80 Marlborough is located on the south side of Marlborough, between Berkeley and Clarendon, with 78 Marlborough to the east and 82 Marlborough to the west.

80 Marlborough was designed and built ca. 1866 by architect and builder Charles K. Kirby, one of five contiguous houses (72-74-76-78-80 Marlborough) he built at the same time for speculative sale. The five houses form a symmetrical composition, with 72-74 Marlborough and 78-80 Marlborough each being a pair of symmetrical houses with bays, and 76 Marlborough with a flat façade in the center.

The land on which 72-80.Marlborough were built was part of a 220 foot parcel Henry Lee, Jr., and Jonathan Amory Davis purchased from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts on November 14, 1863. J. Amory Davis died in May of 1865 and his interest was inherited by his daughter, Ann Wainwright Davis. On October 6, 1865, she transferred her interest in the eastern 160 feet to Henry Lee, and he transferred his interest in the western 60 feet to her. On October 14, 1865, Henry Lee, Jr., entered into an agreement with Charles Kirby to sell him the 160 foot lot, subject to Charles Kirby’s agreement to build nine houses on the land. Ultimately, Charles Kirby built five houses at 72-80 Marlborough on the eastern 89 feet 9 inches of the land, and on October 21, 1871, Henry Lee, Jr., sold Charles H. Joy the remaining 70 feet 3 inches to the west, where 82 and 86 Marlborough were built.

Click here for an index to the deeds for 80 Marlborough, and click here for further information about the land between the south side of Marlborough and Alley 423, from Berkeley to Clarendon.

After completing 72-80 Marlborough, Charles Kirby entered into an agreement ln March of 1868 with the City of Boston to purchase a 75 foot lot to the east on which he built three more houses: 70 Marlborough in 1868-1869 and 66-68 Marlborough in 1870.

The lot for 80 Marlborough was originally 17 feet 9 inches wide. Charles Kirby built the one-foot thick western wall of the house entirely on this land, rather than placing half of the width on the lot to the west, where 82 Marlborough later would be built, as was the usual custom. When he sold 80 Marlborough in June of 1868, he retained the western 6 inches, with half of the party wall on it, and on January 20, 1876, sold it to Caroline Estelle (Mudge) Lawrence, the wife of James Lawrence, who had purchased the land to the west for their new home.

On June 2, 1868, 80 Marlborough was purchased from Charles Kirby by the estate of East India shipping merchant Israel Lombard to be the home of his widow, Susan (Stickney) Lombard. She previously lived at 73 Marlborough.

Susan Lombard died in November of 1869.

On August 24, 1870, 80 Marlborough was purchased from Israel Lombard’s estate by metals dealer George Edward Richards. He and his wife, Anna (Mitchell) Richards, made it their home.

On June 26, 1871, he transferred the property into his wife’s name.

George and Anna Richards continued to live at 80 Marlborough in 1877. In 1878, his business ceased operation and they traveled for a year in Europe. Upon their return in May of 1879, he entered Harvard Medical School. After his graduation, they lived at the Hotel Kempton at 237 Berkeley and he maintained a medical office at 98 Boylston. They continued to own 80 Marlborough and lease it to others.

By the 1877-1878 winter season, it was the home of Horatio Greenough Curtis and his wife, Annie Neilson (Winthrop) Curtis.  His unmarried brothers — Edgar Corrie Curtis, Henry Pelham Curtis, Louis Curtis, and Laurence Curtis — lived with them.  They previously had lived at 45 Mt. Vernon.

Horatio Curtis had been a shipping merchant in the Calcutta trade in association with his father, Thomas Buckminster Curtis.  He subsequently was an insurance broker, sugar refiner, agent for the Pacific Guano Company, and president of the Old Boston National Bank.  Edgar Curtis was an architect, Henry Curtis was an astronomer, Louis Curtis was a banker, and Laurence Curtis was a stock broker.  Louis and Laurence Curtis were twins.

By 1880, Horatio and Annie Curtis had moved to 140 Marlborough, and his brothers had moved back to 45 Mt. Vernon.

During the 1879-1880 winter season, 80 Marlborough was the home of Herbert Morris Johnson, a dealer in chemicals and dye stuffs.  Living with him were his mother, Emma (Hodgkins) Johnson, the widow of merchant George Johnson, and his two unmarried sisters, Helen and Alice Johnson.  They all previously had lived in Bradford, Massachusetts, and by 1882 were living there once again.

By the 1880-1881 winter season, 80 Marlborough was the home of cotton mill treasurer Samuel Leonard Bush and his wife Emeline (Emma) Bicknell (Franklin) Bush. They previously had lived in the Longwood district of Brookline. They continued to live at 80 Marlborough during the 1881-1882 season, but moved thereafter to 140 Marlborough.

