1891 Dudley Purchases Wardwell Estate

The Boston Globe’s Newton column of February 5, 1891, reported the purchase in full:

Mr. Ezra C. Dudley of Newton Centre has purchased the place known as the Wardwell estate, at the corner of Beacon and Sumner sts., and, it is stated, the price paid was about $23,000. Several gentlemen talked of forming a syndicate last fall, purchasing the estate, which contains about 10 acres, and erecting a large summer hotel similar in aspect to the Woodland Park Hotel at Auburndale. The price asked for the estate last fall was $30,000. Mr. Dudley will grade the grounds and cut it up into house lots. The land is situated in a very central place, and will find ready sale for building purposes.

Two roads not taken, in one paragraph: had the fall-1890 syndicate come together, the Wardwell estate would have become a resort hotel — and there would be no Chesley Road, and no story to tell about this house’s move. Instead Dudley got the ten acres for $23,000 (against a $30,000 asking price) and did exactly what the Globe predicted: graded the grounds and cut the estate into house lots, with the old main house moved to one of them.

Boston Globe, February 5, 1891.