Overview

The Gryphon House is a luxurious bed and breakfast housed in a turn-of-the-century brownstone within easy walking distance to most of the attractions Boston has to offer. We are located less than two blocks from the T stop at Kenmore Square on the subway's Green Line, which virtually runs the length of Boston, from the harbor front, through Back Bay and the Boston University campus, all the way out to Boston College. And, if shopping is on your list of things to do, Newbury Street is just around the corner, or check out more of your options here. If Boston is your destination, and a fantastic bed and breakfast is your choice of lodging, then the Gryphon House is where you'll want to stay The Gryphon House is considered by the Landmarks Commission to be an example of Richardson Romanesque, a style popularized by Boston architect h.h. Richardson, whose best known landmark is the Trinity Church in Copley Square. Our house, here at 9 Bay State Road, was designed by the architect Samuel D. Kelley, and built by the firm of Chadwick, Stillings in 1895. It was originally a single-family home, but was converted to accommodate three families and a doctor's office in 1950. In 1968, it changed once more to five apartment units, one of which was occupied by Thomas and Ruth McDonald, the owners of the property, until it was purchased from their estate by Hatfield and Morway Builders in December, 1996, and became The Gryphon House. We opened April 15,1997. Boston's Back Bay, renowned today for its exceptional architecture, exciting shops, fine art galleries, centers for higher learning, and expanses of greenery, didn't even exist when Boston was originally founded It was actually 'created' by filling in the marshy 'back bay' by cutting down six of Boston's seven hills. When it was decided that there was not enough fill in Boston proper, the Back Bay landfill project was completed by hauling in gravel by train from Needham, ma, some nine miles away. This created a whole new land area for the city of Boston, which rapidly expanded from 1857 through the turn of the century.The neighborhoods of the Back Bay are generally considered the streets that lie between Arlington St. and Massachusetts Avenue. The geographical Back Bay, however, encompasses the location of the Gryphon House and well beyond.The entire area of the Back Bay is considered to be architecturally significant because it is possible to chronologically track the styles and fashions of 19th Century building from the beginning of the Public Gardens right on through Kenmore Square and the Fenway. This is virtually unheard of in any other major American city, and offers a unique opportunity for the student of architecture and/or history to visually track the development of a neighborhood.