This website, begun in 2009, is being phased out. All entries before 48 Bradford Street have now been deleted. If you can’t find what you’re looking for, please try BuildingProvincetown2020 or the new Provincetown Encyclopedia. Thank you.
49 Bradford Street
The 11-unit Summer Winds Condominium complex used to be the Shamrock Motel and Cottages, owned and managed by Jack Downey and Marilyn Downey. Condo sales began in 2005.
53 Bradford Street
At the Race Run Sporting Center, housed in this modest structure (c1940), “you could rent a bike, fix a flat, buy a hook and the bait to put on it, as well as get advice on where the bass and blues were running on any given day,” Susan Leonard said. The proprietors were Joseph Smith and his wife, Marilyn Smith. More recently, before moving to the old Eastern School, ArtStrand was here. More pictures and history »
54 Bradford Street
Shank Painter Condominium
The Shank Painter Condominium, as its name suggests, is oriented largely to Shank Painter Road, though it has the street address 54 Bradford Street. A small cottage colony has stood here since 1940. In the 1960s, was known as the Brown Cottages, which were evidently superintended by Clayton F. Enos (b 1927). A 1965 narcotics raid on the cottages netted 11 young men and women, one of whom was charged with “lewd and lascivious cohabitation.” Seventeen condo units were listed on this lot in 2008. In the late 1950s, a photo studio called Candids by Carter did business at 54 Bradford Street. The longtime commercial tenant of recent years is Salon 54. [Updated 2012-05-14]
67 Bradford Street

9 Court Street, the Captain’s House of the Brass Key Guesthouse, 67 Bradford Street, by David W. Dunlap (2011).
The deluxe Brass Key Guesthouse has grown by accretion into a large compound. The expansion was the work of Michael MacIntyre and his husband, Bob Anderson, who died in 2004. They also refurbished Land’s End Inn. Thomas Walter, Kenneth Masi, and David Sanford, the owners of Crowne Pointe, acquired the property in 2007. It includes:
¶ The Queen Anne House, 8 Carver Street. This eclectic confection was the Cottage Inn in the 19th century. It was later home to Moses Nickerson Gifford, president of the First National Bank and son of James Gifford, namesake of the hotel up the street. Andrew Turocy III bought the house in 1981 and operated it as Roomers.
¶ The Victorian House, 10 Carver Street, was built around 1865 in Second Empire style. It belonged to William Henry Young, the first president of the Provincetown Art Association and founder of what is now the Benson Young & Downs Insurance Agency. His wife, Anna (Hughes) Young, was a founder of the Research Club. It is for their son, Lewis A. Young, who died in World War I, that the Veterans of Foreign Wars post was named. Subsequent owners included Arthur and Martha (Alves) Roderick, who raised four children here before selling it in 1978.
¶ The Gatehouse and Shipwreck Lounge, 12 Carver Street, was home in the 1960s to Joseph and Virginia (Souza) Lewis, proprietors of the Pilgrim House. Lewis was a founder of the Portuguese-American Civic League. This building and 10 Carver were known together in the 1970s and ’80s as Haven House, run by Don Robertson.
¶ The Captain’s House, 9 Court Street, was built in 1830 in the Federal style and is the most imposing building in the complex. It played an important role in the development of the gay and lesbian business community as George’s Inn, opened in 1964 by George Littrell. In the late ‘70s, it explicitly sought gay patrons only. Littrell was an early leader in the Provincetown Business Guild; in effect, the gay Chamber of Commerce. The inn closed in 1982. Littrell died in 2000.
