The Donald McKay House is a historic wood-frame home at 78-80 White Street in East Boston, Massachusetts. It was the residence of Donald McKay, noted builder of clipper ships.
The Donald McKay House was built in 1844 in the Greek Revival style. McKay moved into the house in 1845 with his first wife, Albenia Boole. Albenia died in 1848. The McKay house is located at 78-80 White Street in East Boston’s Eagle Hill Historic District. The house is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. A unique feature of the McKay home is the thirteen columns on the flat-roofed porch which McKay added to the west side of his house. The columns are said to honor the thirteen colonies. It is said that inside the McKay home that the dining room was oval in shape to look like a ship.
Much of the first floor’s interior is authentic to the 19th century, and while the exterior of the house has experienced some changes in form and detail, it retains much of its original character. Over the years, a wrap-around porch has been removed and the building’s wood clapboards covered with asphalt shingles. The site also includes a barn structure.
The house also reflects East Boston’s strong associations with immigration. Owned by the Vertuccio family for nearly 80 years, it is a place from which to interpret the story of the 20th century Italian immigration through to today’s fast-growing Central and South American communities. McKay, also an immigrant, was born and brought up in Nova Scotia.
To learn more about the McKay House, read the Boston Landmarks Commission’s 1977 study report for the site’s designation as one of Boston’s first Landmarks in 1977. Stay tuned for more on the future of the historic East Boston house.
The home was not far from McKay’s shipyard on Border Street where he built some of his most famous clipper ships. Images are from the Boston Landmark Commission image collection, City of Boston Archives, copyright: City of Boston
Recently, The East Boston Museum Association has purchased using Community Preservation Grants to obtain the house in the Spring of 2021. The present plan is to create the Donald McKay Museum in a few years as more funding becomes available.
Earlier this year, with assistance from the East Boston Community Development Corporation (EBCDC), the East Boston Museum and Historical Society entered into a purchase and sale agreement with the owner of the historic Donald McKay House at 80 White Street in East Boston.
The Museum is devoted to preserving and promoting centuries of East Boston history. It provides regular local history programs for the public and has long hoped to identify an historic building for its headquarters. When the Donald McKay House became available, they were convinced it was the perfect place for the organization’s home and a museum of East Boston history.
“Most of us who grew up in East Boston have been hearing about Donald McKay all our lives,” said Cave. “This is a rare opportunity to purchase a building associated with him, and a great chance for the Museum to have the space it needs to store collections, present programs and display exhibits that will tell a bigger and richer history of the neighborhood. Our members value history, but we also believe in building community by understanding the past and present. This should be a place where everyone in the community feels welcome.”
“We are often offered donations of papers, books, and such, and haven’t had the space for their storage,” said Cave. “The McKay House gives us space to plan for acquiring things that residents and visitors can use for research, and that we can use to create exhibits.”
The Donald McKay House was built by McKay (1810-1880) in 1844 near the crest of Eagle Hill. McKay lived there until he moved to Hamilton Massachusetts in 1869 for the last decade of his life. McKay emigrated to the US from Nova Scotia, and established his shipyard on the East Boston waterfront, from which he launched dozens of great 19th century sailing vessels, including clipper ships like the Flying Cloud and the Sovereign of the Seas, which was clocked as the fastest sailing ship ever recorded.
The City of Boston CPA has granted the Museum $400,000 toward the McKay House acquisition. The Museum and the CDC are working on a capital campaign to raise the funds necessary to purchase the building. Over the next several months, East Boston CDC, the Museum and HBI will be working with its chosen architect, engineers and contractors to determine the cost of restoring the historic house and adapting it for public and commercial uses.
According to Debra Cave, the East Boston Museum will plan the new facility with input from a cross section of East Boston community organizations whose work can complement the goals of the McKay House. “Many East Boston groups have cultural programming that we can support, too,” said Cave. “We’re going into this optimistically and with our eyes wide open. This will be hard work, but we know it will be a valuable contribution to the present and future of the neighborhood, and we know we have the right partners working alongside us.”
Location: 78-80 White Street, East Boston, MA, Eagle Hill Historic District
Coordinates: 42°22′50.5″N 71°2′11.5″W42.380694°N 71.036528°W
42°22′50.5″N 71°2′11.5″W42.380694°N 71.036528°W
Area: 0.3 acres (0.12 Hectares)
Built: 1844
Architectural Style: Greek Revival, Vernacular Greek Revival
Governing Body: East Boston Museum Association
National Register of Historic Places: 82004450[
Added to NRHP: June 2, 1982
References:
Historic Boston Incorporated (HBI), September 21, 2021 Online Newsletter