The Exterior

Hunter House Victorian Museum 240 W. Freemason Street c.1894 W.P. Wentowrth, Boston

When designing the Hunter House in 1894 for prominent local merchant and banker, James Wilson Hunter , Boston architect W. P. Wentworth, used a style begun by Henry Hobson Richardson less than two decades before, known as Richardsonian Romanesque. The Hunter House is an excellent example of late-nineteenth-century residential eclecticism, combining aspects of the Richardsonian Romanesque and Queen Anne styles. 

Richardson created his own interpretation of the Romanesque style by incorporating its rounded arches while enhancing them with the use of bold masonry framing . These arches are seen surrounding most of the deep-set windows and doors of the Hunter House. The house is especially notable for its variety of door and window openings using individual squared and arched windows as well as a triple arched window design along with its multiple gables. 

Other aspects of the Richardsonian Romanesque style which are present in the design of the Hunter House include use of rough faced stonework and incorporation of decorative masonry work on the building elevations. At the primary entrance, Wentworth used a typical large scale arch resting on squat columns with highly decorative capitals. This type of elaboration is found on many Richardsonian Romanesque buildings, and is particularly successful in highlighting the primary entrances.

The rich polychromy, surface patterns and textures characterizing a traditional Queen Anne style home are also visible through the use of brownstone, granite and brick in the construction. Built during a time when the Queen Anne style was quite popular, Wentworth incorporated elements of this style into the massing and detail of the building. The cross-gable construction is illustrative of the buildings Queen Anne influence.

The tall narrow proportions of the house point to the increasingly urban character of this end of Freemason Street at the turn of the century as does its placement directly on the street with no carriage house included. The home has been refurbished and was opened to the public in 1988.