67 Bradford Street
The deluxe Brass Key Guesthouse has 42 rooms and multiple entries, since it’s grown by accretion into a large compound. The expansion was the work of Michael MacIntyre and his husband, Bob Anderson, who died in 2004. (They also refurbished Land’s End Inn at 22 Commercial Street.) Thomas Walter, Kenneth Masi and David Sanford, the owners of Crowne Pointe Historic Inn and Spa, acquired the property in 2007. More pictures and history »
68 Bradford Street
Carl’s Guest House occupies a structure that was built between 1840 and 1860. It was known as the Ocean Breeze Guest House in the 1950s, but later returned to private use. Carl Gregor reopened the house to the public, with 14 guest rooms, on 14 July 1975. He still runs it, extending a special welcome to guests who are “gentler, friendly, easy going.” On town records, it carries the address of 17 Court Street. • Historic District Survey • Assessor’s Online Database ¶ Updated 2012-11-28
70 Bradford Street
Captain Joseph Enos ran the Bradford Market in this house (c1850) in the 1940s. Twenty years later, it was the home of Irving T. McDonald, author of a trilogy of books on life at Holy Cross College, broadcast on WEEI radio in Boston. He also taught a “Communist Conspiracy” course at Provincetown High School. Formerly Steele’s Guest House, it is now the Bradford-Carver House, with six rooms. More pictures »
70 Bradford Street
Capt. Joseph Enos ran the Bradford Market in this mid-19th-century house in the 1940s. Twenty years later, it was the home of Irving McDonald, who wrote three novels, intended for Catholic boys, that charted the adventures of Andy Carroll at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester. He taught a “Communist Conspiracy” course at P.H.S. The property was later Steele’s Guest House and is now the Bradford-Carver House, operated by Kenneth Nelson.
77 Bradford Street
72-82 Bradford Street
The Crowne Pointe Historic Inn and Spa occupies a commanding spot in what appears to be giddy Queen Anne style, though the turret is actually a much later addition. Known in the 1950s as Lynn House and in the ’80s as the Dusty Miller Inn, it was reopened in 1999 and is owned by the proprietors of the Brass Key: Thomas Walter, Kenneth Masi, and David Sanford. The Crowne Pointe, too, is a compound: the Mansion, 82 Bradford; the Abbey and Garden Residence, 80 Bradford (formerly the Sea Drift Inn); the Wellness Spa, 78 Bradford; and the Captain’s House, 4 Prince Street.
78-82 Bradford Street
Crowne Pointe Historic Inn and Spa
The 40-room Crowne Pointe Historic Inn and Spa, known in the 50s as Lynn House and in the 80s as the Dusty Miller Inn, occupies a commanding spot with great, giddy Queen Anne style. Opened in 1999 and owned by the proprietors of the Brass Key — Thomas Walter, Kenneth Masi and David Sanford — it, too, is a compound: the turreted Mansion (c1870/80) at 82 Bradford; the Abbey and Garden Residence at 80 Bradford (once home to the town librarian, Penelope V. Kern and, for a time, the Sea Drift Inn); the Wellness Spa at 78 Bradford; and the Captain’s House at 4 Prince Street. It includes the Bistro at Crowne Pointe restaurant. ¶ Posted 2011-05-07
83 Bradford Street
† 84 Bradford Street
While searching for a place to park, have you ever wondered for whom the Grace Hall Parking Lot was named? Or supposed that Grace Hall was a building that once stood at Prince and Bradford, with some connection to St. Peter’s? (Or do you confine yourself to wondering why it’s so hard to find a parking space?) In any case, Mrs. Hall (±1867-1948) was a founding member of the Research Club, progenitor of the Provincetown Museum, which was born here in 1910. More history»
85 Bradford Street
E. Jane Adams (d 2005) picked up her lessons in running a rooming house from her mother, Christine Cabral, who ran Christine’s Lodge. Here, at 85 Bradford Street, she was the proprietor of Adams’ Rooms. She was also known for her hooked rugs, her beach plum jelly and, The Banner said, a “famous chocolate cake that was in demand at many bake sales.”
87 Bradford Street
88 Bradford Street
Gull Cottage
89 Bradford Street
Grace Gouveia, pictured at No. 89 with her mother, Mary Goveia, was born in Olhao, Portugal. Her father, Charles, was a Grand Banks fisherman. She recalled: “My mother would get word that the vessel was sighted off the back side, and without stopping for anything, she’d grab me by the hand, and take me down to the beach, where other women were gathered. They waited in silence … to see if the boat was coming in at half-mast. Once they saw it was not half-masted they knelt and blessed themselves, and went home to prepare for their men. If the ship came in at half-mast, as it often did, there was weeping and wringing of hands, and prayers were offered.” Gouveia taught for 27 years, joined the Peace Corps, and helped establish the Council on Aging, which was housed until recently in the Grace Gouveia Building. The house was built in 1847.
