Ayer Mansion
Take a tour of the Ayer Mansion for some artistic Boston history
On Commonwealth Avenue, there are a lot of special homes. The Ayer Mansion is one such place that is overlooked by tourists.
Tours of the home are available on very limited bases. They are held one Saturday and one Sunday a month. Visit their website for tour dates and time.
The stain glass above the door at the Ayer Mansion
The stain glass above the door at the Ayer Mansion
Five Things I learned
- The house was built between 1899 - 1902 for patent medicine and textile entrepreneur Frederick Ayer. It was designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany.
- The Ayer Mansion sole example of a house designed from its inception by-[Louis Comfort Tiffany](http://www.biography.com/people/louis-tiffany-9507399). This is the only surviving house over which Mr. Tiffany had complete control, which allowed him to integrate themes and details both inside-and outside.
- Listed on the National Historic Mansion. This is the only house on CommmonWealth Ave that is listed on the National Historic Landmark.
- When Ayer died in 1918, at the age of 95, the Boston Globe described him as New England's richest man, and the New York Times sketched his rise from a poor shopkeeper to a titan of industry.
- There is a missing Tiffany Vase from the Ayer Mansion. It may have been missing for decades and a collector may have it without knowing that it is stolen from the Ayer Mansion. The vase is supposed to be in the hands of a Tiffany collector from the MidWest. The Ayer Mansion preservation believes the previous owner of the house took it when it was sold in 1964.
Finding The Ayer Mansion
The Ayer Mansion is located at 395 Commonwealth Ave - between Massachusetts Ave and Charles Gate East.
YouTube Tour
Someone that took the tour in 2018 recorded it. It might be interesting to watch to learn more about the house and a chance to see the inside.