Wellesley, MA, 1961, by Mary Ellen (Marilyn) Fraser, AIA
In many ways, Wellesley Square is a prototypical New England downtown -a tight street lined with shoppers and restaurants and sprinkled with churches and municipal hubs. Most of the town’s modern and contemporary architecture has been carefully locked behind the gates of Wellesley College. But tucked along Abbott Street stands a distinctly modern office building and store.
The building is split into two distinct spaces. A two story storefront meets the retail oriented Central street while up the hill a three story office building with a ground floor restaurant space takes advantage of the slopes terrain to gain height without towering over the downtown. The storefront is sleek and minimalist with a solid white rectangle sat atop planes which extend through the glass facade. The church Street tower has a more traditional modern design. The building was wrapped in glass and precast concrete panels with fins on the top two floors. Originally designed with a set back first floor, the base is now wrapped in glass and houses a restaurant.
The building was designed by local architect Mary Ellen Fraser who received her degree in architecture from MIT in 1955. Fraser was very involved in Wellesley’s built environment, serving on the planning board for many years, often as Chair. She was the daughter of wealthy landowner Alfred Fraser whose name adorns a collection of local buildings including another iconic modern building in the area, the Fraser Medical Building.
Sources:
The Townsman, 8 June 1961
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