15 Eastman Circle, Wellesley - summer 1968 |
The band house as seen from from 21 Eastman Circle (where Richard and Ellie lived). Tom Frankel was the paterfamilas of an extended family that included Dave Kinsman, Michael Walsh, road manager Berred Ouellette and his assistant Little Ron, Mike and Jan Costello, and Dave's friend Wendy Humphries. Tom occupied the top floor, with his fur-covered bedroom in the rear and his psychedelic art studio in the front. The rest of the family lived on the second floor and the rehearsal room and recording studio were in the basement. The house visible next door was inhabited by students from Babson College, a local business school. The students ran a bar in their house; this was a popular hangout for Jeff "Skunk" Baxter during his tenure at 21 Eastman Circle. Eastman Circle was formerly part of the campus of Dana Hall, a private girls' school. The property had been sold to real estate developers who were temporarily renting some of the houses while waiting for the area to be rezoned for condominium development. In early summer 1969 the houses were demolished. Ironically, in the early 1970s Richard returned to have dinner at one of the condos that belonged to his then-girlfriend Lauren's grandparents. They had French onion soup. The kitchen balcony overlooked a putting green located where Richard and Ellie's bedroom had been. |