Built in 1760 and 1790 at what is now 59 Common Street, the Thomas Clark House is the sixth oldest surviving building in the town of Belmont. Originally a dwelling for workers on the Clark farm, it was renovated with another gable to become the Clark home after their previous house burned by lightning. As the centuries passed, more extensions were added to provide additional living and garage space. Those have now been torn down to make way for a division of the lot after the property was sold in 2011.
The house seems to retain its original doors, flooring, ceilings, paneling, windows, and hardware, including hand-hewn beams and wide floorboards. We hope seeing these details can inform those making decisions about the fate of this historic landmark.
Our photographs begin with the exterior of the house as it was before the nineteenth and twentieth century additions were demolished in the fall. Inside, we show you all the eighteenth century rooms, which continue to stand. The greenhouse was also demolished, but we wanted to show it to you.
Amazingly, this house remains so genuine, so apparently close to its eighteenth century origins. Many generations of the Clark family, the Sifneos family, and others lived and died in this house during its two hundred and fifty years, yet many period details apparently remain unchanged.
The Belmont Historical Society and Joseph Cornish made it possible for us to gain access to the Clark house to take these photographs. Thanks also to Mark Barons for his permission. If you have questions, you may contact the photographer, Jane Wentzell, at jw@janewentzell.com. Thank you for your interest in my photographs.