victorian homes Boston

Frank and Laura Carter House // 1889

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Effortlessly blending the Shingle and Queen Anne architectural styles, the Frank and Laura Carter House at 107 Ocean Street in Ashmont, Dorchester, Massachusetts, is one of the finest Victorian residences in the neighborhood. The house was designed by famed local architect Arthur Vinal, who also furnished plans for the Dorchester Temple Baptist Church nearby that same year. The house was built for Frank Carter (1859-1950), treasurer of the Bay State Belting Company, and his new wife, Laura. Special details on the house include the polygonal bay capped by pyramidal roof, belt-course of shingles breaking up the facades, and stunning two-bay eyebrow dormer facing the street with shingled returns.

Reed-Fitzgerald House // 1891

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The Reed-Fitzgerald House at 75 Ocean Street in Ashmont Hill, Dorchester, stands out as a simple, yet beautiful example of the Shingle style of architecture for residential purposes. The house here was built in 1891 from plans by Edwin J. Lewis, Jr., a Boston-born architect who worked at the office of Peabody and Stearns before he opened his own firm in 1887, specializing in suburban houses and churches. The first owner of this residence was George Reed, a Boston insurance executive. Years later, the house was owned by Henry Fitzgerald, possibly Henry S. Fitzgerald, the brother of John “Honey Fitz” Fitzgerald (1863-1950), the Mayor of Boston who resided in a since demolished house in the neighborhood. Mayor John Fitzgerald was the father of Rose Fitzgerald and maternal grandfather of her sons President John F. Kennedy, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, and Senator Ted Kennedy. Recently, the owners of the Reed-Fitzgerald House have restored the exterior, and stained the shingles the lovely rust color.

Higgins-Little House // 1890

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This “painted lady” on Roslin Street is one of the many fine Queen Anne Victorian houses in the Ashmont Hill neighborhood in Dorchester, Massachusetts. The residence was built in 1890 for original owner, Lewis H. Higgins, a master mariner who was born in Wellfleet before moving to Boston. Higgins seemingly resided here with his family for a short time until the house was sold in 1893 to Samuel and Grace Little. The house is perched on a hill and features a prominent rounded corner tower. The original porch with turned posts and gable detailing stand out with the intricate paint scheme used to highlight all of the amazingly preserved ornamentation. While paint schemes like these are not historic, they do bring joy to owners and passersby, and help viewers appreciate the care that these stewards take in maintaining their old homes.

Harrison H. Atwood House // 1888

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When an architect designs their own home, you know it will be something special. This house on Alban Street in Ashmont Hill, Dorchester, was built in 1888 and designed by owner-architect, Harrison H. Atwood (1863-1954). The unique Shingle style residence features a plain, boxy form and is capped by a pyramidal hipped roof with a center dormer. The recessed side entry porch is enclosed by large windows with multi pane sash which is surmounted by flared shingles. Besides being a residential architect, Harrison Henry Atwood also was appointed as the 5th City Architect of Boston, designing schools and firehouses, and served as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives. While the Atwood House may appear modest from the street, the house stretches back toward the rear of the lot and is larger than meets the eye, also the interior was lavishly decorated with much of the original millwork and mantels intact. 

Dillaway House // 1889

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One of the finest and refined examples of the Shingle style in Boston can be found on Alban Street in the Ashmont Hill section of Dorchester, a lovely, walkable neighborhood where you can find timeless examples of just about any Victorian-era architectural style. Built for Charles F. Dillaway, a banker in Boston, this home was designed by local architect, Edwin J. Lewis, architect for many houses in the Ashmont area.  Lewis’s designs are distinguished by their crisp geometry, often with horizontal lines emphasized and small-paned windows. The house has been slightly modernized by later owners who added new siding within the inset porch and a more moody color scheme. 

Thomas T. Hartford House and Stable // 1884

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Situated at the corner of Harley and Roslin streets in the Ashmont Hill neighborhood of Dorchester, this property showcases the flair and ornate features of the eclectic Victorian styles, along with an original stable. The property was developed in 1884 by Thomas T. Hartford. Thomas Thurston Hartford (1845-1916), was a shoe machinery manufacturer with offices in the Leather District near downtown Boston, continuing in his father’s company, Hartford Brothers Co. The house and stable are said to have been designed by architect Edwin J. Lewis, Jr., or John A. Fox, who blended Stick and Queen Anne styles. Interestingly, the house features Palladian windows in the gables and was restored by owners, who even went the extra mile to repaint the house in its historic colors.

