Portion of Historic Donald McKay House Collapses

Under the weight of a deteriorating roof a side wall of the historic Donald McKay House began to collapse Saturday.

Boston Fire and Boston and Boston’s Inspectional Services Department (ISD) were on scene to assess the damage and said the collapse was located away from the main historic building on White Street and contained to an old large carriage house on the property that faces Brooks Street.

“The Inspectional Services Department (ISD) has asked the contractor to secure shut off notices for adjacent utility wires, file a structural engineers report and apply for and obtain the demolition permit in order to correct a previously issued violation,” said ISD in a statement. “The Boston Landmarks Commission (BLC) is awaiting documentation of ISD’s order to demolish and a design review application to the BLC to rebuild the barn.”

The Donald McKay House is a privately owned historic house at 78–80 White Street in East Boston, Massachusetts. It was the residence of Donald McKay, a master builder of some of the world’s fastest clipper ships.

The home received Community Preservation Act (CPA) funding to be used to purchase the home for $400,000 and preserve it as a community asset

The house was built in 1844 in the Greek Revival architectural style, which is distinguished by its pitched roof and front-facing gable resembling a Greek pediment. McKay moved into the house in 1845, and during his residence there he designed and built some of the most successful clippers in history. These ships include the Flying Cloud (1851), which made two 89-day passages from New York to San Francisco; the Sovereign of the Seas (1852), which posted the fastest speed ever by a sailing ship (22 knots) in 1854; the Lightning (1854), which set multiple records, including sailing 436 miles in a 24-hour period and sailing from Melbourne, Australia, to Liverpool, England, in 64 days; and the James Baines (1854), which logged a speed of 21 knots on June 18, 1856.

The home was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

The East Boston Museum and Historical Society has made an effort to acquire the home for $2,000,000 and have raised $600,000 so far through CPA and other funding.

The East Boston Museum and Historical Society has been working in association with the East Boston Community Development Corporation (CDC) to acquire the home but the CDC is not financing the purchase of the house. 

“We need acquisition money,” said Susan Brauner of the East Boston Museum and Historical Society. “We will, of course, do all we can to raise the money, but every dollar is crucial.”

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