Preservation Massachusetts has named 10 historic properties, including the Percy Browne House in Marion, to the 2025 Most Endangered Historic Resources List. Selections from across the Commonwealth were announced at a public reception on October 30, 2025, at the Lyman Estate in Waltham, Massachusetts.
Since 1993, the Massachusetts’ Most Endangered Historic Resources Program has been key in identifying endangered historic resources from across the Commonwealth and discovering ways in which to work collaboratively with partners toward positive preservation outcomes.
This year’s list was chosen by a committee from nominations submitted by groups and individuals concerned with local preservation issues. Submissions are researched and judged by several criteria, including their historic significance, the extent of the threat, and the community’s commitment to preserving the resource.
The Percy Browne House at 192 Front Street sits on a hilly ridge overlooking Sippican Harbor. Designed by architect Henry Hobson Richardson, with 1903 additions possibly by Charles Allerton Coolidge, the house was built for Richarson’s friend, the Rev. Percy Browne.
As described in the Awards Announcement, “The Percy Browne House is regarded by many architectural historians as the prototype of the Shingle Style in America, influencing countless later examples throughout New England and beyond. Its design anticipated ideas later refined by Richardson’s associate Stanford White. The house also reflects Marion’s late 19th century associations with national intellectual life – President Grover Cleveland, a friend of Percy Browne, summered here, as did Trinity Church Rector Phillip Brooks.”
Positioned on the campus of Tabor Academy, the house was last used for faculty housing until 2010. Since then, it has been vacant. Demolition was briefly considered in 2019, causing a national outcry among preservationists and much local objection as well, led by the Marion Historical Commission. The Commission has been working with Tabor to find solutions that both protect this unique innovative example of the Shingle Style and also serve Tabor’s needs for current and future programming and growth.
Tabor Academy acknowledges the significance of the property. Earlier this year they commissioned a campus masterplan by Sasaki of Boston. They have also just recently retained Saltonstall Architects to conduct a feasibility study to explore best future uses of the property, per Sasaki’s recommendation.
Other properties across the state included on this year’s Most Endangered List are the William Russell Allen House (1886), Pittsfield, Buddy’s Diner (1929), Somerville, The Campanile (1913), Springfield, Donald T. Clark House (1947), Lexington, General John Glover Farmhouse (1750), Swampscott, Hudson Armory (1910), Hudson, Smith Baker Center (1884), Lowell, Ellen Stone Building (1833), Lexington, and the Williams Boltwood House (1779), Goshen.
“Breathing new life into historic places requires both vision and commitment,” said Jessica Rudden-Dube, Executive Director of Preservation Massachusetts. “Each of this year’s listed properties holds tremendous potential to serve its community through thoughtful preservation and rehabilitation. Across Massachusetts, we’ve seen how creative partnerships can transform even the most challenging buildings, and we look forward to working collaboratively to achieve similar success stories with this year’s selections.”
“We are hopeful that this designation will send a note of urgency to the community. We all have a responsibility to save this little gem and insure it survives as the hidden treasure that it is,” noted Meg Steinberg, chair of the Marion Historical Commission. “The Historical Commission looks forward to collaborating with Tabor to find a dynamic new use for this unique property.”