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It is quite striking to see this brick, Greek Revival house set directly across Decatur Street from one of its twins, 219 North Winooski. What this location must have looked like in 1845! This brick veneered house is also of the same massing as 230 and 318 North Street. The 1869 Beers atlas shows an outbuilding barely connected to the main house at its north corner. By 1889 a large, 2 story ell had replaced or been added onto the outbuilding. This space was most likely used as a separate tenement from this point on. Porches have been added over the years, and the horizontal section of the pediment has been removed from the front facade, but the main layout has not changed since before 1890.
A Mr. Burnham Seaver purchased this plot of land from Wyllys Lyman in September of 1848 1. It is thus assumed that the brick dwelling house was built shortly thereafter. Quite possibly by the same mason who had just constructed Mr. Smith's house at 219 North Winooski Avenue. Lynis A. Payne then purchased the house in 1865. In 1866 it was conveyed to the Home for Destitute Children, a state institution. A year later it was conveyed to Mary Baker who left such property in her Will to Hubert A. Baker of Montreal. Jonathan D. Baker lived here from 1869 until his death on January 13, 1894. He was a trained jointer, and for a time he worked in the firm of Hosmer and Baker. By 1890 he was an employee at Mason & Company in neighboring Winooski - a "Door, Sash, Blind & Specialty Hardwood" shop 2. In 1894 the house was sold to Elias B. Collins.
This dwelling now houses numerous apartments.
1. Burlington Town Land Records; vol. 26, pg. 4. 1854.
2. Burlington Directory - 1891