February 28, 2020 HBI Submits Proposal for the Historic Dudley House
Historic Boston submitted a proposal this month to rehabilitate the historic Dudley House at 167 Centre Street in Roxbury for seven home ownership units. While the building is significantly distressed from years of vacancy, break-ins and water infiltration, it is a beautiful example of Federal architecture that, once rehabilitated, will contribute to the historic character of the Roxbury Highlands National Register Historic District. The Request for Proposal was issued by the Commonwealth’s Division of Capital Asset Management and for the building’s long term lease and re-use.
The Dudley’s house was built circa 1825 for Hannah and David Dudley and was one of the first suburban estates to be built in the Highland Park area in the 19th century. It sat on a much larger parcel of land that extended to the Stonybrook, which would have been within view of the house. Over the 19th century, the railroad was built alongside the Brook, and industry increasingly moved into the area, and the Highland Park neighborhood continued to grow and urbanize with new housing construction.
In the late 19th century, the house was purchased by the Catholic church as a parsonage for the church of All Saints that once stood next door. The parish served the high concentration of German immigrants who lived and worked in the industries along Stonybrook. The church was demolished as part of the clearance that was undertaken for aborted I-695 highway in the early 1970s, and the parsonage reverted to State control. In the 1990s and 2000s, the building was used as First Inc./First Askia Academy, a residential program that provided substance abuse treatment services.
Historic Boston’s proposed rehabilitation of the Dudley House seeks to return the house to its early 19th century appearance. The interior rehabilitation of the Dudley House will restore the home’s character-defining features while creating new, code compliant residential units with modern amenities.