I have shelves of books about Boston, Massachusetts, and New England. Sometimes, when I’m reading one, I find a place or object of interest. Being a curious person, I want to learn more, go to the location if I can, and discover how it came to be.
“Boston Ways: High, By, and Folk”
Because of its age, decades of landmaking, and urban renewal, however, I can hit a wall fairly quickly. (It’s a red brick wall, of course.) That happened when I was reading George F. Weston Jr.’s book “Boston Ways: High, By, and Folk,” published by Beacon Press in 1957 and updated in 1967.
I acquired it at an estate sale, which is a great place to find old books for a dollar or two. (Although it only cost $3.95 when it was published.) This one belonged to a resident of Jamaica Plain, who put his name on the flyleaf.
Mr. Weston’s book is easy to read and illustrated with black-and-white photographs. I have its pages tabbed for easy reference.
The Oldest Street Lamp
Sometimes I see something that I could verify easily. “Boston’s Oldest Street Light” on Mount Vernon Street, for example, led me up Beacon Hill. I love to find these antiques sticking up like the city’s old bones and I looked forward to locating another one.
After climbing the street from Charles Street to Joy Street and back down again on the other side, however, I had to admit that the city had probably removed the street lamp, formerly gas but converted to electricity, rising from a granite post. The oldest street lamp has, alas, retired. I removed the tab.
Other items have probably been lost in the shuffle of buildings, banks and corporations. Still, I wondered if my readers might know something about either their current whereabouts or their final disposition. So, here goes with the first one.
The President’s Office
Mr. Weston writes that the Second Bank—State Street Trust Company had its offices on State Street where, “… banking in its most modern phases was carried on in the atmosphere of a counting-house of the early 18th century.”
He includes a photograph of the President’s Office, so that office must have existed in 1957.
“The office of the president was furnished entirely with genuine antiques. The mammoth fireplace contained an extremely rare “Governor Dudley fireback; the desk was an early American refectory table; the president’s chair was from the taproom of the Wayside Inn. A wastebasket always overflowing) was an ancient fire bucket. A churn provided an umbrella stand, and an old sea chest held the wood for a cheerful fire.”
Where Did the President’s Office Go?
But where did this antique office go? The two banks merged in 1955. Keeping track of Boston’s many bank mergers, acquisitions, and subsequent relocations would require a graduate-level dissertation and a detailed map. Even one bank could merge and move multiple times. But a few facts do emerge as guideposts.
The new State Street Bank headquarters (left)
The merged bank moved to 111 Franklin Street in the Financial District but the State Street Bank now occupies a beautiful new tower at 1 Congress Street. I doubt very much that the old president’s office made either move.
Did the bank break up the office and sell off the “genuine antiques?” Did they sell (or donate) it to a museum? Or did they simply throw all the pieces into a dumpster? This inquiring mind wants to know.
Unfortunately, the Second Bank-State Street Trust Company no longer exists so I can’t ask their public relations department. I called the State Street Bank for clarification and they are looking into the whereabouts of the office and/or its contents from their curvy new glass tower by Pelli Clarke and Partners.
If You Know, Let Me Know
So, does anyone know what happened to all or some parts of the president’s office at the Second Bank—State Street Trust Company? If so, please comment on the blog post so I can follow up on the information.
