The following is an index to property transfer deeds and building restriction agreements recorded at the Suffolk County Deed Registry from the original land purchase until conversion of the property into condominium units. Mortgages, trust agreements, and other similar recorded documents are not included. This index is intended as a guide only; actual deeds should be reviewed for details.
Deeds relating to 425 Newbury are included in this index.
From 1908, 425 Newbury was under the same ownership as 388-390 Commonwealth. It remained a vacant lot. In 1947, 388-390 Commonwealth and 425 Newbury were acquired by Abraham Sonnabend, and in 1951, his Cleveland Hotel Corporation acquired 400-416 Commonwealth. The buildings subsequently were operated as an integrated property. In 1966, a parking garage was built at 425 Commonwealth. When the ownership of 388-390 Commonwealth and 400-416 Commonwealth was separated in 1983, 425 Newbury was divided between the two owners. The property subsequently was converted into a garage condominium.
| Transfers of Land and Buildings | |||||
| Date of Deed | Grantor | Grantee | Book | Page | |
| 22Apr1986 | Frederic W. Rust, III, trustee, Puritan Investment Trust (388-390 Commonwealth) | Windsor Place Condominium | 12460 | 222 | |
| 22May1983 | 400 Commonwealth Avenue Apartments LP (425 Newbury) | The Somerset Garage Condominium | 10382 | 1 | |
| 30Mar1983 | 400 Commonwealth Avenue Apartments LP (388-390 Commonwealth and 100/326 undivided interest in 425 Newbury parking garage) | Frederic W. Rust, III, trustee, Puritan Investment Trust | 10279 | 293 | |
| 29Jan1982 | Naramco (Boston), Inc.; Aquilini Group (US), Inc.; and Commonwealth Heritage Corporation (388-390 Commonwealth, 400-416 Commonwealth and 425 Newbury) | 400 Commonwealth Avenue Apartments LP | 9906 | 464 | |
| 19Jun1981 | Neref South Realty Corp. and Clifton Investments, Inc., doing business as Somerset Associates (388-390 Commonwealth, 400-416 Commonwealth and 425 Newbury) | Naramco (Boston), Inc. and Aquilini Group (US), Inc. (52.22 undivided interes); and Commonwealth Heritage Corporation (47.78 undivded interest) | 9790 | 115 | |
| 26Aug1980 | 400 Commonwealth Avenue, Inc. (388-390 Commonwealth, 400-416 Commonwealth and 425 Newbury) | Neref South Realty Corp. and Clifton Investments, Inc., doing business as Somerset Associates | 9681 | 119 | |
| 25Aug1980 | John F. Desmond, trustee in bankruptcy, New Somerset Apartments Co., Inc. (388-390 Commonwealth, 400-416 Commonwealth and 425 Newbury; release of interest as trustee in bankruptcy) | 400 Commonwealth Avenue, Inc. | 9681 | 116 | |
| 06Aug1980 | Robert E. Barrett, trustee, Somerset Apartments Trust (388-390 Commonwealth, 400-416 Commonwealth and 425 Newbury; foreclosure of mortgage given by Robert E. Barrett, trustee, Somerset Apartments Trust, to the Savings Bank Trust Company, which assigned it to the Lincoln Savings Bank, which assigned it to the LSB Realty Trust; the mortgage was assumed by New Somerset Apartments Co., Inc., which subsequently declared bankruptcy; the LSB Realty Trust foreclosed and sold the property to 400 Commonwealth Avenue, Inc.) | 400 Commonwealth Avenue, Inc. | 9495 | 250 | |
| 13Dec1979 | Irwin Cantor, trustee, Somerset Apartments Trust (388-390 Commonwealth, 400-416 Commonwealth and 425 Newbury) | New Somerset Apartments Co., Inc. | 9334 | 390 | |
| 28Jun1977 | Savings Banks Trust Company (388-390 Commonwealth, 400-416 Commonwealth and 425 Newbury) | Robert E. Barrett, trustee, Somerset Apartments Trust | 8964 | 713 | |
| 19Jul1976 | The Somerset Building, Inc. (388-390 Commonwealth, 400-416 Commonwealth and 425 Newbury; foreclosure of mortgage) | Savings Bank Trust Company | 8884 | 13 | |
| 16Jun1975 | Margery B. Shaer, trustee, Westcliffe Realty Trust (388-390 Commonwealth, 400-416 Commonwealth and 425 Newbury) | The Somerset Building, Inc. | 8793 | 603 | |
| 13Dec1971 | S. H. Corp. (388-390 Commonwealth, 400-416 Commonwealth and 425 Newbury) | David E. Connell, trustee, Westcliffe Realty Trust | 8437 | 242 | |
