Victorian House

Ambrose Burnside House // 1866

Buildings of New England1 Comment

What do this unique Victorian house and sideburns have in common? Well, you are about to find out!

The Ambrose Burnside House is sited on an oddly shaped, and sloping corner lot on Benefit Street in Providence’s East Side neighborhood, and is one of the most unique Second Empire style residences in New England. The house was built in 1866 for General Ambrose Burnside (1824-1881), a Union general in the American Civil War, who returned to Providence and was about to begin a term as governor, followed by two terms in the United States Senate. Ambrose Burnside hired local architect, Alfred Stone, to design his new city mansion, which upon completion, was deemed one of the most “modern residences” in Providence. Built of brick with Nova Scotia stone with a concave slate mansard roof and one-of-a-kind rounded corner bay, the Ambrose Burnside House does not disappoint! Ambrose Burnside died in 1881 and the property was occupied by his sister-in-law until the property was sold in 1884 and housed the Providence Children’s Friend Society House for Aged Women and the Providence Association for the Benefit of Colored Children, providing shelter and food for elderly women and children of color without parents or guardians. After WWII, the Burnside House was converted to apartments.

Now, to the sideburns… Ambrose Burnside was noted for his unusual beard, joining strips of hair in front of his ears to his mustache but with the chin clean-shaven; the word burnsides was coined to describe this style. The syllables were later reversed to give sideburns.

Jones-Sinclair House // 1865

Buildings of New EnglandLeave a comment

One of the finest Victorian-era residences in Portsmouth, the Jones-Sinclair House at 241 Middle Street, is a stately and oversized Second Empire style mansion built in the location of an even more significant home. Originally on this site, at the convergence of two busy streets, Thomas Haven, a wealthy merchant and half-brother to William Haven who lived across the street, built an impressive brick, Federal style mansion here in around 1818. Admiral George Washington Storer, Commander in Chief of the Brazil squadron of the U.S. Navy, later purchased the Federal style octagonal house. Mary Washington Storer, inherited the house after her father’s death in 1864, and she with her husband, Albert L. Jones, demolished the old octagonal-shaped house around 1865-1867, replacing it with this mansard-villa style mansion. By about 1890, Charles A. Sinclair and his wife, Emma, is said to have received the house as a gift from her uncle, the famous Portsmouth industrialist and politician, Frank Jones. 

John E. Colcord House // c.1870

Buildings of New EnglandLeave a comment

While Portsmouth, New Hampshire, is arguably best-known for Georgian and Federal style houses of the 18th and early 19th centuries, there are some great examples of Victorian style residences built after the Civil War to be discovered. This brick Second Empire style residence on Pleasant Street was built around 1870 and originally owned by Ebenezer Lord (1788-1877), who lived elsewhere in Portsmouth, likely gifting this home to his daughter, Susan (Lord) Colcord, and her husband, Charles Colcord. Both Charles and Susan died one year apart in 1872 and 1873 respectively, and the property was inherited by their son, John. John Edward Colcord worked as the Clerk at the Portsmouth Navy Yard. The building has a Mansard roof with overhanging eaves, denticulated cornice, and three shed-roof dormers at the facade. Walls are brick and rest on a granite foundation, with a later, wood-frame side addition that employs similar design details of the main house. 

Four Winds Cottage // 1889

Buildings of New EnglandLeave a comment

Tucked away in the town of Hunter in the Catskill Mountains of New York, the summer colony of Twilight Park has stood as an exclusive and private resort community established in the late 19th century. Twilight Park was born out of the Twilight Club, a Manhattan social club in the late-19th century and brought to life by founder, Charles F. Wingate. Mr. Wingate traveled to the mountaintop in 1887, and became enamored by its natural beauty. He arranged for the purchase of a former sheep meadow and led the construction of the first cluster of cottages in what would become a large community of over 100 summer homes. Cottages were laid out on roughly parallel roads at different elevations and on old connecting paths that later became roads with all lots built on ledges overlooking the Catskills. The first cottages were log cabins, and quickly followed by larger, Queen Anne style “cottages” as others invested in the development. This cottage, known as “Four Winds”, was built in 1889 during the first phase of development in Twilight Park, and it is notable for its varied siding, wrap-around porch, bay window, and elevated siting to provide better views of the landscape.

Lynch House // 1889

Buildings of New England2 Comments

One of the most unique and enchanting houses in the Ashmont Hill neighborhood of Dorchester is the Lynch House (aka the Sunflower House) at 102 Ocean Street, a landmark example of the Queen Anne architectural style. This residence was designed in 1889 by architect Samuel J. Brown, who worked in the firm of Cummings and Sears before opening his own office in Boston, where he specialized in residential designs. The first owners were Edward C. Lynch, a stair builder, and his wife, Petronella P. Lynch, who was born in Sweden and emigrated to the United States. Architecturally, the Lynch House features a prominent gambrel roof that swells out over the second-floor inset windows, clapboard and shingle siding, sawtooth shingled details over the windows, and the sunflower motif in a panel at the third floor.

Clark-Cottle House // 1890

Buildings of New EnglandLeave a comment

One of the most sumptuous Victorian-era homes in Dorchester can be found at 94 Ocean Street, this is the Clark-Cottie House. The residence (and rear stable) was built in 1890 from plans by famed architect Arthur H. Vinal, who designed many other Shingle style and Queen Anne homes in the surrounding neighborhood. The first owners of the mansion were Evelyn and Edward Clark, who after a few years, sold the property to Edgar Cottle, president of the Curtis & Pope Lumber Company. The three-story Queen Anne style mansion features a rounded corner tower, varied shingle siding, shingled porch, and the intact, charming stable at the rear.

Frank and Laura Carter House // 1889

Buildings of New England1 Comment

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

Buildings of New EnglandLeave a comment

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

Buildings of New England1 Comment

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.

George and Emma James House // 1894

Buildings of New EnglandLeave a comment

Built in 1894 for George and Emma James, the house at 47 Ocean Street in the Ashmont area of Dorchester, stands as one of the finest high-style examples of a Queen Anne single-family residence in Boston. George James was born in Vermont and worked as a farmer before moving to Boston, where he found work as a shoe manufacturer, opening offices and manufacturing facilities in the Leather District. The house was clearly designed by a skilled architect, and historians note that the residence was the design of architect S. Edwin Tobey, a skilled proponent of the Queen Anne style, seen here with its incredible detailing and unique form. The high-relief carvings in the gable and panels stand out, along with the recessed porch, and historic stable at the rear.