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 A Boston bed and breakfast offering 8 finely appointed suites. Conveniently located between Boston's Back Bay, renowned for its exceptional architecture, exciting shops, fine art galleries, expanses of greenery, and Boston University at Kenmore Square, making it an ideal location for an urban bed and breakfast. 9 Bay State Road Boston, Ma 02215 617-375-9003 | TF 1-877-375-9003 | FX 617-425-0716 |
Some History About 9 Bay State Road And The Back Bay
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Trinity
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The Gryphon House is considered by the Landmarks Commission
to be an example of Richardson Romanesque, a style popularized by Boston
architect H.H.
Richardson, whose best known landmark is the Trinity
Church in Copley Square. Our house, here at 9 Bay State Road, was
designed by the architect Samuel D. Kelley, and built by the firm of
Chadwick, Stillings in 1895. It was originally a single-family home,
but was converted to accommodate three families and a doctor's office
in 1950. In 1968, it changed once more to five apartment units, one
of which was 
occupied by Thomas and Ruth McDonald, the owners of the
property, until it was purchased from their estate by Hatfield
and Morway Builders in December, 1996, and became The Gryphon House.
We opened April 15,1997
Boston's Back Bay, renowned today for its exceptional architecture, exciting shops, fine art galleries, centers for higher learning, and expanses of greenery, didn't even exist when Boston was originally founded! It was actually "created" by filling in the marshy "back bay" by cutting down six of Boston's seven hills. When it
was decided that there was not enough
fill in Boston proper, the Back Bay landfill project was completed
by hauling in gravel by train from Needham, MA, some nine miles away.
This created a whole new land area for the city of Boston, which
rapidly expanded from 1857 through the turn of the century.The neighborhoods
of the Back Bay are generally considered the streets that lie between
Arlington St. and Massachusetts Avenue. The geographical Back Bay,
however, encompasses the location of the Gryphon House and well beyond.The
entire area of the Back Bay is considered to be architecturally significant
because it is possible to chronologically track the styles and fashions
of 19th Century building from the beginning of the Public Gardens
right on through Kenmore Square and the Fenway. This is virtually
unheard of in any other major American city, and offers a unique
opportunity for the student of architecture and/or history to visually
track the development of a neighborhood. If you would like to learn
more about the making of the Back Bay, Professor
Jeffery Howe
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has a very informative web site on the Back Bay Landfill Project. To learn more about the geographical and architectural history of the Back Bay, two excellent resources are Houses of Boston's Back Bay by Bainbridge Bunting, and Back Bay A Living Portrait by Barbara Moore and Gail Weesner.