The house at 24 Irving Street was originally built in 1893 as a two-family house by a grocer, Enoch Beane.
In 1927 the house met the need of an expanding Harvard University by converting to lodging for students. Its twenty-four rooms (twelve in each dwelling unit) were divided up into forty-four guest rooms. Most were designed for single occupancy, about seventy-five square feet in area, with baths across the hall.
In 1943 the house was sold to Frances and Vangel Misho who owned and occupied a large house on Kirkland Street where they rented a few rooms to travelers. They purchased the house at 24 Irving Street to expand their successful hotel business, The Kirkland Inn.
For the first year, they continued to rent to Harvard students, but found them to be too rowdy and chose to accommodate Radcliffe students the following year. After one academic year with Cliffies, Frances Misho thought them even rowdier and converted 24 Irving Street to hotel use. So, since 1945 it has been accommodating the traveling public.
In the autumn of 1989, the current owners found the house still operating with faithful staff, but in need of a great deal of attention. The purchase was completed in July of 1990.
Since then, in several phases of renovation, we have made significant improvements to the house including systems for fire suppression and air conditioning, double-glazed windows, a ramp for wheel access and creating more rooms with private baths.
There is now another thirty years of history of the current ownership, but that is another chapter…
