The Fred Holland Day House is a historic house and museum located at 93 Day Street in Norwood and serves as the headquarters for the Norwood Historical Society.
The Day House is a 2-1/2 story wood-framed house, with complex massing and a busy roofline with gables of various size. Its ground floor is finished in stone, and the upper levels have the half-timbering typical of the Tudor Revival style. It now houses the Norwood Historical Society and is open to the public for exhibits and tours.
Built in 1859, the house was the home of Lewis and Anna Smith Day and their only son, Fred Holland Day. The Smith and Day families were both prominent in the tanning industry that flourished in 19th-century South Dedham/Norwood. Fred Holland Day, a noted photographer, publisher, historian and philanthropist, lived in the house until the time of his death in 1933.
Originally built in the Second Empire style, the family substantially altered the house in about 1892 using designs by J. Williams Beal, a noted Boston architect, at which time it was given its present Tudor Revival styling. With Fred Holland Day playing a leading role in the innovative design, the interior is an assimilation of Victorian and Arts & Crafts influences. The house contains eight fireplaces, many uniquely designed rooms, second and third-floor balconies overlooking a central Great Hall, and beautiful oak and mahogany paneling and woodwork. Original paintwork, fabric wall coverings, stained glass, period light fixtures, and Day family possessions can be found throughout the house.
The F. Holland Day House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 18, 1977. It has served as the headquarters for the non-profit Norwood Historical Society since 1935. The house is open for Sunday tours through the summer months and several other times throughout the year. Check our event calendar for upcoming tour dates.
Please note that tours are $5 per person, or free for members of the Norwood Historical Society.
F Holland Day House Tour-Library
This was Fred Day’s personal library. It connects by a small set of stairs to his bedroom above, enabling him to use this area of the house as a private space. The room is a unique, multi-level space. The desk…
F Holland Day House Tour-Fred Holland Day’s Bedroom
(“GREEN and RED ROOM”(in 1893 inventory) This was Fred Holland Day’s bedroom and study from 1893 until 1919. A writing desk drops down behind the doors to the right in the window area. A narrow draped bed stood in the…
F Holland Day House Tour-The Colonial Room
(“BLUE ROOM” (in 1893 inventory) Fred Holland Day referred to this room as “The Colonial Room” and initially housed his collection of local history artifacts and objects here. Later the room was used by Day as a bedroom from 1919…
F Holland Day House Tour-Mr. Lewis Day’s Bedroom
(“Gray Room” in 1893 inventory) The separate bedrooms of Mr. and Mrs. Day form a private suite in the house. The room has been redecorated. The wallpaper original to the 1890s, a delicate pattern of stylized blue morning glories and…
F Holland Day House Tour-Mrs. Anna Smith Day’s Bedroom
(“Yellow Room” in 1893 inventory) Anna (Smith) Day was born 1836 and died in 1922. The painting shows her at 4 or 5 years old. Her silk gown and jewelry illustrate the Smith family’s wealth. The cradle beneath the portrait…