Chansonetta Stanley Emmons House // 1893

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Chansonetta Stanley Emmons (1858-1937) was born in Kingfield, Maine, and was one of the great women photographers in the 19th and early 20th century, often depicting domestic life and New England scenes. The young Chansonetta Stanley grew interested in photography after her brothers’ (Francis E. and Freelan O. Stanley) dry-plate printing invention, they also invented the steam-powered automobile known as the Stanley Steamer. She married James Nathaniel Whitman Emmons in 1887 and in 1894, James hired architect Henry McLean, to design a residence for him and Chansonetta, this lovely home on Harley Street on Ashmont Hill. The couple occupied the house until 1898, when James died of blood poisoning at the age of 41. Chansonetta sold the home and moved to Newton, where her two brothers lived and operated their business. The house blends Queen Anne and Colonial Revival styles and originally had a conical roof over the corner rounded bay. The roof was replaced with a flat roof at about the time of the large balcony and extended dormer.

Reed-Loring House // c.1872

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Another of the early houses built in the Ashmont Hill neighborhood by George D. Welles, a young man who inherited and subdivided his family estate in Dorchester, is this mini-Mansard on Harley Street. Like a few others in the neighborhood, this house was built for Welles, likely as a rental property. The house was rented by Charles and Nellie Reed, who had painter, Frank Henry Shapleigh over as a guest. Shapleigh would paint the house in the 1870s, shortly after a stint in Paris. The property would be purchased by Stephen L. Emery, a coal and wood merchant in Boston, and later by Clara Reed, the daughter of Charles and Nellie Reed, who took up permanent residence in this house with her husband Royden Loring, the vice president of the Arnold Roberts Company on Congress Street. Clara Reed Loring lived here until the early 1970s. The Second Empire style house and large, preserved barn at the rear of the lot, provides a glimpse into the early development of Ashmont Hill.

George Derby Welles Rental House // c.1872

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From the 1780s until 1870, almost all of Ashmont Hill (west of the present train station) was a farm, with the large farmhouse dating to about 1720, located at the corner of Washington and Welles streets, now the home to the Codman Square Branch of the Boston Public Library system. The farm was owned for a time by General Henry Knox. Sometime before 1850, the estate and mansion came into the possession of the Honorable John Welles, who died in 1855. The property would eventually be deeded to John Welles’ grandson, George Derby Welles, who was then just 26 years old and living in Paris with his wife, Armandine V. Derby. Welles wasted no time in developing the property through his agent, Boston Attorney Edward Ingersoll Browne. Streets were laid out and house lots were platted and sold, with some early properties built with much of the neighborhood developing by the turn of the century. The old Knox-Welles farmhouse would be razed by 1889, but the remainder of the neighborhood has since become a landmark neighborhood of Victorian-era homes. This mansard double-house at 67-69 Ocean Street dates to around 1872 and is one of the earliest properties in the area. Blending the Second Empire and Stick architectural styles, the handsome double house is said to have been designed by architect Luther Briggs for George D. Welles and rented to tenants.

John E. Sylvester House // 1884

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One of the many beautiful old Victorian houses in the Prospect Hill area of Somerville can be found here on Summit Avenue, a tree-lined street with sweeping views to Boston and other neighborhoods. This house was built in 1884 for John Edwards Sylvester (1839-1901) and his wife Clarissa (Clara). The Queen Anne style house has a brick ground floor with shingled walls above. The facade is dominated by its gable roof with varied shingle siding, decorative belt course, and oriel window with highly ornate pediment above. The house was likely designed by the Boston firm of Sturgis & Brigham, who included Sylvester in their list of clients. Mr. John E. Sylvester was head of the John E. Slyvester Co. in Somerville, a spike manufacturing company started by his father. After John died in the home from heart failure in 1901, his widow, Clara, remained in the home with her daughter until after WWI, when the property was sold.