89 Bradford Street
Sundeck Condominium
(Includes 10 and 12 Masonic Place)
The old Gouveia home at 89 Bradford Street is the centerpiece of this complex, multilevel condominium whose several entrances conform to the abrupt grade change at Bradford and Masonic Place; a change so steep that it is closed to vehicles, but open to pedestrians over a short flight of steps. It’s almost impossible to tell from the street that the Gouveia house is connected with 12 Masonic Place and 10 Masonic Place (known as Tower House). In the hearts of longtime residents, though, No. 89 is a cherished landmark as the home of Graciette “Grace” Leocadia (Gouveia) Collinson (±1910-1998), a teacher and community organizer whose memory is honored at the municipal Grace Gouveia Building, 26 Alden Street. More pictures and history»
90 Bradford Street
Other inns may come across like museums, but Eben House actually was one. The Federal-style, brick-sided home was built in 1776 by Capt. Eben Snow. It was purchased in 1826 by David Fairbanks, a founder of the Seamen’s Bank, and in 1865 by a tin merchant, Charles Baxter Snow Sr., and his wife, Anna (Lancy) Snow. It passed to their daughter, Gertrude (Snow) DeWager, and her husband, Dr. E. A. DeWager, staying in the family until 1953. Stan Sorrentino, the owner of the Crown & Anchor and a collector of American folk art, reopened it in 1975 as the David Fairbanks House, filled with more than 1,000 examples of antique folk art. From 1985 to 2014, it was the Fairbanks Inn, run by Alicia Mickenberg and Kathleen Fitzgerald. At press time, it is being transformed into a luxury property by Kevin O’Shea and David Bowd of the Salt House Inn, renamed in its builder’s honor.
90 Bradford Street
Other inns may come across like museums, but this actually was one. The Federal-style house was built in 1776 by a sea captain, Eban Snow. It was purchased in 1826 by David Fairbanks, a founder of the Seamen’s Savings Bank, and in 1865 by a tin merchant, Charles Baxter Snow Sr., and his wife, Anna (Lancy) Snow. More pictures and history »
91 Bradford Street
95 Bradford Street
This was that increasingly rare thing: a plain old house (1836/58) in a conspicuous part of town. David “Dixie” Federico — the longtime manager of the Post Office Café, a founder of Sisters in the Name of Love and two-time Selectman candidate — died here in 2008, after which it underwent a troubled renovation.
† 96 Bradford Street
Marine Hall
Village Hall was built in 1832 as a secular meeting place, but was renamed Marine Hall after Marine Lodge No. 96 of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows was chartered here in 1845. They bought the building the next year. The Masons met here from 1845 to 1870 and the structure also served as Mrs. Stearns’s private school. In 1870, John Atwood Jr. convened a meeting to organize the Board of Trade (now the Chamber of Commerce). In 1886, The Provincetown Advocate began printing here on steam-driven presses. The Odd Fellows built a new headquarters next door in 1895. After the 1950s, Marine Hall was demolished and replaced by a parking lot.
94 Bradford Street
Village Hall was built in 1832 as a secular meeting place. It was renamed Marine Hall after Marine Lodge No. 96 of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows was chartered here in 1845. They bought the building the next year. The Masons also gathered here. The first meeting of the Board of Trade (now the Chamber of Commerce) was convened here in 1870 by John Atwood Jr. In 1886, The Advocate began printing here on steam-driven presses. The Odd Fellows built a new headquarters next door in 1895, after which this served as a Christian Science Church. It was demolished decades ago. The graves of Odd Fellows are often carved with three links, for friendship, love, and truth.
