Rosemont - The Friary
Brookline, MA
Adaptive re-use of a historic religious property, The Friary, consisting of a monastery, chapel and carriage house which along with several new buildings, created a total of nine townhomes on the site. The adaptive re-use of the chapel building preserved the exterior design and enhanced its distinctive characteristics, while the interior of the building was completely overhauled.
At end of the 19th century William Hartley, a successful wool merchant, built Rosemont in 1902. The estate consisted of the main house and a carriage house, sitting on a 2-acre parcel in the Aspinwall Hill section of Brookline, which was one of the early suburbs developed beyond the Back Bay. In 1916 the property was purchased by the archdiocese of Boston to serve as the residence of Cardinal O'Connell. After he died in 1927, his estate sold the property to the Order of St. Francis, which used it as a Friary, or residence for the Friars. At that time, the carriage house was expanded, and converted into a Chapel on the lower level, and a dormitory on the upper level.
Rosemont received an award from the Town of Brookline Historic Preservation Commission in recognition of the superior planning and design that preserved the historical character of the site.
