Considered one of the Back Bay’s greatest architectural achievements, the Cushing-Endicott House stands before us. It exemplifies the French Academic style. The Cushing-Endicott House was built in 1871. Snell and Gregerson were the architects.
Originally numbered 165 Marlborough Street, it is now 163 Marlborough Street. The Cushing-Endicott House is part of a group of three related houses. They include 326-328 Dartmouth Street. Together, they create a symmetrical composition on Dartmouth Street. Bainbridge Bunting noted they fit together to create an impressive whole.
The Cushing-Endicott House is constructed of red brick. Warm, yellow-beige Nova Scotia sandstone trims the exterior. Each elevation showcases symmetry and refinement.
Thomas Forbes Cushing commissioned the house. He lived here with his wife, Fanny Leslie Grinnell Cushing. Before moving here, they resided at 190 Beacon Street. They also had a home in Newport. Thomas Cushing was the son of John Perkins Cushing. John Perkins Cushing made a fortune as a China merchant.
After Fanny Cushing’s death in 1887, Thomas Cushing moved to New York City. He also kept his home in Newport. Charles Franklin Sprague and his wife, Mary Bryant Pratt Sprague, then lived here. They moved in by the 1892-1893 winter season. Charles Sprague was a lawyer. He served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives and the State Senate. He was also elected to Congress.
William Augustus Russell and his wife, Frances Spofford Hall Russell, briefly occupied the house. They lived here during the 1895-1896 winter season.
By the 1896-1897 winter season, William Crowninshield Endicott and his wife, Ellen Peabody Endicott, made it their home. Before this they had lived in Salem. They also maintained a home in Danvers named Glen Magna Farms. William C. Endicott was a lawyer. He served as a Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. He was also Secretary of War under President Grover Cleveland.
Their son, William Crowninshield Endicott, Jr., and his wife, Marie Louise Thoron Endicott, lived with them. William Jr. was also a lawyer. In 1903, John Singer Sargent used one of the bedrooms as his studio.
William Endicott, Jr., purchased 163 Marlborough from Thomas Cushing in 1898. After William Endicott, Sr.’s death, Ellen and William Jr. continued to live here. Ellen Endicott acquired the house from her son in 1903. After Ellen’s death, William and Louise Endicott continued to live at 163 Marlborough.
After Louise Endicott’s death, the house changed hands several times. It served as a lodging house and a women’s dormitory for the Cambridge School of Business. Later, it was purchased by trustees of the Commonwealth Realty Trust. They operated it as a dormitory.
In 1984, the Cushing-Endicott House Limited Partnership purchased the house. They worked to preserve the house’s original features. This included the entrance foyer, reception hall, and the original hot air heating furnace. In 1985, the property was converted into condominium units.
Today, the Cushing-Endicott House remains a testament to the architectural elegance of the Back Bay. It also reflects the lives of the prominent families who once called it home. This building preserves a tangible link to Boston’s rich history.