96 Bradford Street
AIDS Support Group of Cape Cod
Within 14 years of its first appearance in Provincetown in 1982, AIDS had claimed more than 385 lives — one-tenth of the town’s permanent population — Jeanne Braham and Pamela Peterson wrote in Starry, Starry Night. To the extent that patients, survivors and caregivers formed their own cohort, it’s fitting that they should have situated one of their oases in an old fraternal hall. The Independent Order of Odd Fellows dedicated the Queen Anne-style Odd Fellows Hall on Oct. 15, 1895. Picture essay and more history »
96-98 Bradford Street
Less than a decade and a half after its first appearance in town in 1982, AIDS had claimed more than 385 lives, one-tenth of the permanent population, Jeanne Braham and Pamela Peterson wrote in Starry, Starry Night. By then, the Provincetown AIDS Support Group had established its front-line quarters in the Queen Anne-style Odd Fellows Hall, used from 1895 to 1955 by the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, one of whose missions was visiting and caring for the sick. PASG was founded in 1983 by Alice Foley, the town nurse; Preston Babbitt, proprietor of the Rose & Crown; and others. Its services include case management, transportation assistance, food and nutrition programs, H.I.V. prevention and screening, and housing. By merger in 2001, it became the AIDS Support Group of Cape Cod. Foley died in 2009; Babbitt in 1990, of AIDS.
97 Bradford Street
With its pink facade, the eight-room Romeo’s Holiday guest house is easy enough to see from across the street. But it’s worth getting closer to inspect the Ken and Barbie poolside tableaux, staged with dolls around a goldfish pond in the sliver of a front yard. The house was built in the mid-19th century. Stan Klein, the proprietor, said there was once an after-hours club on the property in which Judy Garland “delighted her followers” and that the building had been a guest house at least since the mid-1970s, known for a time as Pete’s Buoy.
97 Bradford Street
With its pink facade, the eight-room Romeo’s Holiday guest house (c1850) sticks out, even at a great distance. But it’s worth getting closer to see the Ken and Barbie poolside tableaux, staged with dolls around a goldfish pond in the sliver of a front yard. More pictures and history »
100 Bradford Street

100 Bradford Street, New England Telephone and Telegraph Company central switchboard, courtesy of Duane Steele and Mary-Jo Avellar.
Provincetown had hand-cranked telephones until 1938, when 100 Bradford was built as the switching center for the New England Telephone and Telegraph Company, allowing customers to lift their receivers to summon an operator. Until 1966, 16 telephone operators stood by, greeting callers: “Number please.” After the town converted to direct dialing, this was briefly the Chrysler Glass Museum, home of Walter Chrysler Jr.’s collection of Sandwich glass. The Advocate moved here in 1975. It undertook an expansion and modernization in 1977, designed by John Moberg of Mobic Design-Build, with a newsroom, composing room, and two darkrooms. The newspaper was acquired by Duane Steele and Mary-Jo Avellar, who still live here.
100 Bradford Street
Provincetown had hand-cranked telephones until 1938, when 100 Bradford Street was built as the switching center for the New England Telephone and Telegraph Company, allowing customers to lift their receivers to summon an operator. Until 1966, 16 telephone operators stood by, greeting callers: “Number please.” After Provincetown converted to direct dialing, this was briefly the Chrysler Glass Museum, home of Walter P. Chrysler’s collection of Sandwich glass. The Advocate moved here in 1975 and undertook an expansion and modernization in 1977, designed by John Moberg of Mobic Design-Build in Cambridge, with a newsroom, composing room and two darkrooms. (The presses were out of town.) More pictures and history »
101 Bradford Street
A striking articulation of Greek Revival style, this house (c1840/60) is further distinguished by the orientation of its setback ell, which creates an appealing front courtyard. In the late 40s and early 50s, this was the home of Charles F. Ross, the superintendent of schools, and his wife, Marjorie Ferranti. It has rarely been used for any public purpose, though in the 1950s it served briefly as the summertime branch of the Boris Mirski Gallery. Mirski (1898-1974) had his main gallery at 166 Newbury Street in Boston. Tim Barry, the owner of Tim’s Books, 242 Commercial Street, bought this building in 2002. Picture essay and history »
102-104A Bradford Street
Elizabeth Gabriel Brooke, proprietor of the Provincetown Hotel at Gabriel’s and founder of the Women Innkeepers of Provincetown, says hers is the oldest continuously-run woman-owned inn in the country, having opened in 1979 as the Gabriel Apartments & Guest Rooms. It has “welcomed everyone for many years,” she adds. First, Brooke, Laurel Daigle Wise, and Christina and William Davidson acquired Nos. 104 and 104A, the abandoned Lighthouse Apartments for fishermen and transients. (No. 104 once housed the Cape & Vineyard Electric Company and, before that, Provincetown Light and Power.) Brooke acquired No. 102A in 1995 and the handsome, Federal-style No. 102 in 2000, and rebuilt both from basement to attic. Through 2013, this was known as the Ashbrooke Inn at Gabriel’s.