| 31Jan1966 | Cleveland Hotel Corporation (388-390 Commonwealth, 400-416 Commonwealth and 425 Newbury) | S. H. Corp. | 8020 | 717 | |
| 31Jan1966 | Louis Berry, George D. Seyburn, and Benjamin J. Tager (388-390 Commonwealth, 400-416 Commonwealth and 425 Newbury; foreclosure of mortgage) | Cleveland Hotel Corporation | 8020 | 713 | |
| 01Nov1960 | Reuben B. Gryzmish and A. M. Sonnabend, trustees, Puritan Realty Trust (388-390 Commonwealth and 425 Newbury) | Louis Berry, George D. Seyburn, and Benjamin J. Tager | 7518 | 224 | |
| 01Jul1958 | Puritan, Inc. (formerly known as Hotel Puritan, Inc.) (388-390 Commonwealth and 425 Newbury) | Reuben B. Gryzmish and A. M. Sonnabend, trustees, Puritan Realty Trust | 7451 | 227 | |
| 01Jul1947 | Abraham M. Sonnabend (388-390 Commonwealth and 425 Newbury) | Hotel Puritan, Inc. | 6344 | 495 | |
| 01Jul1947 | Harry L. Rice, William B. Rice, and Edmund Rice, trustees, Avenue Real Estate Trust (388-390 Commonwealth and 425 Newbury) | Abraham M. Sonnabend | 6344 | 490 | |
| Transfers of Unimproved Land – 388-390 Commonwealth: Parcel with 190 foot frontage composed of a 90 foot lot to the east and a 100 foot lot to the west. | |||||
| Transfers of Unimproved Land: Eastern portion of parcel at 388-390 Commonwealth with 90 foot frontage | |||||
| Date of Deed | Grantor | Grantee | Book | Page | |
| 29May1908 | W. Cameron Forbes, Nathaniel H. Stone, Waldo Emerson Forbes, trustees under the will of J. Malcolm Forbes | John D. Hardy, trustee, Avenue Real Estate Trust | 3291 | 150 | |
| 21Nov1887 | Joseph S. Bigelow | J. Malcolm Forbes | 1764 | 150 | |
| 20Jan1886 | Henry M. Whitney, Grenville T. W. Braman, and Henry D. Hyde, trustees, The Park Entrance Lands trust | Joseph S. Bigelow | 1711 | 67 | |
| 15Oct1880 | Boston Water Power Company | Henry M. Whitney, Grenville T. W. Braman, and Henry D. Hyde, trustees, The Park Entrance Lands trust | 1506 | 195 | |
| 15Oct1880 | Dwight Foster, Gilman Collamore, and George Richardson, trustees for bonds issued by the Boston Water Power Co. | Henry M, Whitney, Grenville T. W. Braman, and Henry D. Hyde, trustees, The Park Entrance Lands trust | 1506 | 193 | |
| Transfers of Unimproved Land: Western portion of parcel at 388-390 Commonwealth with 100 foot frontage | |||||
| Date of Deed | Grantor | Grantee | Book | Page | |
| 15Jan1908 | Schuyler S. Bartlett and Henry B. Cabot, trustees under the will of Henry Lee | John D. Hardy, trustee, Avenue Real Estate Trust | 3260 | 2 | |
| 25Nov1893 | Albert Geiger | Henry Lee | 2166 | 278 | |
| 21Nov1893 | Nathaniel Thayer and Eugene V. R. Thayer | Albert Geiger | 2165 | 637 | |
| 07May1887 | Henry Lee and Elizabeth P. Lee, his wife, in her own right | Nathaniel Thayer and Eugene V. R. Thayer | 1771 | 94 | |
| 20Jan1886 | Henry M. Whitney, Grenville T. W. Braman, and Henry D. Hyde, trustees, The Park Entrance Lands trust | Elizabeth Perkins Lee, wife of Henry Lee | 1709 | 161 | |
| 15Oct1880 | Boston Water Power Company | Henry M. Whitney, Grenville T. W. Braman, and Henry D. Hyde, trustees, The Park Entrance Lands trust | 1506 | 195 | |
| 15Oct1880 | Dwight Foster, Gilman Collamore, and George Richardson, trustees for bonds issued by the Boston Water Power Co. | Henry M. Whitney, Grenville T. W. Braman, and Henry D. Hyde, trustees, The Park Entrance Lands trust | 1506 | 193 | |
| Transfers of Unimproved Land – 425 Newbury: Parcel with 200 foot frontage on Newbury composed of a 90 foot lot to the east and a 110 foot lot to the west | |||||
| Date of Deed | Grantor | Grantee | Book | Page | |
| 27Jul1908 | Evelyn T. Gale (lot with 200 foot frontage) | John D. Hardy, trustee, Avenue Real Estate Trust | 3297 | 38 | |
| 15Jun1908 | James O. Leman (lot with 200 foot frontage) | Evelyn T. Gale | 3287 | 296 | |
| 15Jun1908 | Frederick A. Whitwell, individually and by virtue of the authority granted by the will of Samuel H. Whitwell (lot with 200 foot frontage) | James O. Leman | 3287 | 292 | |
| 01Jun1901 | Laurence Minot, Moses Williams, Jr., and John C. Fairchild, trustees, Charlesgate Land Associates (eastern lot with 90 foot frontage) | Samuel H. Whitwell | 2758 | 278 | |
