40 Summit Street

1906 The Lawrence heirs sold Lot No. 59 in the Lawrence Estates to Hattie Butman on February 27, 1906 (MLR 3216/395). This is the lot on which No. 36 Summit Street was built. The original Lot No. 59 extended for about 72 feet along Summit Street and 84 feet south from Summit Street along it's eastern side. About four months later, on June 16, 1906, the Butmans also bought Lot No. 60 in the Lawrence Estates from the Lawrence heirs (MLR 3238/411). This is the lot on which No. 40 Summit Street was built. The lot originally extended about 62 feet along Summit Street from Irving Street, and about 103 feet south from Summit Street along its eastern side. At this time, Hattie and her husband, Fred L. Butman, were living on Hammond Street, and Fred's occupation was listed as real estate.

1907 On April 17, 1907, Hattie Butman sold the lot for No. 40 Summit Street to Mary Ward, wife of Robert R. Ward (MLR 3294/280). The lot now extended for about 72 feet along Summit Street, the Butmans having included 10 feet from Lot No. 59 on its eastern side, but only 50 feet south from Summit Street along its eastern side. However, the deed did specify the lot came with buildings. Also, the 1907 annual listing of voters listed Ward at 40 Summit Street, with no listing for the location prior to this. Therefore, it is probable that the house at 40 Summit Street was built for Hattie and Fred Butman in 1906-1907, and first lived in by the Wards. Robert Ward worked at the watch factory.

It is interesting to note that the Butmans also developed, and sold, the houses at No. 30 and No. 36 Summit Street around this same time, and the architecture of all three houses is very similar. The Butmans were real estate developers, not architects or builders, and the actual builder of the houses is unknown.

1909 Hattie and Fred Butman sold Robert Ward an additional 50 feet of land on the south of his lot in 1909, completing the lot's dimensions to those of today (MLR 3431/545). The Wards continued to live there until 1913.

1913 In 1913, Robert and Mary Ward sold the house to Anna T. Larson, wife of Carl L. Larson (MLR 3781/592). Carl L. Larson first appeared in the voting record at this address in 1914, although mistakenly spelled as "Lawson". He was listed as an organ builder. According to the 1917 and 1919 city directories he worked for the Hutchings Organ Company, which was located off Beaver Street near the Clematis Brook station. It is possible, he commuted to work on the Mass Central Railroad between Waltham Highlands station and Clematis Brook station. According to Wikipedia, the Hutchings Organ Company of Waltham was the descendent of the Hutchings-Votey Organ Company, which was quite famous. However, Wikipedia also states that it went out of business in 1913, so there seems to be an error somewhere. Carl Larson continued to be listed as an organ builder or foreman of organ builders, and living at 40 Summit Street, through 1949. According to the 1930 census, Carl and Anna were Swedish immigrants.

1949 Anna T. Larson sold No. 40 Summit Street to Shemavon and Angel Boghossian in 1949 (MLR 7509/455). Shemavon (John) and Angel Boghossian were Armenian immigrants, born in Turkey, who already owned the grocery store at the opposite corner of Summit and Tomlin Streets, 61 Tomlin Street, named the Highland Variety Store. They had originally bought the store in 1938 (MLR 6196/87, 6315/478, and 7560/443), and moved from Watertown to 6 Lawrence Street before moving to 40 Summit Street. According to city directories, the store had been built as a grocery store as early as 1927. The Boghossians sold the store to Zareh and Annie Melkonian in 1985 (MLR 16679/79), and the store was closed only a couple of years ago. John Boghossian died in1988, Angel died in 2011, and the house passed out of the Boghossian family in 2012.