315 Beacon.

They continued to live at 321 Beacon during the 1907-1908 winter season, but moved thereafter to Brookline.  By the 1909-1910 season, they had moved to 74 Commonwealth.

During the 1908-1909 winter season, 321 Beacon was the home of Mary C. (Taber) Collins Tatum, the widow of Abel Clark Collins and of Edward Tatum, a glass manufacturer.  Her usual residence was in New York City.  She was active in the American Peace Society and probably was in Boston in connection with the “Peace Sunday” meeting at Trinity Church on December 20, 1908, at which leaders of the society spoke.

On March 9, 1909, the house was damaged by a fire which started in a storeroom on the third floor.

On May 20, 1909, 321 Beacon was purchased from Lucy Winslow’s nieces and nephews by Dr. Luther Gordon Paul, a physician and surgeon, and on the same day, he transferred the property to his wife Agnes Symonds (Marchant) Paul. They made 321 Beacon their home and his medical office. They previously had lived at Trinity Court (southeast corner of Dartmouth and Stuart) and he had maintained his office at 657 Boylston.

They continued to live at 321 Beacon until about 1923, but had moved to Newton by 1924.

On June 1, 1923, 321 Beacon was purchased from Agnes Paul by Lillian (Shew) Young Eagleston Judkins, the wife of George Worcester Judkins, a real estate dealer. They previously had lived at 128 Chestnut.  By the 1924-1925 season, they had moved to 58 West Cedar.

On May 3, 1924, 321 Beacon was purchased from Lillian Judkins by Redington Mudge DeCormis, a banker. On May 9, 1924, he transferred the property to his wife, Anna Louise (Davies) DeCormis. They made 321 Beacon their home. They previously had lived in Brookline. They also maintained a home in Scituate.

On October 1, 1937, Louise DeCormis transferred 321 Beacon back to her husband. She died in 1940.

Redington DeCormis remarried in 1944 to Lotten (Charlotta) Augusta Lenander, a physician. After their marriage, they lived at 321 Beacon until about 1957.

On July 15, 1957, 321 Beacon was acquired from Redington DeCormis by Rene Harcourt Miller and his wife, Marcelle Lucienne (Hansotte) Miller. They previously had lived in Brookline.  A pioneer in the development of jet planes and helicopters, he was a professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics at MIT. On August 21, 1968, they transferred the property into Rene Miller’s name.

On April 22, 1986, 321 Beacon was purchased from Rene Miller by Robert Collier, trustee, Beacon Street 321 Realty Trust.

On August 7, 1986, 321 Beacon was acquired from Robert Collier by Martin A. Samuels and his wife, Linda S. Samuels.

On March 7, 2000, 321 Beacon was purchased from the Samuels by John Egan and his wife, Maura Connolly.

On February 9, 2017, 321 Beacon was purchased from John Egan and Maura Connolly by Marc J. Bloostein, trustee of the 321 Beacon Street Realty Trust.

321 Beacon was assessed as a single-family dwelling in 2021.