Nashua architecture

Samuel Dearborn House // 1886

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Queen Anne perfection! The Samuel Dearborn House sits at the beginning of Concord Avenue in Nashua, New Hampshire and is among the city’s finest examples of the great architectural style. Samuel Gerrish Dearborn was born in Northfield, New Hampshire, August 10, 1827. His father was an industrious farmer and allowed Samuel to be educated at Sanbornton Academy and the New Hampshire Conference Seminary. He graduated from Dartmouth in 1849 and began practicing medicine in various New Hampshire towns. He served as a surgeon during the Civil War and after, settled in Nashua, remaining a prominent doctor. He and his family were avid travelers and had trips to the Pacific northwest and Mexico. He had this stately Queen Anne style residence built in 1886 which exhibits all the hallmarks of the style. Varied materials and siding types, asymmetrical plan, ornate turned columned porch, gables with detailed shingling, and complex roofline are all so eye-catching.

George French House // 1890

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Yet another of Nashua’s fine estates on Concord Street is the George French House, a more academic example of the Queen Anne style of architecture. The French House was built in 1890 for George Barstow French (1846-1933), an attorney in town. I really wish I could find more on the architect, as this seems to be a more academic example of the style with bold material choice of brick construction with brownstone and terracotta trim and detailing. The hipped roof with flared eaves and brick pilaster detailing on the second floor add a lot to the design and are not common! Does anyone know more?

John Reed House // c.1840

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The John Reed House at 37 Orange Street in Nashua, New Hampshire is a testament that houses can be updated over time with thoughtful renovations, and still be pretty darn amazing! The house was originally constructed in 1840 in the then-popular Greek Revival architecture style. Within a decade, to ‘keep up with the Jones”, the house was “modernized” with Italianate style detailing, including the brackets at the eaves and the large, square cupola with round arched windows and shutters. Decades, later, Queen Anne/Colonial Revival changes were made, with the full-length front porch with turned, fluted posts, enlarged windows, and an oversized front door. The house today blends these very different styles very well and adds to the house’s significance.

Killicut House // c.1740

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Thought to be the oldest extant residential building in Nashua, New Hampshire, the Killicut House is an important piece of local history of the early settlement days of the city. The exact date of construction of the Killicut House is not known, with local legend stating that the house was built between 1680 and 1700 with other estimates dating the house slightly later, to 1740. It was known for years as the “1700 House”. Regardless, this is one of only two 18th century houses remaining in Nashua. The first known owner of the house was Thomas Killicut (1723-1784) who resided in present-day Nashua by 1746 when he was chosen to hold the position of field driver for the newly established town of Dunstable, New Hampshire (an extension from Dunstable, Massachusetts). Killicut served as one of “Rogers Rangers” in the French and Indian War. During the early to mid 19th century, the Killicut House apparently passed onto members of the Blodgett family who were apparently related to the Killicuts as up until the 1960s, the house was still reportedly owned by descendants of Thomas Killicut. Later in the 20th century, much of the land was subdivided and single-family homes were built nearby, with the Killicut House now located on the end of an unassuming cul-de-sac. It is a great example of a Georgian-era Cape style house with central chimney.

Dana King House // 1879

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Another stately Victorian-era house on Nashua’s Concord Street is this brick beauty, known as the Dana King House. The property was constructed in 1879 for Dana William King (1832-1912) who had quite a history. He was born in Alstead, New Hampshire where he lived until he was 19, moving to Boston to “make his fortune”. In 1852, he shipped aboard a whale boat in East Boston, and realized that whaling wasn’t for him. He was persuaded by his brother to move in with him in Detroit, where he worked as a grocery clerk before moving back to New Hampshire, settling in Nashua, where he did make his fortune. He began working at a local mill until the outbreak of the American Civil War, where he enlisted in the First Regiment of New Hampshire, eventually rising to the rank of Lt. Colonel. He was captured during the war and held in prison in Shreveport for over seven months, failing at least one prison escape. He was eventually included in a prisoner swap and returned to Nashua in 1865. Upon his return, King used his war stories to gather favor locally, and he was elected Register of the Hillsborough County of Deeds, a position he held for over 30 years. The King House is a great, and rare example of the Victorian Gothic style of architecture in Nashua, notable for its steeply pitched slate gable roof with octagonal corner tower serving as a belvedere or cupola.