102-104A Bradford Street
Gabriel’s at the Ashbrooke Inn
“Gabriel’s sparked an entire movement in which lesbians publicly designated specific locations as women-owned and for women only,” Karen Christel Krahulik wrote, in Provincetown. (Gabriel’s itself has “welcomed everyone for many years – both men, women, gay and straight, families, children and companion animals,” Elizabeth Brooke notes.) The centerpiece of the compound is 104 Bradford, which originally stood where Town Green is now. It was moved to accommodate the park. Cyrus E. Dallin, sculptor of the bas relief, stayed in the house. The Provincetown Light and Power Company was here in the 1940s, succeeded by the Cape & Vineyard Electric Company. It next became the Lighthouse Apartments, a rooming house, then was abandoned. In 1978, Elizabeth Gabriel Brooke, Laurel Wise and Christina Davidson began rebuilding it as Gabriel’s Guesthouse. More pictures and history»
Town Green (Bas Relief Park)
The centerpiece of Town Green is Signing the Compact, better known as the Bas Relief. The park and monument date from 1920, the 300th anniversary of the Pilgrims’ landfall. The 170-foot-wide park property, once occupied by houses, was taken by the state to create a vista of the Pilgrim Monument. The bronze relief, 16 by 9 feet, was designed by Cyrus Dallin and cast by the Gorham Manufacturing Company. It had a haunting quality in the winter of 2015. Nearby are a memorial to five Mayflower passengers who died while the ship lay in the harbor, and a tablet with the compact’s text, in which some see early stirrings of American democracy. Years ago, other stirrings in the densely wooded park involved sexual escapades, some of whose participants ended up in jail — just across Bradford Street in Town Hall.
Town Green (Bas Relief Park)
The centerpiece of Town Green — a little park with a lot of topography — is a monument to the Pilgrims. It’s titled Signing the Compact, but is better known simply as “the bas relief.” Just as Town Green is better known as Bas Relief Park. The park and the monument date from 1920, the 300th anniversary of the Pilgrims’ landfall. The splendid vista of the Pilgrim Monument is no accident. The 170-foot-wide park property, once occupied by houses, was taken by the state under eminent domain for just that purpose. Picture essay and more history »
108 Bradford Street
108 Bradford Street is now on Building Provincetown 2020.
109 Bradford Street
Napoleon “Gene” Poyant didn’t have much of a commute from this 1840s home, tucked behind the former Congregational Church of the Pilgrims. Poyant served in the Coast Guard during World War II, stationed at Race Point, falling in love with Provincetown in the process. In the 1950s, he ran Gene’s Pastry Shoppe, on what had been the church’s front yard on Commercial Street. It became one of the liveliest spots in town after 1960, when he opened Café Poyant, one of the first sidewalk cafés in town. The portrait artist Harvey Dodd completed the tableau. In the mid-’60s, Poyant sought to rid the town of beatniks. “Mark my words,” he warned, “we won’t have a decent town for long.”
109 Bradford Street
Napoleon E. “Gene” Poyant didn’t have much of a commute from his home in this Bradford Street house (c1840), tucked behind the old Congregational church next to Town Hall. In the 1950s and 60s, he ran Gene’s Bakery on the Commercial Street side of the church. The small plaza was one of the liveliest spots in town, especially after 1960 when he opened what he called a “French sidewalk cafe” — Café Poyant, surely one of the first in town. Poyant, who was from Acushnet, served in the Coast Guard during World War II and found himself stationed at Race Point, “where he acquired his first love for Provincetown,” The Advocate said. (“Gene Poyant Seeks Selectman Post,” The Advocate, March 4, 1965.) Picture essay and more history »
115 Bradford Street
This lovely and consequential house from around 1875-1885 has been in the foreground of thousands of pictures taken from the Pilgrim Monument. The decorative truss and vergeboard (pictured) are unmistakable. Walter Chrysler Jr. made his home here while running the Chrysler Art Museum. Roslyn Garfield, lawyer, real estate broker, and civic leader, had her office here. Staying here as a renter, Urvashi Vaid wrote Virtual Equality. This was once the office of the Provincetown Business Guild, founded in 1978 as a group of gay-run and gay-friendly establishments. Since 2001, it has been the headquarters of the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies, an organization devoted to research, public education, and conservation — best known for its work with marine mammals. It was founded in 1975 by Charles “Stormy” Mayo, Barbara Mayo, and Graham Giese.
