The Arts & Crafts Houses of Massachusetts

Join the Jamaica Plain Historical Society for a book talk. Author Heli Meltsner will talk about her new book The Arts & Crafts Houses of Massachusetts: A Style Rediscovered. At the opening of the 20th century, Massachusetts architects struggled to create an authentic new look that would reflect their clients’ increasingly informal way of life. Inspired by the Arts and Crafts Movement in England, the result was a charming style that proved especially appropriate for the rapidly expanding suburbs and vacation houses in the state—charming but overlooked, principally because the style is somewhat difficult to describe. The Arts and Crafts Houses of Massachusetts brings these homes, hidden in plain sight, the attention they deserve. Meticulously researched and with abundant color photos, the book is the only work focusing on the state’s Arts and Crafts domestic architecture and the only one to include an illustrated field guide. It is also the first book to explore the use of this cutting-edge style in designing buildings for estate servants, transit workers, and renters—groups that historically lacked access to professionally designed homes. Several of the houses featured in the book are in the Woodbourne section of Jamaica Plain!

Heli Meltsner is a long-time historic preservation consultant, author and editor. She is curator of the Cambridge Historical Society and serves on Cambridge’s Avon Hill neighborhood conservation district commission.

This event is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.