Ms. Minnie E. Kee
451 - 463 Atlantic Ave.
Embedded Files
Kee must have been gradually working herself up toward the purchase of an even greater valued parcel, because on March 10th, 1909,
she bought "one of the most valuable corners in the business section of the city, 451 to 463 Atlantic ave and 163 to 167 Oliver St., corner of Cotton pl.
The Boston Globe article documenting the sale assessed the two large, six-story brick buildings (including their basements), at $175,200. The article emphasizes that the buildings, with their large basements, are especially suited to mercantile purposes. Kee bought the property for investment and planned to make considerable improvements
Resident of Dorchester bought and sold large quantities of real estate in Boston's South End while supporting the arts
Minnie E. Kee was something of a real estate tycoon, buying and selling properties for investment and improvement across the South end and Boston proper.
By the time that Ms. Kee purchased the plot of land on Atlantic Ave in spring of 1909, she had been involved in at least seven real estate transactions since 1907, all of which were detailed in the appropriate section of the Boston Globe Newspaper. The addresses and assessed prices (if known) are as follows:
-Corner of Huntington Ave. and Heath St. ~ $36,500
-Corner of Bradford and Shawmut Sts. ~ $39, 500
-Property on Putnam St., October 15th, 1907
-Fairfax Hotel on Shawmut Ave., June 27th, 1908
-Corner of Elm & Cherry St., Somerville, October, 1908
-9 Hudson St. ~ $8,900
-32 Ash St., December 14th, 1908
This atlas style map of Kee's parcel on Atlantic Ave., published in 1912 by G.W. Bromley & Co., shows the size of the lot compared to those adjacent to it. It also shows part of what remains of the Crocker estate, of which it was formerly a part.
As previously described, records from the real estate section of the Historic Boston Globe Newspaper provide evidence of the breadth of Ms. Kee's real estate prowess. After acquiring the commercial buildings on Atlantic, she continued purchasing large brick buildings, sometimes for use as apartments and more often for leasing space to various commercial firms. Some of her later properties could be found on Tremont, Edinborough, and Harvard Place. In 1911, she advocated for the removal of two chimneys from a School St. building across from her property at the head of Harvard Pl., nearly opposite the Old South Church. Kee claimed that the excessive smoke, dust, and heat produced by the newly erected chimneys were injuring her estate.
Kee was married to Arthur W. Krey in spring of 1912. Prior to their being wed, Krey had also been acquiring a number of properties throughout the city, such that he came to be known as "a well-known Washington Street merchant... who buys for investment"
His properties included:
in 1912, a home on Virginia Street, where the couple lived as newlyweds
A residential dwelling in Dorchester, where he lived later with Kee and their sons, Roger and John
an "important" parcel at 337-357 Boylston Street
a property at 711 Tremont Street
a property at 32 Ash Street
Krey inherited the estate of his father Henry, which included the Henry Krey Music Company of Boston. However, he first had to file a lawsuit against the administrator of the estate, John B. Dorr
Through her marriage to Arthur, Minnie became an incorporator of the company.
The Globe's review of the 1897 ballet, "Patience on a Wheel" in which Krey participated.
Arthur and Minnie were stewards of the musical and theatrical arts. In the above ballet, Mr. Krey played one of a troop of horse guards. In sheet music made by the Henry Krey Music Company of Boston, songs were sometimes "respectfully dedicated to Miss Minnie E. Kee" such as one titled "When a Fellow has a Sweetheart, Life's a Song"
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