MONTGOMERY HOUSE PURCHASED. 165 



ing, and, within five years from the time of the grant, 

 to erect a crystal palace or conservatory for their own 

 use, and for the growth of plants, commensurate with 

 the wants of the Society and the progress of horticul- 

 tural science, and honorable alike to the city and Com- 

 monwealth. 



These efforts, though continued for two years, were 

 unsuccessful; and on the 7th of December, 1861, the 

 Executive Committee was instructed to be on the 

 lookout for a location for the Society. The Finance 

 Committee was soon after added to the Executive Com- 

 mittee, and on the 5th of April, 1862, the joint com- 

 mittee was empowered, if they should find a suitable 

 location in Washington or Tremont Street, or the 

 streets between these, not further south than Winter 

 Street, to contract for it in the name of the Society. 

 After reporting progress from time to time, the com- 

 mittee made their final report on the 15th of August, 

 1863, which was, that they had purchased for the Soci- 

 ety the Montgomery House estate on Tremont Street, 

 which had generally been admitted by the members 

 to be the most central and desirable location obtain- 

 able. The estate was reported as containing about 

 6,300 square feet, the dimensions being 55 feet and 5 

 inches on Tremont Street, 123 feet and 9 inches on 

 Bromfield Street, 120 feet and 7 inches on Montgomery 

 Place, and 52 feet and 3 inches on the rear line. The 

 conditions of the purchase have been given in the pre- 

 ceding chapter. In their preliminary report, on the 

 7th of February, 1863, the committee stated that the 

 only other estate within the prescribed boundaries 

 which had attracted their notice was that known as the 

 Tremont Temple, which they had learned might be for 



