69 Berkeley St. , Somerville

By Marian Berkowitz

Spring weather has finally arrived, so once again I can begin contacting the owners who won a 2020 award from the Somerville Historic Preservation Commission for their efforts in preserving the exterior of some of Somerville’s older buildings.

This year, however, is a bit different for me, as the COVID-19 pandemic necessitates that I interview the owners remotely, take their photos in front at a safe distance, and not enjoy the occasional opportunity to also witness their interior renovations.

Before calling, I usually take a quick look at the property via Google Earth, as that often shows it before the renovation is completed. In this case the photo was more recently taken in 2018, so it indicates how the house looked midway through the renovation process.

The homeowner, Louise Keogh Weed noted that “My husband and I were very excited to purchase our home in 2018 and be able to take on the task of restoration in the Spring Hill neighborhood which has so many wonderful older houses.”

Like many others in Somerville, the house was originally built as a single-family but later converted to a 2-family. Louise and her husband, John Keogh, worked with Amy Semmes, a local architect, to convert it back to a single-family and restore the exterior to its original style. “Our goal was to maximize the beauty of the house while making it right for our family.”

Removal of the old asbestos shingling revealed the original clapboard underneath. Although the clapboard was in good condition, they decided to replace all the boards anyway, to remove any concerns about lead paint.

Both the first and second floors are enhanced by large bay windows on both the front and right side of the house. Louise was surprised when they first opened up the walls around these bay windows to see that the framing of each window was actually larger than the current window dimensions. “The counter-weight shafts were there, but not associated with the windows,” Louise reported.

This finding encouraged them to remove the older, white vinyl replacement windows and install custom-sized windows to take advantage of the extra space. Louise was excited as the enlarged windows enabled them to gain additional light streaming into the house. New trim, including flat panels below each of the bay windows, was also installed as part of the redesign to restore some of the original features.

The two front doors, believed to be original, and the turned posts on the side porch were restored and reused. The inside front stairs and entry were redesigned. In keeping with the likely turn of the century construction of the house, Louise and John chose to paint the exterior clapboards in a grayish-green, with a creamy beige for the trim. To offset these subdued colors, they then decided to make it extra cheery by choosing a bright reddish orange paint for the front door, making it a very inviting addition to the streetscape.

I can easily see why their restoration efforts are being recognized with a Director’s Award this year!

Marian Berkowitz is a freelance writer in Somerville with a love of older houses and community involvement.

The Somerville Historic Preservation Commission gives out up to twelve awards each year to owners of designated historic properties (Preservation Awards) and of houses over 50 years old (Director Awards) to recognize their impressive exterior work over the last few years.  This is the 25th anniversary of the Awards Program with 9 winners.  Interviews with the owners plus photos of each property will be highlighted here over the coming weeks of summer.