This is a late (and somewhat modest) example of a shingle style Victorian. This style was near its pinnacle shortly before the previous turn of the century (1900). It is a style uniquely American, unlike most other styles of the time which owed much to European influences.
The best known examples of shingle style were by architects such as H. H. Richardson and the firm of McKim, Mead, and White. Frank Lloyd Wright also picked up this style in his early years and ran with it, as you might well imagine. The classics by these architects tended to be very large, often 2 to 3 times the size of what you see here. The essence of shingle style, however, is clearly evident in this house. It is deliberately rustic and naturalistic. Notice the assymetry, the compound angles and lines. There is a tower section of this house (not visible in this picture) inspired by the Gothic and Queen Anne styles but the tower is highly modified, being pulled much more into the house rather than standing out as a nearly separate element. The tower contains the back stairs, which run between all three floors. There is also a walk down walk out cellar underneath the entire house. Because of the steeply sloping terrain, the cellar is a full story above ground at the far left corner in the picture, while only a 12 inch window is possible at the near end.
This house was built probably in 1897 to 1899, right at the end of the shingle style period. It may have been designed by Henry Francis, a notable architect in Fitchburg at the time. It was known at one time as "The Tara", after the manor house in "Gone With the Wind", for some reason having nothing to do with style.
