The Columns Development Receives 2025 Mayor Thomas M. Menino Legacy Award

The Columns, Dennis

Preservation Mass is pleased to announce that the Columns Development is the recipient of a 2025 Mayor Thomas M. Menino Legacy Award.

The Columns is one of the most notable and historic landmarks in Dennis, Massachusetts with very clear historic, cultural, and civic benefits. The mid-nineteenth century Greek Revival architecture is representative of a unique period in history, when ship captains of Dennis proudly displayed their wealth in the homes they built and maintained. The fluted ionic columns, which originally reached the height of the first floor and were later extended to two floors by descendants, provided a grand entrance to the elaborate vestibule and adjoining rooms.

This was the home of Captain Obed Baker III’s family and descendants well into the 20th Century. It was Obed’s daughter from a second marriage, Rebecca Keith, who joined her father and mother, Rebecca Howes Nickerson, in continuing historically correct renovations to the massive house. Rebecca continued to oversee the maintenance and upkeep of The Columns until her death in 1957.

With no direct heirs, The Columns was sold to buyers who maintained the key historical features of the house and transformed it into a magnificent fine dining restaurant and nightclub that became a mid-Cape hotspot during the 1960s and 70s jazz performances by leading musicians. The establishment closed in 1985, and the property stood vacant for the next 20 years. In 2018, The Columns was nominated by the Dennis Historical Commission and placed on Preservation Massachusetts’ Most Endangered Historic Resources Program List.

Purchased in 2022 by The Columns, LLC and sensitively rehabilitated into five condominium units, (two of which will be deeded as affordable housing) the columned mansion officially debuted with an open house on April 10, 2025. Plans call for 11 additional townhouse units, circling the mansion as part of a tastefully landscaped hamlet that will eventually include a community garden, a firepit, shared common areas within the mansion, and ample parking.