" Hi Lynn."

" Hi Bob."

" First question. How does a wonderful house like this survive in the middle of the city?"

" We've been very fortunate by having the good protection and neighborly we have services of this community."

" Uh huh."

" And the people in this neighborhood are very proud of the Shirley-Eustis House."

" They look out after it."

" They certainly do. And we are a part of a long association founded in 1911 by William Sumner Appleton, and we've had the benefits of many, many years of volunteerism."

" So there's been a preservation associated with the house for a long time?"

" Indeed."

" Tell us about the architecture."

" It's a wonderfully symmetrical played in facade as you know. And although the house was built in the early 1700s, it was restored 'till the federal period of about 1820, so you see many federal details."

" Exactly. It's got all the pilasters and it's got the central door and the symmetry to balance the windows, the double hip roof and the cupula, but the eave detailing is pretty unusual, isn't it?"

" It's very elaborate, and as you, I'm sure, know, it's not all that common to see that amount of detail. The pot beads, the [unk] perforations, very interesting federal period detail."

" Yeah, beautiful. Shall we go inside?"

" Yes."

" Ah beautiful."

" Really beautiful."

" Tell us first why is it called the Shirley-Eustis House?"

" This is named after Governor William Shirley, a royal governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and Governor William Eustis, a democratic and elected governor of the commonwealth."

" 2 separate men?"

" 2 separate governments."

" Okay."

" So this is the great hall?"

" The great hall."

" How would a room like this have been used?-They would have been used for reception and entertainment, Bob."

" Then chandelier is unbelievable, isn't it?"

" Isn't it magnificent? It's an 18th century Irish crystal chandelier, a gift from a very generous donor, illumination from canvas and the original hanged in Oxford College."

" Now, is the staircase and the balcony, is that part of the original 1750th house?-The original house had a musician's gallery. The balcony and staircase were added during the federal restoration."

" Alright."

" You can see some wonderful detailing in the balusters. "

" They're so slender, yeah."

" Very slender and delicate, a repetition of 3 turnings----"

" Right."

" from each stair."

" Yes. And then at this end of the hall, we've got what is probably one of the best Paulinian window arrangements I've ever seen."

" Isn't it magnificent?"

" The central arch body length of the 2 windows and the pilasters and---- are those all the wood carved capitals?"

" Wood carved Corinthian capitals and when this was the governor's [unk], we could have seen all the way to Boston Harbor. "

" Imagine that. Well, where shall we go next?"

" How about the dining room?"

" Great. Now, is the detail an original, the cornice for example?"

" Yes, it's an original plaster cornice, original to the federal community."

" And the mantel?"

" The mantel is also original carved wood."

" All carved wood. It's really neat. I've never seen a window shutter placed in front of the heart building."

" This was used in the summertime to keep birds and other things from entering the house."

" Not a bad idea. Now, the carpet really catches my eyes, very strong colors."

" Very strong, bright vibrant bristles carpet made for us, typical of what would have been here."

" So, it's similar to one that could have been in here?"

" Yes."

" And this, of course, looks like grating [unk]."

" Yes."

" Very much detailed including the matched nuts on the----"

" Oh yeah."

" grating banding that looks like inlay. "

" Exactly it would have something, so it's probably a pine door that they dressed up to look like it was made of precious wood."

" Exactly."

" Are any of the furnishings original?"

" Yes, this is a very interesting collection, a port decanter and 2 glasses that were used to toast General Lafayette on his last visit to the United States in 1824."

" Marvelous. So this would have been a typical bedroom? Tell us about the bed."

" It's quite an elaborate bed, although the wood carvings, if not, have been nearly as elaborate as the bed coverings or the mattress itself."

" So the hangings would have been typically more expensive than the bed itself, you're saying?"

" Yes."

" Yeah."

" And the most expensive of all untold would be the feather mattress."

" A lumpy, lumpy feather mattress."

" Very lumpy."

" I can imagine it would be like sleeping on a cloud, huh?"

" Exactly."

" The wallpaper in here is kind of unusual."

" It is and it's been historically researched and replicated. All of the colors are original. We found a scrap of paper during the 1980s restoration and we were able to duplicate."

" And you had it duplicated and the colors of the trim also, correct?"

" Yes they are."

" Marvelous. So, you're doing a great job here. Now, when is the house open to the public?"

" The house is open to the public on a summer basis between Thursday and Sunday on the afternoon."

" Uh huh."

" And of course you're located right in the heart of Roxbury, a couple of blocks from Boston City Hospital."

" 2 blocks south."

" Then thanks for the tour."