Grinnell Home: Preservation and social need

During the 1840s, when whaling made New Bedford, Massachusetts, one of the wealthiest cities in the world, the Greek Revival mansion of Joseph R. Grinnell was one of its showplaces. Built in 1831-1832 of granite block from the quarry that supplied the stone for Bunker Hill Monument, the Grinnell mansion was home to one of the city's most farsighted businessmen, a 4-time US congressman, and friend to President John Quincy Adams. But for more than 30 years in this century, the home stood neglected on its bluff overlooking New Bedford Harbor. Reincarnated as the Joseph Grinnell Congregate Home, the mansion is the first facility in New Bedford to answer the housing and service needs of frail, low-income elderly persons in the city. When the Waterfront Historic Area League could not find a developer for the property, it approached members of the congregate housing board about using the home for the elderly.