Victorian Building

Dorchester Temple Baptist Church // 1889

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Located at the corner of Washington Street and Welles Avenue, the Dorchester Temple Baptist Church was designed in 1889 by architect Arthur H. Vinal, as one of the best examples of a church designed in the Shingle Style in New England. The church began in 1886 as a mission church of the Tremont Temple Baptist Church in Boston. At this time, Dorchester was a semi-rural area and would surge in development when the streetcars were electrified in the 1880s. With a rapidly developing neighborhood, the congregation here, purchased lots and hired Vinal to furnish plans for a house of worship. The church’s cornerstone was laid October 3, 1889, with the church membership numbering ninety-nine at that time. Membership would decline in the decades following WWII, and shifting racial and ethnic demographics in the neighborhood brought new members to worship here. The building was renamed as the Global Ministries Christian Church by the current congregation, who with the assistance of preservation grants, worked with Mills Whitaker architects to restore the iconic landmark. Specific details of the building stand out, including the stained glass windows, the belfry with bulbous form, and the arched openings with continuous shingled walls.

John A. Turner Cottage // c.1875 

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One of the most charming houses in Westborough, Massachusetts, can be found on Central Street, in the commercial village of town. The house was built around 1875 as a Mansard cottage, a style that was beginning to wane out of style by this point. The cottage was built for John Addison Turner (1833-1900) and his wife, Mary Ann Fiske. John worked as a superintendent at the National Straw Works factory, a local manufacturer of straw hats and other goods. The Turner House remains one of the best-preserved Victorian-era homes in Westborough and is even painted to highlight the many intricate details. 

Richmond Block // 1892

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The Richmond Block on Bow Street in Union Square, Somerville, is a historic and architecturally significant mixed use building. Constructed in 1892 as one of the substantial wood-frame buildings in the western section of Union Square, the Richmond was designed by architect Aaron Gould for Mr. Charles Drouet, who developed the Drouet Block, a historic flatiron building just years later. Designed in the Queen Anne style, this building is noteworthy for its corner tower, octagonal oriel bay windows, sleeping porches on the side facade, and polychromatic color scheme to highlight the many architectural details on the block.

Zenas Lane House // c.1860

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The Zenas Lane House on Union Street in Rockland, Massachusetts, was built circa 1860 for its namesake, a shoe manufacturer who later engaged in real estate and local politics. Zenas Meriet Lane married Emeline Morse and had this handsome Italianate style residence built on the town’s main street. The two-story house is capped with a shallow hip roof with eyebrow window heads breaking the eaves. At the rear of the site, there is a preserved carriage house which echoes design details from the main structure.

George Washington Smith House // c.1886

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This house on Westminster Road in Canterbury, Connecticut, is architecturally distinguished by its extensive and imaginative detailing, which reflects the widespread availability of manufactured architectural ornament in the Victorian period. The porch columns, archways, bay window, and round-arched windows all reflect an Italianate influence and the work of its original owner, Mr. George Washington Smith (1857-1937). The house dates to about 1886 when George W. Smith, built it from his workshop formerly located across the street. Smith manufactured mast-hoops, the wooden fixtures for attaching sails to the masts of sailing ships, and utilized his woodworking skills to build and decorate the exterior of his family home.


Gallup Farm Carriage House // 1906

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This handsome Shingle style building was constructed in 1906 as a carriage house of a larger farm property in Scotland, Connecticut. The barn is said to have been built for Archie Gallup, who purchased the old Manning farm just west of the town green in Scotland. The 1 1/2-story carriage-house with a gambrel-roof stands out for its principal entry of paneled wooden doors and above, a large, flared hood featuring two pedimented gable-dormers. The entire building is clad with varied shingles to add complexity to the design, catching the attention of all who drive by.

Edward Johnson House // c.1886

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Central Falls, Rhode Island, is not necessarily known for its residential architecture, but like any good industrial city, there are some excellent examples of Victorian houses from the mid-late 19th century to be discovered! This is the Edward L. Johnson House on Cross Street in Central Falls. The house was built around 1886 for Mr. Johnson, a manufacturer, who resided here for some years with his wife, who founded the Pawtucket Women’s Club in 1899 and was an active member of the Daughters of the American Revolution. The house is an excellent example of the Queen Anne architecture style, from the various siding types including clapboard and patterned shingling; its steep cross-gable roof; and its variety of windows, including a shallow bay on the first floor and oval and half-round windows in the 2nd-floor porch. 

Broad Street Fire Station // 1889

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Built in 1889 at the same time as the Central Falls City Hall across Broad Street, this former fire station in Central Falls, Rhode Island, is a great example of late 19th century architecture for a civic use. The fire station was built in the dense Central Falls village, before it separated from Lincoln, creating their own city. The brick, Queen Anne style structure features a unique mansard roof which is broken by a series of pedimented dormers. The original arched doors have since been infilled, but maintain the original openings, awaiting a thoughtful restoration. The fire station was designed by Pawtucket-based architect, Albert Humes. Due to ever-growing fire trucks, the historic station was eventually deemed obsolete, and a new station was built elsewhere. Today, the former Broad Street Fire Station is occupied as the Morabeza Health Center.

Central Falls City Hall // 1888

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Welcome to Central Falls, an industrial city in Providence County, Rhode Island. With an area of only 1.29 square miles it is the smallest and most densely populated city in the smallest state, and the 23rd most densely populated incorporated place in the United States. Originally, Central Falls was one of the many villages within the town of Smithfield, but in 1871, the town split into three smaller towns: Smithfield, North Smithfield and Lincoln. Central Falls village then became part of the town of Lincoln until Central Falls’ industrial character and differing needs had it split off to form the small city of Central Falls in 1895. Before it was its own city, Lincoln officials had this building constructed in 1888-9 on Broad Street, the commercial and civic center of the city. This red brick, Queen Anne building with its four-stage tower was built as Lincoln High School, the first school in the town built exclusively for secondary education. Designed by William R. Walker & Son, architects, the building features shingles in the gable, asymmetrical plan, and carved terracotta panels. The building continued as Central Falls High School until 1927, when the city offices were moved there, and it has remained as the City Hall ever-since.

Odell House // 1887

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Built in 1887 for Charles Odell and his wife, Alice, this Queen Anne house on Winter Street in Salem, Massachusetts, stands out as a high-style example of Victorian architecture on the street notable for early-mid 19th century architecture. The house lot was purchased by the Jewett Family who lived in the brick house next door and long used the lot as a garden. Charles and Alice Odell married in 1888, so this Victorian home was built for the newlywed couple to raise their family. Charles A. Odell (1863-1931) worked at his father’s insurance and real estate business, later assuming ownership of business upon death of his father and was a district agent for New England Mutual Life Insurance Company. Sheathed in a combination of wood clapboards and shingles in a variety of patterns, the house has a steeply hipped, slate roof punctuated by cross gables and hipped dormers. The predominant window sash style consists of a distinctive sash in which the upper displays a triangle with central muntin over a conventional two-light lower sash. The property has been lovingly preserved for well over a century and is a landmark example of a Queen Anne style house in Salem.