During the 1882-1883 winter season, 80 Marlborough was the home Francis Cabot Lowell, an attorney and future federal judge, and his wife, Cornelia Prime (Baylies) Lowell.  They had married in November of 1882 and 80 Marlborough probably was their first home together.  Prior to their marriage, he had lived at 151 Beacon with his parents, George Gardner Lowell and Mary Ellen (Parker) Lowell.  By 1884, they had moved to 159 Beacon.

By the 1883-1884 winter season, 80 Marlborough was the home of Francis Cabot Lowell’s uncle, Edward Jackson Lowell, and his wife Elizabeth Gilbert (Jones) Lowell. A former attorney, he had given up the practice of law in 1874 after the death of his first wife, Mary Wolcott (Goodrich) Lowell, and devoted himself to the study of history, authoring several books. He remarried in June of 1877 to Elizabeth Jones. They had been living in Europe, having returned in May of 1883. They also maintained a home in Cotuit.

Edward and Elizabeth Lowell continued to live at 80 Marlborough during the 1889-1890 winter season, but had moved thereafter to 40 Commonwealth.

80 Marlborough was not listed in the 1891 and 1892 Blue Books.

By the 1892-1893 winter season, 80 Marlborough was the home of Dr. Paul Thorndike, a physician, and his wife, Rachel Ewing (Sherman) Thorndike.  Rachel Thorndike was the daughter of General William Tecumseh Sherman.  They had married in September of 1891 and 80 Marlborough probably was their first home together.  He also maintained his medical office there.

Also at 80 Marlborough was the medical office of Dr. Francis Sedgwick Watson.  He and his wife, Mary (Perkins) Watson, lived at 263 Clarendon.  He moved his offices to 92 Marlborough in late 1894.

The Thorndikes continued to live at 80 Marlborough in 1895, but by 1896, had purchased and moved to 244 Marlborough.

80 Marlborough was not listed in the 1897 Blue Book.

By the 1897-1898 winter season, 80 Marlborough was the home of architect John Wheeler Bemis and his wife, Leslie Lepinton (Fisher) Bemis. They previously had lived in Jamaica Plain. He died in November of 1902. Leslie Bemis moved soon thereafter.

The house was not listed in the 1903 and 1904 Blue Books.

By the 1904-1905 winter season, 80 Marlborough was the home of Rev. Elwood Worcester and his wife, Blanche Stanley (Rulison) Worcester.  They previously had lived in Philadelphia, where he was Rector of St. Stephen’s Church.

The Worcesters had moved to Boston in 1904 when he was named Rector of Emmanuel Church, where he remained until 1929.  While at Emmanuel, he began working with a group of pioneering psychotherapists — including Joseph H. Pratt, Richard C. Cabot, James J. Putnam, and Isador H. Coriat — developing a method of treatment of nervous diseases which combined spiritual and medical treatment.  The approach, called the “Emmanuel Movement,” was considered successful in treating a number of patients.  In the mid-1920s, he was a founder of the Boston Society for Psychical Research.

The Worcesters continued to live at 80 Marlborough until mid-1911, when they moved to 186 Marlborough.

80 Marlborough was not listed in the 1912 Blue Book.

By the 1912-1913 winter season, 80 Marlborough was the home of Dr. David Linn Edsall and his wife, Margaret Harding (Tileston) Edsall.  They previously had lived in Philadelphia.

David Edsall was a physician, and was Jackson Professor of Clinical Medicine and Chief of the East Medical Service at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Margaret Edsall died in November of 1912, and David Edsall moved soon thereafter to Milton.  He continued to maintain his medical offices at 80 Marlborough, however, joined by Dr. Francis W. Palfrey.

By 1914,  80 Marlborough was the home of Dr. James Dellinger Barney, a urologist, and his wife, Margaret (Higginson) Barney.  He maintained his medical offices at 374 Marlborough until about 1917, when he moved them to 99 Commonwealth.

By 1917, Dr. and Mrs. Barney continued to live at 80 Marlborough, but Drs. Edsall and Palfrey no longer listed their offices there.  The Barneys continued to live there during the 1917-1918 winter season, but moved soon thereafter to 112 Marlborough.

80 Marlborough was not listed in the 1919-1921 Blue Books.

On May 17, 1921, 80 Marlborough was purchased from Anna Richards by Elizabeth (Brooks) Wheelwright, the widow of architect Edmund March Wheelwright. Their daughter, Louise Wheelwright, and son, John Brooks Wheelwright (a poet and founding member of the Trotskyist Socialist Workers Party) lived with her. They previously had lived at 5 Marlborough. They lived at 80 Marlborough during the 1921-1922 winter season, but moved thereafter. By the 1924-1925, they lived at The Austerfield at 7-9 Massachusetts Avenue.

80 Marlborough was not listed in the 1923 Blue Book.

On January 11, 1923, 80 Marlborough was purchased from Elizabeth Wheelwright by dry goods merchant Richard Mather Everett. He and his wife, Madeleine (Weeks) Howard Everett, made it their home. They had been married in 1922 (she was the widow of Oden Hughart Howard). Prior to their marriage, he had lived with his parents, Henry and Ellen (Tufts) Everett, at 49 Commonwealth.  Richard and Madeleine Everett also maintained a home in Hingham.

