Donald McKay House, Greek Revival residence in East Boston, Massachusetts
The Donald McKay House is a Greek Revival residential building featuring symmetrical proportions, classical columns across its facade, and a prominent front-facing gable typical of 1840s design. The structure stands in the Eagle Hill Historic District, where it has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1982.
The house was built in the mid-1800s and served as the residence of Donald McKay from 1845 to 1877, a period when he was at the height of his shipbuilding career. His work during these decades transformed American sailing ship design and cemented East Boston's reputation as a center of maritime innovation.
The house reflects the maritime traditions that shaped East Boston and the role of successful shipbuilders in the community's identity. You can see how the Greek Revival style represented wealth and status among those who built America's most famous sailing ships.
The property sits on White Street in the Eagle Hill neighborhood and is privately owned, so visitors can view it from the street and exterior grounds. The area remains accessible year-round and walking through the neighborhood gives a good sense of the early development that characterized this part of East Boston.
Remarkably, while living in this house McKay designed some of the world's fastest sailing vessels, which set records for ocean voyages that stood for decades. The link between this private home and the groundbreaking ships conceived there demonstrates how individual talent shaped maritime history from this East Boston address.
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