New England Cottage

Cranston Cottage // c.1766

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The Cranston Cottage on School Street is one of the few such Revolutionary-era gambrel-roofed cottages in the charming town of Warren, Rhode Island, and showcases how many early New England homes were originally built before later additions as families grew. The house was likely built soon after Queen Street (since renamed School Street) was laid out in 1765, or it was moved to the site after the street was laid out and house lots platted. The original owner, Benjamin Cranston, had the house built, which was then just a three-bay, two-story cottage with central chimney for heating. Over time, additions were made to the cottage, including the kitchen ell on the side with chamfered hyphen with diamond pane window.

Ellis House // 1926

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In the land of storybook Tudor houses, this one might just be the most magical of them all! Located on Chestnut Street in Waban Village of Newton, you’ll find this stone Tudor cottage set behind a circular drive. The house was built in 1926, in the interwar period (between WW1 and WW2), a period of rapid suburban development in this part of Newton. The house was first occupied by a Seymour Ellis, who according to newspapers, had a rabid dog! The house exhibits a strong gable to the street which incorporates a massive chimney inside. The gable also sweeps out to form a catslide roof, that incorporates an arched garden gate.