SALEM — It certainly can't be said that Samuel McIntire has been forgotten in his hometown.
The architect, who resided here two centuries ago, was the subject of a major exhibit this past year at the Peabody Essex Museum, which drew nearly 60,000 visitors and national media attention. It focused on McIntire's wood carvings, which can still be seen on Salem mantels and doorways.
The McIntire Historic District, which includes many of the city's great Federal period homes, is named for the man who put his architectural stamp on this historic city.
No visit to Salem is complete without a walk through these streets, which are lined with 200-year-old wood and brick homes, solid and square and a reflection of the optimism of a rising new nation. These houses, as much as anything, give the city its historic character.
Although some of his best work is in this historic district, there are McIntire homes scattered across the downtown.
McIntire was equally renowned as a wood carver. Furniture with McIntire wood carvings are still coveted, and can fetch hundreds of thousands of dollars at auction.
It can be argued that the influence of McIntire is still evident here. Many modern developers have been asked to put Federal period flourishes in their residential and retail buildings, a bow of sorts to McIntire.
In a sense, McIntire was to Salem what Charles Bulfinch was to Boston — but maybe more so.
"There have been only a few times in history that a single individual had such an impact on a community and really totally transformed it during the 30-year period he was active," said Dean Lahikainen, curator of the McIntire exhibit at the PEM.
McIntire's story is tied to the rise of Salem as a seaport and the birth of America as a new nation. He did his great work as the young country was getting on its feet and as Salem was flourishing as a center of the China Trade.
The Salem wood carver was known for his eagles, a symbol of the new country. The PEM has McIntire several eagles in its collection. Hamilton Hall boasts the only McIntire eagle still in its original location.
Hamilton Hall is one of McIntire's best known public buildings, and is still used for public and private functions. Commissioned by local Federalists, it was built in 1805 on Chestnut Street to mark the death of Alexander Hamilton and hosted receptions for the Marquis de Lafayette and other dignitaries.
It is only one of many McIntire stops on any tour of the historic district.
McIntire achieved fame due to his skill and genius, but also because of a wealthy patron, Elias Hasket Derby, who made his fortune in the China Trade. Hasket commissioned the carpenter/artist to make everything from a bird house to a mansion.
The Derby mansion, arguably McIntire's greatest achievement, is no longer standing. It was located where Old Town Hall is today.
The PEM has plans for the mansion, and several "pieces" of it can be found around the city.
One of the most beautiful is a small summer house still on museum grounds.
Two of McIntire's architectural masterpieces are still city landmarks: the Gardner-Pingree House, 128 Essex St., and the Peirce-Nichols House, 80 Federal St. They are owned by the PEM and featured in many books on American architecture.
The Gardner-Pingree house, across from the Hawthorne Hotel, is considered McIntire's crowning achievement. Outside, it a perfectly proportioned brick building with a white balustrade. Inside, there are masterful carvings on mantels, columns and doors.
McIntire is buried in the Charter Street cemetery. On his gravestone, his life and achievements are captured in a single word — "genius."
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