245 North Street

This two-story, cross-gabled house sits along the south side of North Street, near North Winooski Avenue.  The house features two-over-two, double hung sash windows, vinyl siding, concrete foundation, imbricated slate roof with raking eaves, and a small, central chimney.  An enclosed porch with wooden halfwall extends along the front, at the juntion of the two ells, with an entrance at the northeast corner.  Over a front porch, a steeply pitched gable dormer extends up from the facade.  A second entrance is located in the left bay of the prominent front gable facade, flanked by flat pilasters and topped with an entablature.  This house is one of the few Gothic Revival style buildings remaining in the Old North End, characterized by the cross gable plan, the steeply pitched dormer and peaked windows of the second story.  A small addition extends off the southeastern corner of the building.

The Gothic Revival was popular in the 1870s, indicating this house was constructed in that time period.  The slate roof with raking eaves and two-over-two sash windows are also consistent with that time period.  The vinyl siding covers the original clapboards.

The porch was enclosed some time after 1978, and the rear addition appears on the 1978 Sanborn map.  The Classical elements of the door casing are inconsistent with the Gothic Revival theme and may have been added later in the century during a period of Colonial Revival.

Information could not be found regarding the original inhabitants.  George Laforce and J.D. Laforce resided here from around 1881-1883.¹  George worked for T.S. Paeck, and J.D. worked for J.R. Booth, a lumber company.²  Peter Kirby and other members of the Kirby family occupy this address at various times later, as the Kirby family owned the neighboring lot at 249 North Street and the 1890 Hopkins map indicates they owned this lot as well.³

See house on 1877 Birds-Eye Map