MPS Methuen MRA Opened 1840 Architect C. Willis Damon | Built 1840 NRHP Reference # 84002438 Added to NRHP 20 January 1984 | |
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Address 1 Park St, Methuen, MA 01844, USA Architectural style Queen Anne style architecture Similar Greycourt State Park, Searles High School, Nevins Memorial Library, Searles Castle, Methuen Memorial Music Hall | ||
Part1 short history of tenney gatehouse grey court mansion in methuen ma
The Tenney Castle Gatehouse is a historic gatehouse at 37 Pleasant Street in Methuen, Massachusetts, United States. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on January 20, 1984. It is the only surviving element of the large estate of Charles H. Tenney, a leading local industrialist.
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History
The gatehouse was originally a two-story rough stone farm house built by Richard Whittier between August and November 1830. In April 1882, it was purchased by Charles H. Tenney. It was redesigned in 1883 by architects Damon Brothers into a gatehouse for the 76-acre (310,000 m2) Tenney estate known as Grey Court.
When first built, it was a two story stone structure with five bays on its front facade and a central entry. The modifications by Damon gave the building a distinctive Queen Anne Victorian character, changing the roof to be hipped, and adding an ornately decorated tower with weathervane on one corner. A porch was added to shelter the entry, whose gable has rows of decorative shingles.
In 1951, the Tenney family gave 26 acres (110,000 m2) to the town for Tenney High School (now Tenney Grammar School) and sold the rest to the Basilian Salvatorian Order. From 1977-1978 a series of fires eventually destroyed the mansion. The Gatehouse and the Stock House or Stables are all that remain standing; the estate has since been converted to a state park.
The gatehouse is currently home to the Methuen Historical Society.