New England College of Optometry (Boston, Massachusetts)

 university, 1905_construction, Beaux-Arts (architecture)

New England College of Optometry which occupies two former townhouses of Ralph Blake Williams and his sister, Ruth (Williams) Sears which was designed c. 1905 by Julius A. Schweinfurth. After completion, Williams lived in the larger side (right three bays) with his widowed mother, and Ruth lived in the smaller home (left two bays) with her husband. After successive ownership, the buildings were and turned into a lodging house, soon after purchased together in 1955 and turned into a school, the Chandler School for Women. The homes remained separate until 1959, when the school demolished the interior party wall, effectively combining the two properties into one, this is likely when the Sears' front door was filled in, leaving one front door in the center bay.

backbayhouses.org/424-beacon/