MAYOR NEIL PERRY ANNOUNCES PLANS TO ENSURE THE PRESERVATION AND FUTURE RE-USE OF THE HISTORIC EDWARD F. SEARLES ESTATE
METHUEN, MA: Mayor Neil Perry today announced that he has entered into an agreement to have the City of Methuen acquire, subject to City Council approval, the historic land and buildings at 209 Lawrence Street that comprise the 19th century residence and estate of the late Edward F. Searles, a prominent member of one of Methuen's leading philanthropic families from America's early industrial era.
"The City of Methuen has taken a major step toward ensuring that the most important piece of Methuen's rich Gilded Age era of grand estates will not be lost to decay or unwelcome development, but rather preserved and restored for the benefit of future generations of Methuen residents," Mayor Perry stated.
The Searles Estate's current owner, the Sisters of Presentation of Mary, acquired the bucolic and architecturally unique property, originally comprising twenty-five acres, in 1957 to house the Sisters and establish Presentation of Mary Academy (PMA), a Catholic high school that educated thousands of area students over the course of six decades until its closure in 2020. Soon after PMA's closure, the Sisters subdivided the property and sold the southern 6-acre portion, consisting mostly of newer academic buildings, as the new home of Notre Dame Cristo Rey High School.
After several months of negotiations with the City, the Sisters have agreed to sell the remaining 19-acre parcel, which contains twelve historic buildings and structures and which has an assessed value of over $10 million, for $3 .25 million total. That purchase price includes $1 million worth of artwork and historic artifacts that belonged to Mr. Searles. The acquisition itself is just one component of a three pronged plan that also includes prope1ty maintenance and planning oversight.
In addition to seeking authority to purchase the property through municipal bond financing, the Mayor will also ask the Council for $200,000 to suppo1t the maintenance and security of the prope1ty during the re-use planning process, which is in its initial stage with a Phase I environn1ental assessment that is being funded by a federal EPA Brownfields grant.
Finally, the Mayor will be working with the City Council to establish a special independent commission to oversee the planning process and future governance of the estate. "I look forward to working with the City Council to bring in a group of independent citizens who have expertise and vision in areas that will result in the best and highest future use of the property, including historic preservation, architecture, real estate development, and financing, and I hope that we have a robust community engagement process to hear from residents about what they want to happen with the estate," said Mayor Perry.
Since PMA's closure, the Sisters had been working to sell the property to a buyer who would keep the rich history of the property intact, but efforts had been unsuccessful until now due in part to the uniqueness of the grounds and buildings, as well as Mayor Perry's insistence that his administration would not support any development that would negatively impact or, worse, destroy the historic home and buildings on the property. One such private development plan that was presented to the City called for the demolition of the most historic portion of the estate and new construction of several four-story garden style apartments that would have destroyed the historic character of the property, which Mayor Perry told the Sisters he could not support and which would have faced fierce community opposition.
Despite the lack of success in finding an appropriate private investor, Mayor Perry praised the great work of the Sisters to preserve and maintain the estate for close to seven decades, stating, "The Sisters have been wonderful stewards of this important piece of Methuen's rich history, but the time has come for the City of Methuen to continue that stewardship and do so for the benefit of the entire community."
Mayor Perry intends to bring the matter before the City Council at its next regular meeting on August 5th. Under the terms of the Purchase and Sale Agreement, which was signed by both parties on Friday, July 12th, the City has 120 days from that date to close on the property.
More about Edward F. Searles and the Searles Estate: The son of an overseer at the Methuen Company, Edward F. Searles (1841-1920) made his career as an interior designer with a large film in New York City. On a project in San Francisco, he met Mary Hopkins, the widow of railroad magnate Mark Hopkins; despite a 22-year age difference, the two were married in 1887, when Searles was fmiy-six. When Mrs. Searles died in 1891, Mr. Searles inherited an enormous fortune. He had already purchased his father's small farm on Lawrence Street; between 1880 and 1920 he created around it a rambling, 25-acre estate with a 74-room mansion and more than two dozen eclectic buildings, most of them designed by Henry Vaughan, who is most famous for codesigning the Nation Cathedral in Washington, DC. Elaborate granite walls that line Lawrence Street are the most visible part of the estate from Lawrence Street. The estate also includes a stone bell tower and a brownstone chapel containing Mr. Searles' grave. Several of Methuen's signature historic buildings and structures, including the Methuen Memorial Music Hall on Broadway, and the former Searles High School (present day City Hall) on Pleasant Street, were endowed by Mr. Searles during his lifetime.