Founded at the end of the 18th century, it developed land on the south slope of Beacon Hill into a desirable residential neighborhood.
The Mount Vernon Proprietors, as the group was named, included founders Otis, Jonathan Mason, Joseph Woodward and Charles Ward Apthorp.
[1] Membership in the Proprietors changed frequently but partners included Charles Bulfinch, Hepzibah Swan, Henry Jackson, Dr. Benjamin Joy, William Scollay.
The Proprietors purchased an 18.5-acre (75,000 m2) cow pasture for the total sum of $18,450 from the esteemed painter John Singleton Copley who was living in England at the time.
According to a Harvard text on Beacon Hill architecture, #72's facade is unchanged and #73 retains its original brass-work on the front door.