Lester Thurber House // 1895

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As Victorian styles of architecture fell out of vogue in the late 19th century, New England towns and cities alike, saw a revival of Colonial designs which dominated building styles throughout much of the next century. Early examples of Colonial Revival tend to blend Queen Anne (Victorian) and Colonial motifs under one roof, which makes for exuberant yet refined designs. The Lester Thurber House in Nashua, New Hampshire was built in 1895 and is an ornate example which preserves elements of the Queen Anne style in its asymmetry and high gables, but with Colonial pediment scrolls and classical columned porch. Lester Freeman Thurber (1858-1935) was born and raised in Vermont and was engaged in the political arena there, serving as private secretary to Gov. Roswell Farnham of Vermont, 1880-2. He moved to Nashua in 1882 and was BUSY! He served in both branches Nashua city government, was member for six years on the board of education, member N.H. House of Representatives, 1895, served on railroad committee; was a delegate to Republican National Convention, 1908, and was a member of many local fraternal organizations and clubs. The Thurber House has suffered from some deferred maintenance of sorts, but is a great local example of the transitional Queen Anne/Colonial Revival styles in Nashua.

James Tolles House // 1890

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WOW! Would you just look at this absolute stunner in Nashua? The town is not necessarily known for its historic architecture, but like most New England towns and cities, there are some amazing buildings to check out. This example, the James Tolles House, was built in 1890 and is one of the finest residences in the city. The stately residence was built for Mr. Tolles who served as Nashua’s 23rd mayor. The Tolles House stands out for the use of sandstone ashlar construction on the first floor with shingle siding above, carved terracotta panels, and a large, rounded corner tower capped with a domed copper roof. This one is pretty close to perfect!

Laton House Hotel // 1878

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A late example of Second Empire style architecture, the Laton House in Nashua, New Hampshire, is a 3 ½ -story brick hotel building with a slate-covered mansard roof pierced by regularly spaced dormers. The facade is dominated by a two-story porch with decorative railings and brackets. The hotel was developed between 1878-1881 when Railroad Squareserved as the central square in town. The hotel thrived, allowing visitors cheap rooms while doing business in the manufacturing hub of Nashua. Eventually, the hotel closed and was converted to housing. Today, it houses commercial space on the ground floor with low-income housing above.

Dr. Eugene F. McQuesten Residence // 1887

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Dr. Eugene Forrest McQuesten was born in Litchfield, NH, on October 11, 1843. He enrolled at local schools before graduating from theJefferson Medical College in 1866. He practiced medicine in Lynn, Massachusetts for two years before moving to Nashua, New Hampshire to run a medical office. He worked in Nashua for years, later being nominated President of the New Hampshire Medical Society. In 1886, he purchased a house lot on Nashua’s Concord Street and razed the existing dwelling, building this stunning brick residence a year later.

General George Stark House // 1856

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Inspired by suggestions from books by Andrew Jackson Downing, the Gen. George Stark House is one of the finest dwellings in the Italian villa style in New Hampshire. Located on a triangular plot just north of Downtown Nashua, the house was built in 1856 by a man who, though then only in his early thirties, was one of New Hampshire’s most experienced civil engineers and surveyors, and was the superintendent of the Nashua and Lowell Railroad. General George W. Stark (1823-1892) was born in Manchester, N.H., and as a young man worked on surveys of the canals and factories being built in the late 1830s in his native city. In 1836, during the first days of railroading in northern New England, Stark was employed with the engineers who laid out the route of the Nashua and Lowell Railroad. He climbed the ladder, eventually working as treasurer and assistant superintendent of theHudson River Railroad, subsequently rising to the position of superintendent. He later became superintendent of the Nashua and Lowell Railroad, whose route he had helped to plan, and in 1857, at about the time he saw the completion of his Italianate villa, he became managing agent of the Boston and Lowell line. In the same year, he was commissioned Brigadier General of the Third Brigade of New Hampshire Militia, giving him his title, General. The Stark House was occupied by General Stark and by members of his family until the property was acquired by The First Church of Christ, Scientist, about 1928. Today, it houses offices but retains a distinct residential character regardless.