During the 1931-1932 winter season, the Everetts were living elsewhere and 80 Marlborough was the home of lawyer Samuel Vaughan, a widower, his daughter, Louisa Loring Vaughan, and probably his younger children, Samuel Vaughan, Jr., William Loring Vaughan, and Ellen Gardner Vaughan. Their primary residence was in Prides Crossing; they had taken a Boston home because Louisa Vaughan was a debutante that season (she later would become an architect and interior designer).

During the 1932-1933 and 1933-1934 winter seasons, the Everetts were living in Hingham and 80 Marlborough was the home of Dr. William Grout Barrett, a physician specializing in psychoanalysis, and his wife, Anne Dorothea (Nagel) Barrett. He maintained his medical office at 37 Marlborough. By 1935, they had moved to Cambridge (by 1937, William Barrett had acquired 82 Marlborough, which he converted into medical offices).

During the 1934-1935 winter season, 80 Marlborough was the home of Joseph Patrick Carney and his wife, Catherine Frances (Murray) Carney. They previously had lived at 3 West Hill Place.

A former lawyer and bank president, Joseph Carney had been appointed in July of 1933 by President Roosevelt as Collector of Internal Revenue in Boston.  He subsequently also served as New England Administrator of the Federal Emergency Relief Administration.  In November of 1934, he was named New England director of the Reconstruction Finance Corporation.  He resigned in April of 1937 and resumed his position as president of the Gardner Trust Company.

On  February 2, 1935, 80 Marlborough was damaged by fire.  In its February 3, 1935, article on the fire, the Boston Globe credited Joseph Carney for rescuing two maids whose rooms were on the fifth floor of the house.

The Carneys moved soon thereafter to 418 Beacon.

On April 22, 1935, 80 Marlborough was acquired from Richard Everett by Mary L. McGill of Somerville. The property subsequently changed hands and on September 28, 1935, was acquired by Shirley Clifford Speed, real estate dealer who converted many Back Bay houses into lodging houses and apartments.

In April of 1935, S. Clifford Speed filed for (and subsequently received) permission to repair the fire damage to the basement and first floors. In December of 1936, he filed for (and subsequently received) permission to convert the property into a lodging house.

By 1938, 80 Marlborough was the home of Charles A. Sherwin, Jr., and his wife, Alfredda (Stoddard) Sherwin, who operated it as a lodging house. They previously had lived in Quincy, where he had been sales manager of a steel company.

They continued to live at 80 Marlborough in 1939, when they moved to 22 Marlborough.

On May 6, 1943, 80 Marlborough was acquired from S. Clifford Speed by Ida May (Smith) Weber Symington Rolin, the wife of William Alphonso Rolin, of Kennett Square, Pennsylvania.

On September 10, 1946, 80 Marlborough was acquired from Ida Rolin by Eleanor Florence (Reid) Emery, the wife of Philip Waldo Emery. It remained a lodging house.

On September 20, 1948, 80 Marlborough was acquired from Eleanor Emery by John F. Morse and his wife, Ethel C. Morse, who continued to operate it as a lodging house. They previously had lived in Lexington.

On August 31, 1960, 80 Marlborough was acquired from the Morses by Samuel Dame and David B. Kaplan.

The property changed hands, remaining a lodging house.

On June 8, 1976, 80 Marlborough was acquired by Robert W. Butt and Ronald Q. Butt. In December of 1981, they were cited by the Building Department for failing to change the legal occupancy from a lodging house to ten apartments with commercial office use (three enterprises — “Same Day Delivery,” “Lucky Charm Promotion,” and “Ticket Away” — were doing business on the fifth floor).

On November 19, 1985, William M. Braucher, trustee of the 80 Marlborough Street Trust, purchased 80 Marlborough from the Butts. He filed for (and subsequently received) permission to convert the property from a lodging house to eight apartments.

On November 12, 1986, Leonard E. Davenport, trustee of the Federal Period Trust, purchased 80 Marlborough from William Braucher. In 1992, the Olympic Bank foreclosed the mortgage it held on the property and sold it at public auction.

John B. Dyer purchased the property, taking title on May 22, 1992, and transferring it to himself as trustee of the 80 Marlborough Street Trust.  On July 1, 1992, he transferred the property to a trust for the benefit of his daughter, Edythe Lois Dyer, with William Purcell and Alan Baldwin as trustees.

On January 4, 1994, 80 Marlborough was purchased from the Edythe Lois Dyer 1984 Trust by Executive Suites Limited Partnership (Marlborough Suites, Inc., general partner; Christine Marholin, president).

On June 6, 2002, 80 Marlborough was purchased from Executive Suites LP by the Eighty Marlborough Development Corporation (Geno A. Ranaldi, president and treasurer). On December 11, 2002, it converted the property into eight condominium units, the 80 Marlborough Condominium.