F Holland Day House Now Landmark-This Day In Norwood History-May 12, 1977

The Fred Holland Day House has been entered into the National Register of Historic Places, reportedly the first private Norwood property accorded this high level of preservation protection.

Announcement of the new status came from the office of State Secretary Paul Guzzi, who is chairman of the Massachusetts Historical Commission and was confirmed locally.

Located at Day and Bullard Streets in the town center, the Day House was the home of the turn-of-the-century literary figure and publisher, patron of popular philosopher Kahlil Gibran.

Built in 1859 and extensively rebuilt in 1890-93, the Tudor Revival structure is now the home of the Norwood Historical Society.

Theodore A. Curtin, chairman of the Norwood Historical Commission and a society member, said the new ranking qualifies Day House for federal grants and aid to make improvements.

Further, it protects the house and site from damage or encroachment by any project in which federal funds are involved.

“This would prevent federal funds from being used in any project that would damage the Day House,” Mr. Curtin explained.

The first step in the process of nominating Day House was taken 19 months ago, Mr. Curtin said, adding he was pleasantly surprised the property won acceptance to the register just one year after the application in final form was filed with the state.

Despite the new privileges the ranking brings, it is doubtful the historical society will be filing for federal money in the immediate future.

William L. Hyland, society president, said improvements to the Day House now underway are much less than the usual $10,000 starting point for matching grants under the National Historic Preservation Act.

Because of the variety of small repairs planned, Mr. Hyland, a civil engineer, said, “I don’t know if we’d be able to live with a federal grant. The little grants are a nuisance” because of federal red tape entailed.

The historical society will draw on its own financial resources to make improvements and repairs to the roof; replacement of the gutters and downspouts; and improvement and expansion of the heating system, Mr. Hyland said.

The society, he said, has roughly $25,000 in a variety of bank accounts to draw from.

The true and immediate value of the national registration of the house, Mr. Hyland said, is “protection and publicity.”

However, not many years away, he added, is a replacement of the roof which could cost $15,000 and perhaps, be the subject of a grant application.

According to the State Historical Commission, the Day House is significant both for its “unique architectural styling” and “its incredible reconstruction” as well as for its associations with Mr. Day.

The commission found “Architecturally the house is a blend of several movements popular at the time of its reconstruction. While the stucco and half-timbering ornamentation is obviously Tudor Revival, the plan of the house is pure Shingle Style. This is particularly evident in the ‘Great Hall.’ Apparent, too, is a definite influence from Wright’s work of the period. This can be seen in the long, low front porch and port cochere as well as the masonry.

Architect of the house was J. William Beal. Among his commissions were the Plymouth County Hospital and Jail, the Repertory Theatre on Huntington Avenue in Boston, and the Walnut Street Congregational Church in Boston.

(All articles originally published in the Norwood Messenger)