Dear stephenh-ga;
Thank you for allowing me to answer your interesting question. Prior
to his move to Washington Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. lived with his
parents before taking a home of his own:
?During this period Holmes lived with his parents at Charles Street
until 1870 and thereafter at 296 Beacon Street on the river side.?
When he married, he and his wife found a new residence:
?On June 17, 1873, Holmes married Miss Fanny Dixwell, daughter of Epes
S. Dixwell of Cambridge, and the young couple went to live in a small
apartment at 10 Beacon Street, where they continued to live for twelve
years. For summer vacations and week-ends Holmes soon bought an old
double house at Mattapoisett on Buzzard's Bay, where Shattuck also
spent his summers. For a time a farmer occupied one half of the house
and the Holmes family the other. Later they occupied the whole.?
Once again, Holmes and his wife moved and yet again when his father passed away:
?In the winter of 1883-1884 Mr. Justice and Mrs. Holmes moved from 10
Beacon Street to more commodious quarters, a house at 10 Chestnut
Street. In 1884 his brother Edward Jackson Holmes died. His mother
died in 1888, and in 1889 the Doctor was joined at the Beacon Street
house by Mr. Justice and Mrs. Holmes. The Justice became the owner of
the house upon his father's death in 1894 and lived there until he
moved to Washington.?
Upon moving to Washington DC Holmes first lived briefly in a rented
house before acquiring his final residence at 1720 I Street NW:
?Mr. Justice Holmes enjoyed to the full his Washington life, not only
his life on the court, but the new and varied life of the city. He
first hired a house in Lafayette Square. In 1903 he bought the house
at 1720 I Street where he lived until his death.?
SOURCE: SUPREME JUDICIAL COURT OF MASSACHUSETTS
http://www.massreports.com/memorials/298ma575.htm
(This memorial summary of his life is an excellent source of
information and intimate look into his life and activities in
Washington)
[ It may also be important to note that ?1720 I Street? is sometimes
erroneously referred to as ?1720 Eye Street?. ]
The original brownstone home in which Mr. Justice and Mrs. Holmes
lived is no longer standing. There is a large medical office building
at that location now.
GOOGLE
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&lr=&safe=off&q=dc%20%221720%20I%20Street%22%20&btnG=Search&sa=N&tab=wl
Oliver Wendell Holmes? activities in Washington DC during his active
professional life is well documented. In his elder years however, he
was content to stay close to home and hold court with interested
parties who sought his guidance and wisdom. He and his wife
entertained freely and frequently dined out. His house became somewhat
of a meeting place for likeminded friends and colleagues. The Justice
was a voracious reader who treasured his enormous library. In his
later years he liked very much for his wife to read his books to him
while he enjoyed a quiet game of solitaire. He occasionally walked to
his office and about town and he took regular drives around Washington
and especially delighted in Rock Creek Park and Potomac Park where the
cherry blossoms and other flowering trees provided a beautiful
backdrop of scenery. In the summer Holmes liked to retire to his old
family summer home ?Beverly Farms? on Boston's North Shore where he
enjoyed riding his bicycle (which he later gave up because the
increase in ?motor cars? made it increasingly dangerous).
BEVERLY FARMS
http://www.primaryresearch.org/postcards/show.php?file=holmeshome.jpg
http://www.primaryresearch.org/postcards/show.php?file=OliverWendellHolmesHouse.jpg
In 1922, at the age of 82, Holmes had a brief illness and though he
recuperated well he fell out of physical shape and came to realize
that he was not a vibrant young man any longer. He remained content to
write letters, corresponding frequently with a wide array of friends
and colleagues, and read his books and he continued to entertain
intellectual conversation with the brightest young minds of Harvard
Law School. He valued the continued exercising of his mind though his
physical stamina was already quite diminished.
On the death of his wife on April 30, 1929, Mr. Holmes grieved
terribly, and while his devoted secretaries and friends rarely never
left him to suffer alone and kept him occupied as much as possible, he
became ill himself in 1933 and died peacefully in 1935 at the age of
94.
Please do read this article, as it is a remarkably intimate sample of
Oliver Wendell Holmes? life and times:
SOURCE: SUPREME JUDICIAL COURT OF MASSACHUSETTS
http://www.massreports.com/memorials/298ma575.htm
I hope you find that my answer exceeds your expectations. If you have
any questions about my research please post a clarification request
prior to rating the answer. Otherwise I welcome your rating and your
final comments and I look forward to working with you again in the
near future. Thank you for bringing your question to us.
Best regards;
Tutuzdad-ga ? Google Answers Researcher
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