Quincy Homestead

Infobox_nrhp | name =Quincy Homestead
nrhp_type = nhl


caption =
location= 34 Butler Road, Quincy, Massachusetts
lat_degrees = 42
lat_minutes = 15
lat_seconds = 28
lat_direction = N
long_degrees = 71
long_minutes = 0
long_seconds = 28
long_direction = W
locmapin = Massachusetts
area =
built =1686| architect= Unknown
architecture= Colonial, Georgian and Victorian
designated=April 5, 2005
added = July 01, 1970
governing_body = Commonwealth of Massachusetts and Massachusetts Colonial Dames
refnum=70000095cite web|url=http://www.nr.nps.gov/|title=National Register Information System|date=2008-04-15|work=National Register of Historic Places|publisher=National Park Service]

Begun in 1686, the Quincy Homestead was acclaimed as the grandest estate in Quincy in the 17th and 18th centuries. The original property covered approximately 2,000 acres extending from its present location to Quincy Bay. Representing the evolution of over 320 years of American architecture, the house combines Colonial, Georgian and Victorian design. It is one of the rare Massachusetts examples in which the elements of a 17th-century building are still clearly visible although surrounded by later styles. In 2005 the Homestead was designated as a National Historic Landmark.

The Quincys were one of the leading families of Massachusetts, and their descendants include President John Quincy Adams. They settled in Braintree (now Quincy) on the current property in the 1630s. The present Homestead was built starting in 1686 by Edmund Quincy II. It became a meeting place for many patriots such as John Adams, Josiah Quincy, and John Hancock. Furthermore, it was the childhood home of the first First Lady of Massachusetts, Dorothy Quincy Hancock, wife of John Hancock, first signer of the Declaration of Independence, and first governor of the Commonwealth.

The Homestead is a model public private partnership. In 1904, when the property was threatened by encroaching urban development, a citizen drive was established to save the mansion. Led by the Massachusetts Colonial Dames and Charles Francis Adams, Jr., the grandson of President John Quincy Adams, Quincy residents raised funds to assist the Dames in purchasing the estate and creating a distinctive house museum. Looking to the long-term protection and presentation of the property, the Colonial Dames, then negotiated a sale-leaseback agreement with the Commonwealth, whereby the Commonwealth accepted responsibility for capital improvements and the exterior preservation of the house, and the Dames agreed to maintain the interior of the home, to beautify it with period furniture and decorative arts, and to interpret its history to the public. This relationship has continued for over a century.

Since 2005 the Quincy Homestead has undergone a comprehensive exterior renovation to restore this stately historic building to its former grandeur. The project has included painting the structure, re-glazing the windows, and other major improvements.

References and external links

* [http://www.nscda.org/ma/quincy_homestead.htm NSCDA Official Website] (accessed August 15, 2008)