Architectural Description:
Modified Queen Anne style home. This house plan was first built in July 1893 as the "Coachman's House" for William M. Wood's estate at 269 North Main St. The architect is unknown but the first house was built by Brainard Cummings. Wood liked the design enough to incorporate it into his Village design. It is understood that this plan was used six times. See 269 No. Main.
Historical Narrative:
Shawsheen Village was named after the Native American name for the river Shawshin, which means Great Spring. . All the streets in the Village were named for Castles & Cathedrals in Great Britain.
Prior to Shawsheen Village this area was known as Frye Village. The town of Andover purchased land from York Street to the Boston and Maine Railroad for the use of a Town Farm or Alms House in 1807.
York St. and Burnham Rd. were an old Frye Village way to the Alms house, a brick factory and a connecting route to the center of town prior to the construction of the Essex Turnpike, now Route 28 or Main St.
York Street takes its name from York Minster Cathedral , seat of the Archbishop of York, second highest office in the Church of England. The Gothic Church is one of the largest in Northern Europe. There is also a York Castle, in York, England. A Norman castle built by William I
This home was built as part of the Shawsheen Village development 1918 – 1924 by William M. Wood, President of the American Woolen Company. Wood hired about eight different architects to design the homes and structures for the village. Homes were sold or leased through the Homestead Association who had offices in the Post Office building on the corner of North Main & Poor Streets.
A walk down York Street will find a mix of the old and new as Wood moved a few older homes in Frye Village to sites on York St. Each home incorporates a different look, style and design modifications, most noticeable with the front door entrances. Decorative details on the corner boards and a variety of ornamental trellises add to the “icing on the cake, of the maintained original designs. Most of the homes now sport a variety of different colors no longer all white with green shutters as dictated in the original deeds.
After the death of William M. Wood on Feb. 2, 1926 most of the residential and commercial buildings were then sold. Some were held by the Wood family in the "Arden Trust" and others with the American Woolen Company, which had been deeded the property in December 1920. The A.W.Co. Board of Directors authorized its President, Lionel J. Noah, to deliver all deeds, as deemed necessary to the Textile Realty for sale on Dec. 29, 1931.
The Textile Realty then transferred ownership to the Andover Shawsheen Realty Company on June 30, 1932, holding the mortgage on the properties. T. Edwin Andrew, treasurer, was authorized to sell or lease the properties. With the Great Depression sales were sluggish and many homes were rented until the economy rebounded.
One of the first occupants of record to lease the home in 1926 was a Barbara L. Franklin. She lists herself as a student. She lived at 367 No. Main St. prior to moved here.
This house was sold to Harold L. & Grace B. Peters on Jan 2, 1945. Harold was a District store keeper for the Telephone Co. in Lowell. Sadly Harold died on October 7, 1945. His wife Grace B. remained in the home for seven years then sold to Philip G. & Ida C. Pizzano on Nov. 10, 1952. Philip Pizzano b. 1915 was a merchant and proprietor of Gus Supermarket in Lawrence. Ida b. 1918 was a housewife and later sales clerk in the family business. Philip died on Oct. 30, 1983. Ida sold two years later to James M. & Carol P. Byrne on Nov. 22, 1985.
Bibliography/References:
Essex County Registry Deeds, Salem, MA
Essex Northern Registry Deeds, Lawrence, MA
Andover Maps, 1852, 1872, 1888, 1906, 1926
Andover Street Directories
Mills, Mergers and Mansions, by Edward Roddy 1982
See Map plan #704 - American Woolen Company - Sept. 1927
#878 - June 1932 - Textile Realty Company lot #8
See #7 Argyle St. for Town Farm history
Owners;
Samuel Abbot - 1804 - 90 acre farm
Inhabitants of Town of Andover - 1807 – 1921 – Town Farm
Varter & Havenes Dagdegian - July 11, 1921 - b. 443 p. 503
Town of Andover, Geo. C. H. Dufton - July 12, 1921 - b. 443 p. 505 - 13.66 A
Town of Andover, July 12, 1921 - Town Meeting Nov. 1, 1921 sell
American Woolen Co., Wm. M. Wood - July 11, 1921 - b. 443 p. 296 - 12.56 acres - lot 1
American Woolen Co.- Nov. 15, 1921 - b. 450 p. 342 - 10 acres- lot 2
Textile Realty Co., Lionel J. Noah, Pres. A.W.Co. - Dec. 30, 1931 - b. 563 p. 334
Andover Shawsheen Realty Co. - June. 30, 1932 - b. 565 p. 87 - 13th parcel
Harold L. & Grace B. Peters - Jan 2, 1945 - b. 670 p. 481
Harold L. Peters estate, Grace B. Peters, heir - Oct. 7, 1945
Philip G. & Ida C. Pizzano - Nov. 10, 1952 - b. 769 p. 119
Philip G. Pizzano estate, Ida C. Pizzano, heir - Oct. 30, 1983
James M. & Carol P. Byrne - Nov. 22, 1985 - b. 2085 p. 141
Carol Plotkin Byrne - Jan 11, 1996 - b. 4416 p. 267
Yaniv & Rebecca E. Or-Shahar - Mar. 8, 2007 - n. 10660 p. 90
Inventory Data:
Street | York St |
Place | Shawsheen Village - Frye Village |
Historic District | Shawsheen Village NRH District |
Historic Name | Peters - Pizzano House |
Present Use | residence |
Original Use | residence |
Construction Date | 1922 - 1923 |
Source | ERDS, ENRDL, assessers' rec./style-njs |
Architectural Style | Other |
Foundation | stone |
Wall/Trim | clapboard/wood |
Roof | gable - asphalt |
Major Alterations | Addition to left side of home, slate roof replaced with asphalt |
Condition | excellent |
Acreage | 0.137 acre |
Setting | residential |
Map and parcel | 36-20 |
Recorded by | Stack/Mofford, James Batchelder |
Organization | Andover Preservation Commission |
Date entered | 1975 - 1977, 7/20/2015 |