| 15Jan1901 | Laurence Minot, Moses Williams, Jr., and John C. Fairchild, trustees, Charlesgate Land Associates (western lot with 110 foot frontage) | Samuel H. Whitwell | 2730 | 438 | |
| 12Sep1896 | Charles Fairchild (lot with 332 foot frontage at 415-425 Newbury) | William Minot, Laurence Minot, and Moses Williams, Jr., trustees, Charlesgate Land Associates | 2388 | 177 | |
| 06Mar1886 | Henry M. Whitney, Grenville T. W. Braman, and Henry D. Hyde, trustees, The Park Entrance Lands trust (lot with 332 foot frontage at 415-425 Newbury) | Charles Fairchild | 1713 | 193 | |
| 15Oct1880 | Boston Water Power Company | Henry M. Whitney, Grenville T. W. Braman, and Henry D. Hyde, trustees, The Park Entrance Lands trust | 1506 | 195 | |
| 15Oct1880 | Dwight Foster, Gilman Collamore, and George Richardson, trustees for bonds issued by the Boston Water Power Co. | Henry M. Whitney, Grenville T. W. Braman, and Henry D. Hyde, trustees, The Park Entrance Lands trust | 1506 | 193 | |
| Building restriction agreement by owners of property on the south side of Commonwealth and north side of Newbury between Massachusetts Avenue and Charlesgate East, allowing bay windows to extend into the alley, provided that they extend no further than three feet and are at least 19 feet above the surface of the passageway | |||||
| Date | Parties to Agreement | Book | Page | ||
| 01Jul1908 | Henry M. Williams individually and as co-trustee, Somerset Hotel Trust; John D. Hardy, trustee, Avenue Realty Trust; Cambridgeport Savings Bank; A. L. K. Volkmann; Charles H. Rutan, Schuyler S. Bartlett, and Henry B. Cabot, trustees under the will of Henry Lee; Charles R. Batt and Walter R. Dyer, trustees, 399 Newbury Street; Benjamin D, Hyde, executor of the estate of H. D. Hyde; E. Florence Macconnell; Louisa P. Russell; Robert L. Winkley, conservator of the estate of Albert Pope; and Frank D. Ellison | 3518 | 48 | ||
| Agreement by the owners of land on Newbury Street east of land at 415-425 Newbury that, when selling their land, they will include a deed restriction requiring that all buildings be set back 10 feet from Newbury (with steps, windows, porticos, and other projections appurtenant to front walls allowed in the reserved area, subject to dimensional limitation set forth in the deed) | |||||
| Date of Deed | Party One | Party Two | Book | Page | |
| 06Mar1886 | Henry M. Whitney, Grenville T. W. Braman, and Henry D. Hyde, trustees, The Park Entrance Lands trust (sellers of lot at 415-425 Newbury and owners of land further east) | Charles Fairchild (purchaser of lot at 415-425 Newbury) | 1713 | 200 | |
| Building restrictions included in land transfer deed specifying that all buildings be set back 10 feet from Newbury (with steps, windows, porticos, and other projections appurtenant to front walls allowed in the reserved area, subject to dimensional limitation set forth in the deed) | |||||
| Date of Deed | Grantor | Grantee | Book | Page | |
| 06Mar1886 | Henry M. Whitney, Grenville T. W. Braman, and Henry D. Hyde, trustees, The Park Entrance Lands trust (sellers of lot at 415-425 Newbury) | Charles Fairchild (purchaser of lot at 415-425 Newbury) | 1713 | 193 | |
| Easement included in land transfer deed specifying that the purchasers of the land at 415-425 Newbury have the right to use a sixteen foot wide strip of land on the seller’s property running north to south at the east boundary which connects Newbury Street with a sixteen foot passageway running east to west across the north boundary of 415-425 Newbury, but reserving to the owners of the land to the east to terminate such right if the sixteen foot passageway running east to west is extended to connect with Massachusetts Avenue. | |||||
| Date of Deed | Grantor | Grantee | Book | Page | |
| 06Mar1886 | Henry M. Whitney, Grenville T. W. Braman, and Henry D. Hyde, trustees, The Park Entrance Lands trust (sellers of lot at 415-425 Newbury) | Charles Fairchild (purchaser of lot at 415-425 Newbury) | 1713 | 193 | |
Back Bay Houses 