Though the interior of the building had been altered, HBI was able to restore many features, including the original marble and slate floor in the central hall and the ornate, marbleized, painted glass ceiling from the late 1800s. With over $1 million in grants and a total budget of $4.2 million, HBI focused on restoring the historic character of the building and returning it to the community as housing, including two units set aside for low-income tenants. In 2011, Historic Boston, Inc., a long-active and dedicated nonprofit preservation group, acquired the building and immediately took action to stabilize the site before restoration could begin. Many of the architectural features, such as the front columns, deteriorated beyond repair, the interior was severely vandalized, and a neglected Kittredge House devolved into blight, frustrating its neighborhood. ![]() In 1975, the Roxbury Action Program purchased the house and used it as their headquarters, but by 1991 the organization was no longer able to maintain the large building and the site sat abandoned for twenty years. Bradlee, a noted Boston architect, purchased the house in 1871 and lived there until his death in 1888. Kittredge, a businessman and developer in the mid-19th century, built the mansion to house his expanding family. The house is distinctive for its architectural characteristics and for its associations with the lives of two prominent Bostonians, Alvah Kittredge and Nathaniel Bradlee. “The funeral was all about the man – the father, grandfather, brother, husband – but at Kogarah it was about his football and I found the end to that very haunting.The Alvah Kittredge House, a magnificent Greek Revival home built in 1836, is now restored and treasured, once again, by residents of Roxbury. “It was like that was the ‘goodbye’ to the footballer. “But the day with the Dragons running out and not playing the No.8 jumper – which they gave to me afterwards - and then having the plaque placed at the ground, that actually affected me more than the funeral. “His death has brought out amazing feelings. Raper died on 9 February, with a State Funeral held at the SCG on 28 February, and a tribute by the St George Illawarra Dragons on 18 March at the Round Two NRL game against Penrith at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium at Kogarah. His jersey for his beloved St George club was No.8 as that was the number for locks until 1989, when the forwards numbers changed.Īnd it’s the famous ‘Red V’ No.8 jersey that is another one Caryl treasures. Not only did he earn the first of his 24 NSW jerseys, he played for Australia and won the first of his eight Premierships with St George Dragons following a 20-0 victory over Manly Warringah Sea Eagles at the SCG. “John was very generous with his gear – always swapping it or giving it away,” Caryl said, on a possible reason why it went missing. That is how Stuart Raper and the NSWRL worked out the jersey belonged to John Raper. The jersey has the No.15 on the back, which in today’s world signifies an interchange bench player, but for Kangaroo tourists in the 1950s it meant the 15th player alphabetically in the squad. “I’d like to sincerely thank them for the care they’ve given this jumper. “Rugby League was his life… he left the police force, which he also loved, so he could continue with the game. “Just how we got it back and the love that went into giving it back. “I still can’t believe he’s gone – seeing the jumper gave me shivers,” she told ![]() “It’s a happy accident, which has brought a lot of joy and a lot of memories once again for ‘Chook’s family, his friends and multitude of fans.”īeing reunited with the jersey prompted Caryl to offer her gratitude to the donor. “A jersey the Raper family hadn’t seen in 63 years gets returned to us from an anonymous donor, without the donor knowing that Stuart actually worked for us here at NSWRL. “Sometimes fate intervenes in our lives,” Trodden said. His widow Caryl, and eldest son Stuart, who is NSWRL’s Referees High Performance Manager, have officially handed over the jersey to NSWRL Chief Executive David Trodden. Raper passed away at the age of 82 in February this year, after a five-year battle with dementia. Gear manager Paul Tate was given the jersey by someone who didn’t want to leave their name or contact details.
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