Stately Streets

The origins of this house, and the one next door,  houses is uncertain; whether they were speculative or built for specific clients.  The houses were featured in an privately published album of Ward’s work from the 1920s. They were identified with the then-occupants but they were not featured houses, but included in an add for Kelsey Air Generators that appeared in the back of the book.

The Roy Carpenter House at 309 Allen Street is an early work and a variant on the then popular Craftsman-style bungalow, a small cottage-like side gable and entrance house. A full second story expressed as a substantial dormer protruding from a steep roof. Many similar houses can be seen on Sumner, Strong, Roosevelt and other avenue, all built about the same time.  In the case of the Carpenter house, the roof is of the gambrel type. there is a full porch front in the street. A tall plaster chimney with brick or tile ornament is the most distinctive exterior element.  The original open parapet rail atop the front porch has been removed, but otherwise the house looks much like it did when it was built.