Lizzie Borden's Maplecroft gets a makeover

FALL RIVER — Maplecroft, the fashionable Queen Anne Victorian mansion where Lizzie Borden lived out the second half of her life after she was acquitted of murdering her parents, has been spiffed up just in time for the annual pilgrimage of Borden fans to Fall River.

Each year on Aug. 4, the anniversary of the murders, thousands of true-crime fans, mystery lovers, history buffs and followers of the paranormal descend upon the city. They tour the murder house, now the Lizzie Borden Bed & Breakfast at 92 Second St., visit the Borden grave at Oak Grove Cemetery, and photograph themselves in front of Maplecroft — Lizzie’s Victorian mansion.

The house is being restored by new owner Kristee Bates. She plans to open Maplecroft, 306 French St., to the public in the summer of 2016.

The lower half of Maplecroft has been painted emerald green, and the top half in buff, to replicate the way it looked when Lizzie and her sister Emma purchased the house in 1893. The new shades were discovered under old paint and were matched to bring the house back to its original 19th century charm.

“It’s all fresh paint,” Bates said. “We’re adding the original shutters.”

There’s much more going on behind the scenes.

Bates has hired two experts on the history of Lizzie Borden, Bill Pavao and Leonard Rebello, to head Maplecroft as its curator and assistant curator respectively.

Pavao, of Easton, said his grandfather was a Fall River native. He is an eighth-grade American history teacher in Quincy and was the curator of the Lizzie Borden Bed & Breakfast from 1998 to 2004.

Rebello, a Fall River native and resident, is the author of “Lizzie Borden: Past & Present,” known by fans as one of the most factual and comprehensive accounts of the Bordens. He is retired from working with dyslexic children in Norton and is a tutor at Diman Regional Vocational Technical High School.

“All three of us want to bring Maplecroft back to what it was and make it as historically accurate as possible,” Bates said. “When I met them, we seemed to have a lot of common. Everything continues to fall into place.”

Pavao and Rebello will spend a lot of their time performing historic research, assisting with the collection of antiques and artifacts, and documenting information in order to make the touring experience as historically accurate and informative as possible.

“I can’t say how thrilled I am to have them,” Bates said.

Rebello said the goal is to make Maplecroft look as it did when Lizzie and Emma first saw the house, and then decorated it to their liking. He said it would create a definite “wow” factor for visitors interested in Lizzie’s later life.

“It’s all new research,” Rebello said.

Pavao said a lot of information is coming together, but much more work would be needed.

“We’re going to be researching this part of Lizzie’s life,” Pavao said. “This will all contribute to making Maplecroft a landmark for the City of Fall River.”

The project might also lead to a new book. Rebello said he wouldn’t rule it out.

The house was built for Charles Allen in 1889. Lizzie named it and had “Maplecroft” carved into the top step around 1909.

After Lizzie died in 1927, the house has had several owners. Bates said she was thankful that they, along with Maplecroft’s last owner Robert Dube, kept the house so close to its original design.

Since Bates purchased the house in November 2014, she’s discovered many original architectural assets in the house, and others tucked away in the carriage house and basement — like the original kitchen cabinets.

Recently, Bates discovered three sets of the original shutters, along with the balusters that attached to the banisters on the back porch. Bates said the porch, where Lizzie was known to relax, will be brought back to its original splendor.

The interior of the house remains under construction as more and more period pieces are discovered, and rooms are transformed back in time.

“This place is going to look amazing when it’s finished,” Pavao said.

The house next year will open for tours, teas, school programs and special events. The carriage house will be a gift shop.