For a time he managed the City Exchange Banking Company, a financial institution with offices in Boston that was eventually merged with the Nevins' other businesses.

According to the City of Methuen: Today, the trio’s collective vision can be seen in mills, housing, schools, mansions, churches, monuments, playgrounds, the library, and the architectural fantasies that resulted from their artistic rivalry.

The historic district boundaries were established to include properties and buildings constructed or used by the Searles, Tenney and Nevins families and the people who worked for them.

[1]According to a description by the Essex National Heritage Area, the district: reflects the major influences that shaped Methuen's architecture and economy.

In addition to economic forces, three individuals, David Nevins, Charles H. Tenney and Edward F. Searles, left an architectural legacy which defines the district's character today.