381 Marlborough is located on the north side of Marlborough, between Hereford and Massachusetts Avenue, with 379 Marlborough to the east and 383 Marlborough to the west.

381 Marlborough was designed by architect Obed F. Smith and built in 1880-1881 by Vinal & Dodge, masons, and G. & E. Stewart, carpenters, for building contractor George Wheatland, Jr., for speculative sale. It was one of six contiguous houses (381-383-385-387-389-391 Marlborough) built at the same time and one of twelve contiguous houses (369-371-373-375-377-379-381-383-385-387-389-391 Marlborough) built for George Wheatland, Jr., in 1879-1881. He is shown as the owner of 381-391 Marlborough on the original building permit application for the six houses, dated November 11, 1880 (one application for six houses).

The twelve houses were built in three groups: three at 369-371-373 Marlborough in 1879-1880, three at 375-377-379 Marlborough in 1880, and six at 381-383-385-387-389-391 Marlborough in 1880-1881. The six at 369-379 Marlborough are of the same design, and the six at 381-391 Marlborough also are of the same design as each other and quite similar to the six at 369-379 Marlborough.

George Wheatland, Jr., purchased the land for the twelve houses at 369-391 Marlborough through two transactions. He purchased the eastern 200 feet on May 10, 1872, from Daniel Davies, part of a larger parcel Daniel Davies had purchased from the Boston Water Power Company on June 12, 1868. George Wheatland, Jr., subsequently transferred two-thirds interest to William Dudley Pickman and William Pickering Fay under a trust agreement and the remaining one-third to his father, George Wheatland, Sr., of Salem. The land remained vacant for the next seven years.

On October 9, 1879, George Wheatland, Jr., purchased the land to the west, with a 80.58 foot frontage, from Grenville T. W. Braman, and subsequently transferred the lot to his father. The 80.58 foot parcel originally had been intersected by Parker Street, a 60 foot wide street located on top of the Cross Dam, which ran southwest from Beacon at approximately a 45 degree angle, intersecting the north side of Marlborough at a point about 355 feet west of Hereford. Grenville Braman had purchased the eastern portion of the lot from Daniel Davies on October 1, 1872, a triangular lot bounded on the west by Parker Street. In the late 1870s, Parker Street was abandoned and, through a series of transactions, Grenville Braman purchased the land under the roadway, another triangular parcel which he combined with the first to create the rectangular lot he then sold to George Wheatland, Jr.

Click here for an index to the deeds for 381 Marlborough, and click here for further information on the land on the north side of Marlborough between Hereford and Massachusetts Avenue.

George Wheatland, Jr., subsequently built the twelve houses at 369-391 Marlborough on 276 feet of the combined 280.58 foot parcel (the 4 feet to the east and the 0.58 feet to the west were sold by his father to others). As the houses were completed, William D. Pickman and the estate of William P. Fay (who had died in March of 1879) transferred their two-thirds interest to George Wheatland, Sr. He subsequently sold the houses to individual purchasers.

On April 3, 1882, 381 Marlborough was purchased from George Wheatland, Sr., by Annie (MacDonald) Calef, the wife of Benjamin Shreve Calef. They had lived at 95 Mt. Vernon during the previous season, and at 286 Beacon during the 1880-1881 season.

Benjamin Calef was manager of the New England branch of New York Life Insurance.

During the 1883-1884 winter season, the Calefs were joined at 381 by Annie Calef’s mother, Susan Ann (Libby) MacDonald, the widow of former Maine State Treasurer and US Congressman Moses MacDonald, and Annie Calef’s sister, Mary MacDonald.

Benjamin Calef died in January of 1897, and Annie Calef and their only child, Anne (Anita) MacDonald Calef, lived elsewhere temporarily.

During the 1897-1898 winter season, 381 Marlborough was the home of cotton broker Daniel Appleton Dwight and his wife, Mary Silsbee (Peele) Dwight.  They previously had lived at 312 Marlborough. They also maintained a home in Dublin, New Hampshire. They moved to 12 Hereford by the next season.

During the 1898-1899 winter season, 381 Marlborough was the home of Weston Kendall Lewis, a note broker and banker, and his wife, Harriet Maud (Norton) Lewis.  They previously had lived in Brookline and were living there again in 1900.

By the 1899-1900 winter season, Annie Calef and Anita Calef were living at 381 Marlborough, and by the 1901-1902 season, they had once again been joined by Annie Calef’s mother, Susan Ann (Libby) MacDonald.  They spent several months of the season in the South, and 381 Marlborough was the home of Margaret (McCulloch) Sturgis, widow of Russell Sturgis, Jr. She also maintained a home, Sunny Waters, in Manchester, Massachusetts, which previously had been her year-round residence. Mrs. Sturgis probably leased 381 Marlborough to be in Boston for the wedding in January of 1902 of her son, Rev. Edward Sturgis, and Josephine Putnam of 488 Beacon. During the 1902-1903 winter season, Margaret Sturgis was living at 133 Mt. Vernon, and during the 1903-1904 season she was at 29 Hereford.

