Easton: Touring Olmsted, Richardson, Steele, and New Visions
October 2005
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North Easton,
MA, is a treasure trove of beautiful and historical
buildings and landscapes. Oakes Ames founded the
Ames Shovel Company in the early 19th century which
provided the tools to lay the Union Pacific Railroad to
open the West. The
Ames
family shaped the town’s economy and, as
philanthropists, commissioned
Easton’s landmark buildings.
(Photos by Lance Bukoff/Accent
Photography.)
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Oakes Ames Memorial Hall, designed by H.H. Richardson,
landscape by F.L. Olmsted |
Railroad Station designed by H.H. Richardson, currently
home to the Easton Historical Society.
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The Rockery, designed by F.L.Olmsted, was intended to be a
public square, a Civil War memorial, and a promenade with
vistas of
North Easton.
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Queset House, an Andrew Jackson Downing-style “English
cottage” was built in 1854 for a member of the Ames
family. It was refurbished in the 1920s for Winthrop
Ames, a Broadway producer. |
The Gate Lodge (rear view) was designed by H.H. Richardson
as a weekend retreat for members of the Ames
family. The landscape was designed by F.L. Olmsted. |
Unity Close was built in 1862 and was a home for members
of the Ames family until 1979. |
The gardens of Unity Close were designed by Fletcher
Steele in 1926, and recently restored by the current
owners.
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Beautiful views abound in North Easton
including this pond with the Olmsted-designed bridge in
the background.
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