Victorian House

Francis L. Willard Summer House // 1886

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Built in 1886 as a summer house, this handsome Shingle style residence on Pleasant Street in Sharon, Massachusetts, is one of the finest examples of the Shingle style in the area. The house was built as a summer residence for Francis Lyman Willard (1845-1913), who was President and Treasurer of the Riverside Boiler Works in Cambridge, and maintained a primary residence in Jamaica Plain. He and his wife, Mary Smith Willard, had this home built as their country retreat, spending summers here to escape the hustle-and-bustle of city life. The architect could not be discovered at this time, but it appears to have been a Boston-area architect that specialized in the Shingle style due to its unique and high-quality detailing. The feature that stands out is the four-story wood shingled tower on the facade capped by a bell roof that includes a large 20-over-20 double-hung curved wood sash stair window. 

Stoneholm Manor // 1865

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Stoneholm Manor is a historic estate tucked away in Sharon, Massachusetts, that remains one of the finest examples of a Second Empire style mansion and carriage house built of stone in New England. Stoneholm was built in 1865 for Horace Augustus Lothrop (1828-1898) within a year of his marriage to second wife, Sarah Gorham Swain. Horace A. Lothrop was a manufacturer and businessman with factories in Sharon and nearby towns and he invented innovative tools like hoes and wooden shanks for foot support in shoes and boots. He was also engaged in politics, serving in the state legislature and on the local school board. His country estate in Sharon is unique for its construction of locally quarried rock-face granite walls, fine mansard roof with cupola, and matching L-shaped carriage house, all in great condition. Stoneholm was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and remains a private residence.

George P. Lawrence Summer House // 1897

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On the eastern shore of Lake Massapoag in Sharon, Massachusetts, the George P. Lawrence Summer House is an excellent and rare preserved example of a late 19th century Victorian summer house in the suburban town. The residence was built in 1897 for George Pelton Lawrence (1859-1917) and his wife, Belle, as a summer retreat from their primary residence in North Adams in Western Massachusetts. George P. Lawrence was an attorney who was appointed as a district court judge before entering the political arena where he became a state senator. The couple spent summers at this beautiful Shingle/Colonial Revival style residence until Congressman Lawrence’s death in 1917. On November 21, 1917, Lawrence jumped out of his eighth-floor New York City window at the Hotel Belmont , committing suicide. In his room, he left a note saying that he “could not stand the pressure anymore”. The Sharon property remained in the family until the 1940s and has been modernized, while maintaining its character. 

Timothy Quinn House // 1892

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The Timothy Quinn House on South Main Street in Sharon, Massachusetts, is an extravagant example of the Queen Anne style that maintains its flourish and ornate details. The residence was built in 1892 for Timothy Francis Quinn (1863-1934), a first-generation Irish resident who owned and managed a shipping business with his brother, John. Timothy Quinn was active in local affairs and with the local Catholic church and historical society. After his death in 1934, the property was inherited by his wife, Elizabeth, and later by their daughter, Esther. Architecturally, the Quinn House has an irregular plan and features varied siding, brackets, a tower capped by a conical roof, and elaborate porch, all painted to highlight the many unique details. 

John G. Phillips House // 1901

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The John G. Phillips House on Pleasant Street in Sharon, Massachusetts, is a playful and eclectic example of early 20th century residential architecture showcasing the blending of many styles into a single composition. The house was built in 1901 for John Goddard Phillips, who moved to Sharon from Boston to retire in this large home, and serve as President of the Sharon Historical Society. The house blends typical Queen Anne and Shingle style forms but with interesting brackets common in styles popular a half-century earlier.

Henry Cowell House // c.1869

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The Henry Cowell House, one of the great Italianate style residences in the Wooster Square neighborhood of New Haven, tells the story of the neighborhood from enclave of wealthy merchants and businessmen to vibrant immigrant area, to reborn middle-class neighborhood. The residence was built for Henry Cowell (1829-1904), a professional photographer and businessman who owned multiple properties in New Haven. The Cowell family, who lived in the house through the turn of the century, bequeathed it to a French order of nuns in 1912 who turned it into the St. Joseph’s Guest House, a residence affiliated with an area church. The Sisters of Holy Ghost managed the Cowell and neighboring Max Adler House, and constructed an addition between the structures to serve as a chapel and classrooms in 1929. The properties, which also served as housing for single women, were sold and converted into condos in the 1980s, with the current condo board taking great steps to preserve the significant buildings. The Henry Cowell House retains its boxy form with cupola at the roof, stucco walls scored to resemble ashlar masonry, and ornate entry porch.

Stephen Jewett House // 1833

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This handsome Second Empire style residence on Wooster Place in New Haven was built in 1833, but in the Greek Revival style and later renovated to its current appearance. The house was one of the earliest properties built fronting Wooster Square and constructed for merchant Theron Towner, who then sold it to Rev. Stephen Jewett (1783-1861), an Episcopal minister of a nearby church. The house was designed and constructed by James English, who later became a successful manufacturer and politician. It is unclear what the original house looked like, but after the Civil War, the house was renovated with the addition of the slate mansard roof with iron cresting and side porch.

Max Adler House // 1879

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The Max Adler House on Greene Street in New Haven’s Wooster Square neighborhood is a flamboyant example of Victorian-era residential architecture that is hard to classify as an architectural style. The residence was constructed in 1879 for Max Adler (1841-1916) a German-born Jewish immigrant who grew up in New Haven and became a leader in industry at a young age. Max founded the Strouse & Adler Corset Company, which is said to be the first corset factory in the United States. The company did very well and he was able to erect this residence overlooking Wooster Square park for his family. Architecturally, the house has a mansard style roof, a feature of the Second Empire style; applied stickwork in the wooden bays, porch and dormers, a feature of the Stick style; and embroidered panel brickwork and terra cotta, elements of the emerging Queen Anne style. The Adler House has been lovingly preserved and is one of New Haven’s finest Victorian-era residences.

Fisher-Mason Mansion // 1868

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The Fisher-Mason Mansion on South Street in Wrentham, Massachusetts, is among the town’s finest and well-preserved Victorian-era homes. The house is said to have been funded and built in 1868 by Thomas Proctor (who lived in a large Mansard house overlooking the town common) for his daughter, Emma Proctor as a wedding gift upon her marriage to husband, Henry Kollock Fisher, a shoe manufacturer. The couple lived in the home, raising four children here until 1910, when the Proctors sold the property to Otis N. Mason of Providence. Today, the Fisher-Mason Mansion is known as the R. J. Ross Funeral Home, who have operated a funeral home from the residence since before WWII. The mansion features a mansard roof with unique mansard gable at the side sheltering an ocular window.

Proctor-Brown Mansion // 1861

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The Proctor-Brown Mansion in Wrentham, Massachusetts, is a striking example of Second Empire style of architecture and even retains its historic carriage house of the same period and style. The mansion was built in 1861 by Thomas Proctor, a wealthy businessman and industrialist from Providence who earned his fortune by inventing a gimbel point for screws with his company, The American Screw Company. He and his wife, Wrentham native Zeolyde Antoynette Hawes Braman, lived in the home until their deaths in the 1880s. The Proctor Mansion was later owned by Daniel Brown, owner of Wrentham Straw Works, and passed down through his descendants until 1991, when the building became the Proctor Mansion Inn, named after its first owners.