E. K. Blaikie

Louville V. Niles House // 1887

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Louville Varanus Niles (1839-1928) was born in Maine and came to Boston in 1860 for the chance to make his fortune. In 1870, he formed a partnership with his two brothers in the provisions business under the name Niles Brothers. The company would later merge with the Boston Packing and Provision Company. Niles moved from Boston to Somerville in 1882, purchasing the Bradshaw estate on Walnut Street. He remained in the house until he decided to redevelop the property, building a number of dwellings on the former estate bounded by Walnut, Boston and Munroe streets. For his own residence, Louville hired the firm of T. B. Blaikie and Son, who designed this beautiful example of a Queen Anne style house in 1887. The building has irregular massing, with numerous gables and rooflines. There is a prominent two-story, rounded tower at the corner, capped with a conical roof, and applied ornament in the gable ends, all common features in this style in the Victorian period. The owners have painted the house to accent the many unique details found here. 

Dr. Thomas M. Durell House // 1897

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Located next to the colorful Wadleigh-Friend House on Highland Avenue in Somerville, the Dr. Thomas M. Durell House stands as a more academic example of the Colonial Revival style, but leaning more towards Arts and Crafts style than Queen Anne like its neighbor. This residence was built in 1897 for Dr. Thomas M. Durell, a Harvard-educated doctor and surgeon who, at the formation of the Tufts Medical School, was appointed Lecturer on Legal Medicine, and in 1895, was made Professor of that subject. Architects (and brothers) Edwin King Blaikie and William Everett Blaikie designed the residence for Dr. Durell along with a stable at the rear. While the house exhibits Colonial Revival detailing from the Palladian window and proportions, there are some Arts and Crafts style influences including the shed dormers, shingled siding, inset porches, and broad overhanging eaves with exposed rafters.