The Brooks Estate

The Shepherd Brooks Manor was built as a summer estate in 1880 in the Queen Anne style by Shepherd Brooks and his wife Clara Gardner Brooks, niece of Isabella Stewart Gardner. After their passing, the City of Medford acquired 82 acres of the property and put it to many uses over the years, including veterans’ housing and nursing home. In 1975 it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Today, the property’s caretaker, Stephen (pictured in the entryway), maintains this Victorian gem and piece of living history.

A year ago, the entryway floor collapsed and other parts of the estate were impacted by water damage. We were brought in to remediate and add structural support throughout. It took a lot of careful planning, a concrete truck, and dealing with a fallen tree after a storm… but we finally accomplished all we set out to do!

The Medford-Brooks Estate Land Trust (M-BELT), a community nonprofit membership organization, oversees the preservation and restoration of this historic space. After a year of being inaccessible, they plan on reopening it for events and fundraisers to continue their work.