115 Bradford Street
Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies
This lovely and consequential house (c1875/85) has been in the foreground of thousands of pictures taken from the Pilgrim Monument. The Victorian-era gingerbread trim in its eaves is unmistakable. Walter P. Chrysler made his home here while running the Chrysler Museum of Art. Roslyn Garfield, lawyer, real estate broker and civic leader, had her office here. Staying here as a renter, Urvashi Vaid wrote Virtual Equality. More pictures and history»
116 Bradford Street
As its name suggests, the Burch House, circa 1840-1850, was home to the Burch family for many years. It was owned by J. M. Burch in the early 20th century and occupied by Huldah Theodora (Anderson) Burch until her death in 1959. Her only child, Jean Nichols, conveyed the property in 1962 to Herbert Cronin. As the purposefully modest 17-room Burch House, it stressed its inexpensive, informal nature, and was a popular guest house among gay visitors. It is also an especially fine example of the Greek Revival style, with a front facade of flushboard siding intended to evoke the smooth surface of a temple front.
116 Bradford Street
As its name suggests, the Burch House (c1840/50) was home to the Burch family for many years. It was owned by J. M. Burch in the early 20th century and occupied by Huldah Theodora (Anderson) Burch until her death in 1959. Her only child, Jean C. Nichols, conveyed the property in 1962 to Herbert R. Cronin. That year, a lodging house license was issued to Cronin. As the purposefully modest 17-room Burch House, it stressed its inexpensive, informal nature. More pictures and history »
118 Bradford Street
Local tradition typically grants to 119 Bradford the distinction of having served as the original King Hiram’s Lodge. But this nobly proportioned, Federal-style house may also be a candidate. An 1836 map shows a Methodist church — not a Masonic lodge — where No. 119 stands now. And an 1890 guide book states that the old lodge passed to the heirs of Thomas Atkins, as this building had. In 1939, Eloise Browne bought the property and opened the Eloise Browne House. John Kelly gave it the name Clarendon House in the 1980s, after a street in Boston. Sidney Royal III succeeded him. Dale Chin and James Furlong bought the place in 2002, spruced it up considerably, and maintained it as a seven-room guest house until 2013.
118 Bradford Street
119 Bradford Street
Please see the revised entry on Building Provincetown 2020.
119 Bradford Street
Please see the revised entry on Building Provincetown 2020.
120 Bradford Street
Two of the best known stores of the mid-20th century were the Men’s Shop, 261 Commercial Street, and Nelson’s Market, 150 Bradford Street. Their proprietors — the Lopes and Nelson families — lived in this house, which was built between 1840 and 1850, according to the Historic District Survey. Occupants of the house would have had front-row seats to the 1919 parade welcoming home the veterans of the Great War (Provincetown History Preservation Project). James Arthur Lopes (±1866-1942) and Mary “Minnie” Lopes were living here by the 1940s. More pictures and history
123 Bradford Street
123 Bradford Street is now on Building Provincetown 2020.
† 126 Bradford Street
Central School House
The Central School House was one of three district schools built in 1844 — along with the Western and Eastern (still standing) — each to serve a three-grade cohort: primary, intermediate and grammar. Henry David Thoreau may have been referring to this building when he described a school house “filled with sand up to the tops of the desks.” Its site is now a parking lot, associated with one of the more brutal crimes in recent history: the execution-style shooting in 1996 of Linda Silva, an investigator for the Department of Social Services. Seven years passed until the arrest of a suspect, Paul Dubois, whose request for child custody had been opposed by Silva. Dubois was convicted of first-degree murder in 2004.