Comments on: Architect Royal Barry Wills in Cambridge

By: barb tognoli

barb tognoli — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 19:33:43 +0000

I live in a RBW home in Augusta Me. There are several RBW homes in my neighborhood. I have the original blueprint of the house but it is in pieces. Does anyone know where I can get originals?

By: winthrop taxi

winthrop taxi — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 13:58:02 +0000

winthrop taxi…

[...]Architect Royal Barry Wills in Cambridge | Centers And Squares[...]…

By: John McMarlin

John McMarlin — Wed, 11 May 2011 19:10:16 +0000

In New Seabury, Mass for Century 21, I recognized a Royal Barry Wills house for sale on realtor.com. It has been badly remodeled but the bones are still there. 169 Gleneagle Drive, (MLS #21101084) I think it is from the late 60s but the ad says it is from 1976 but that is incorrect. I have the house on the cover of a Better Homes & Gardens house plans magazine from a 1969/1970 winter/spring issue that I purchased as a young boy and still have today.

By: David Banagis

David Banagis — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 07:04:30 +0000

I reside in Royal Barry Wills gambrel roofed cape which was built in 1941 in South Weymouth, Mass.. The house has undergone some renovations which were done in a manner which did not detract from it’s Royal Barry Wills architectural core. It has been said that Royal Barry Wills actually supervised the construction of my home, I have been unable to validate the claim, but there is some credence to it since it was featured in a national home magazine in the 40″s or 50’s. I contacted Royal Barry Wills Associates in an attempt to locate a copy of the article, but they were unable to help me.

I wish you good results in your Royal Barry Wills research. His architectural recreations are a wonderful blend of the old with the new and are a true American treasure.

Best regards, Dave Banagis.

By: Barbara

Barbara — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 20:58:31 +0000

We currently live in a RBW cape in Kingston, MA. Sadly, we’ll be putting it on the market soon — we’ve been here since 1987 and love our house and its charming details!

By: Winthrop Smith

Winthrop Smith — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 14:31:08 +0000

FYI
My mother is selling her home – perhaps the last house built by Royal Barry Wills (from what we were told by the previous owners).
The house is a cape. The house is listed by E. J. Murphy Realty in Litchfield CT.

By: Eleanor Abbott Pierson

Eleanor Abbott Pierson — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 21:15:46 +0000

I grew up in a Royal Barry Wills house which was built for my parents as a wedding present in about 1930. It was built for Mr. Robert Abbott in Winchester, Mass. at 75 Arlington St.They raised three children there and we lived there until we all graduated from college.
About eight years ago the house was bought and the new owners divided it into three parts and moved it to Woburn Mass. where it sits beside a Catholic church the priests of that parish live in it.
It was a wonderful house and we were all glad that it was not torn down.

By: Matt

Matt — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 14:50:11 +0000

My aunt lives in a center hall cape built in the late 1950s in Upstate New York. Others in the family had always admired the house for quality of design and construction. There is very little evidence of the era it was built in – save for the kitchen and bathrooms. The details – such as the federal mouldings, pegged wood floors, carriage-style garage door, and cedar roof – combined with a thoroughly replicative colonial exterior, makes the house stand out against the other homes built in the neighborhood. Recently, I learned about Royal Barry Wills, and I immediately made the connection. Is there any way to confirm or correlate houses with the original Royal Barry Wills plans? My aunt and uncle have always taken pride in maintaining the house with the original owner/builder’s intentions – I think they would appreciate to know if it was part of this movement.