The D. Wheeler Swift House is a historic house at 22 Oak Avenue in
Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester ( , ) is a city and county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, the city's population was 206,518 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the second-List of cities i ...
. Built in 1879–80 to a design by the noted local architect
Stephen C. Earle
Stephen Carpenter Earle (January 4, 1839 – December 12, 1913) was an architect who designed a number of buildings in Massachusetts and Connecticut that were built in the late 19th century, with many in Worcester, Massachusetts. He trained in ...
, it is a well-preserved example of Gothic Revival and Stick style design, which was home to a prominent business owner. The house was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
in 1980.
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Description and history
The Swift House is located at the southeast corner of Oak and Kendall Streets in eastern Worcester, and is surrounded to the north, east, and south by buildings of the UMass Medical Center. It is a -story wood-frame structure, with a front-facing gable roof, clapboard siding, and granite foundation. A rectangular section with gable top projects to the left (Kendall Street) side. It is a well-preserved example of Gothic Revival and Stick style design, with bargeboard and decorative apron in the main gable. The porch, which wraps around two sides of the house, has a low geometric railing, and bracketing that echoes the woodwork in the gables. In an unusual touch, the main entrance is set at an angle at the corner.[
The house was designed by ]architect
An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...
Stephen C. Earle
Stephen Carpenter Earle (January 4, 1839 – December 12, 1913) was an architect who designed a number of buildings in Massachusetts and Connecticut that were built in the late 19th century, with many in Worcester, Massachusetts. He trained in ...
, a noted Worcester-based architect, and built in 1879–80. D. Wheeler Swift, a native of Falmouth, Massachusetts
Falmouth ( ) is a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 32,517 at the 2020 census, making Falmouth the second-largest municipality on Cape Cod after Barnstable. The terminal for the Steamship Authority ferri ...
, was an inventor of envelope-making machines, eventually becoming an owner of companies that used such machines. By the end of the 19th century he was a director of the United States Envelope Company, formed by merging his company with several others.
See also
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References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Swift, D. Wheeler, House
Gothic Revival architecture in Massachusetts
Houses completed in 1879
Houses in Worcester, Massachusetts
National Register of Historic Places in Worcester, Massachusetts
Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Worcester County, Massachusetts