Annie Calef, her daughter, and her mother resumed living at 381 Marlborough during the 1902-1903 winter season.

During the 1908-1909 winter season, they were living in New York and 381 Marlborough was the home of real estate and insurance broker Robert Edward Stone and his wife, Ada (Balderston) Stone. They previously had lived at the Hotel Austerfield at 7-9 Massachusetts Avenue, and before that in Chicago. The Stones continued to live at 381 Marlborough during the 1909-1910 season, but moved thereafter to Chestnut Hill.

Susan (Libby) MacDonald died in April of 1910 in Lakewood, New Jersey.

Annie Calef and Anita Calef returned to Boston in May of 1910, and in June of 1910, Anita Calef married Francis Boardman, a civil engineer from New York City. After their marriage, they lived in New York.

Annie Calef continued to live at 381 Marlborough during the 1910-1911 winter season, but by the next season had moved to the Hotel Canterbury (southwest corner of Newbury and Charlesgate West). She continued to own 381 Marlborough and lease it to others.

By the 1911-1912 winter season, 381 Marlborough was the home of Mary Louisa (McCulloh) Mayer Upham, the widow of Henry Christian Mayer and of Henry Upham.  She previously had lived at 142 Marlborough.  Mary Upham’s step-daughter, Susan Upham, lived next door, at 379 Marlborough, and her sister, Margaret (McCulloh) Sturgis, had lived briefly at 381 Marlborough during the 1901-1902 winter season.

Mary Upham continued to live at 381 Marlborough in 1915, but in about 1916 moved to live with her granddaughter, Belle Greene, at 354 Marlborough.

381 Marlborough was not listed in the 1916 Blue Book.

By the 1916-1917 winter season, 381 Marlborough was the home of Helen Putnam (Wadleigh) Hoar, the widow of Samuel Hoar. She previously had lived in Concord.  Samuel Hoar had been an attorney and general counsel of the Boston and Albany Railroad.

On April 30, 1927, Annie Calef transferred 381 Marlborough to her daughter, Anne (Anita) Boardman. Francis and Anne Boardman lived in Riverdale-on-Hudson in New York.

Helen Hoar continued to live at 381 Marlborough until her death in November of 1931.

On November 14, 1932, 381 Marlborough was purchased from Anne Boardman by real estate dealer James M. Burr.

81 Marlborough was not listed in the 1932-1936 Blue Books, and was shown as vacant in the 1933-1936 City Directories.

On January 11, 1935, Anne Boardman foreclosed on the mortgage given to her by James Burr and took possession of the property.

On July 13, 1936, 381 Marlborough was acquired by David Stulin, trustee of the Marlborough Realty Trust, a real estate investment trust formed by David Stulin, Hyman Sirota, and George Bernard Rittenberg. David Stulin was a carpenter; he and his wife, Annie (Rosen) Stulin, lived in Dorchester. Hyman Sirota (Chaim Sirotkin) also was a carpenter; he and his wife, Rebecca (Rivka) (Epstein) Sirota, lived in Mattapan. George Rittenberg was a lawyer; he was unmarried and lived in Roxbury with his mother, Lena (Solomon) Rittenberg, the widow of Joseph Rittenberg.

In June of 1936, the Marlborough Realty Trust applied for (and subsequently received) permission to convert the property from a single-family dwelling into five apartments.  In June of 1937, it applied for (and subsequently received) permission to modify the top story by constructing an additional room extending forward from the front of the existing penthouse on the western side of the house.  Plans for the remodeling, designed by architect Meyer Louis, are included in the City of Boston Blueprints Collection in the Boston City Archives (reference BIN P-147).

The Marlborough Realty Trust continued to own 381 Marlborough until 1948. David Stulin died in July of 1946. His son, Jacob (Jack) R. Stulin, succeeded him as trustee (having been appointed in May of 1946).

On March 3, 1948, 381 Marlborough was purchased by Robert Wadleigh Goodhue and his wife, Bertha Alfreda (Duff) Goodhue. They lived in an apartment at 288 Commonwealth. In the mid-1930s, they had operated a lodging house next door, at 379 Marlborough

Robert Goodhue died in May of 1950, and on August 15, 1950, 381 Marlborough was purchased from Bertha Goodhue by Domenic Salvati. He owned and operated the Marlboro Market at 424 Marlborough, where he and his wife, Genesia (DeBernardi) Salvati, also lived.

Genesia Salvati died in November of 1960 and Domenic Salvati died June of 1961. 381 Marlborough became the property of their son, Vincent P. Salvati.

On March 12, 1973, 381 Marlborough was acquired from Vincent Salvati by Donna C. Gibson.

On January 26, 1998, she converted the property into five condominium units, the 381 Marlborough Street Condominium.