Frederick O. Prince
Sargent Prince Building
37 Roxbury Street, Roxbury, MA 02119
1868
by Ada McKenzie, PhD.
Architecture: The architecture is Second Empire of the Italianate/ Mansard style. It is a brick building that features many French elements popular during the period, such as the mansard roof, rectangular plan, and round arches.
History:The Sargent Prince Building’s first owner was H.B. Sargent, a Boston lawyer and Seaver Street resident. The SE corner of the Building was used as a Post Office following construction. In the 1880s, it became associated with its second owner, Frederick Octavius Prince—23rd Mayor of Boston, serving in 1877, and from 1879-1881. It retained its commercial use during this era of ownership by Prince in the late 1880s.
Throughout most of its history, the Sargent Prince Building has been used for commercial purposes. In the twentieth century, it variously housed business entities such as Curtis Lynch, John Noskow’s Restaurant, Conti’s Barbershop, D. Abraham and Son’s Cigar Sore, and First National Stores grocery.
Current Use:In 1997, the Sargent Prince Building was refurbished by Nuestra Comunidad Development Corporation into 30 units of affordable housing and 140 0 sq. ft. of retail space. This marked the first renovation of a building in Dudley Square in 30 years and led to subsequent efforts. Current commercial tenants on the first floor include Mabruuk Fashion, a Muslim clothier and the ofice of CIty Councillor Churck Turner.
Sources:
Boston Landmark Commission, files
DePasquale, Ron. (2004, March 14). “Sense of history, new tenants, and money enliven Dudley Square.” The Boston Globe.
Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System (MACRIS)