West Medford Painters — Two railroad-era subdivisions split by the tracks

The Historical Commission's overview says West Medford's street plan was laid out soon after the railroad opened in 1835, with smaller, denser lots on the east side of the tracks. To the west, Thomas P. Smith bought land in 1850 for a development he called Brooklands. By 1889 Boston Avenue was lined with large houses, some in mid-century Gothic and mansard forms, others in Queen Anne and Shingle styles with verandas, towers and complicated roof and siding patterns. The survey notes that houses on the streets west of Boston Avenue are plainer.

East of the tracks, Edmund T. Hastings and Samuel Teel Jr. laid out Hastings Heights on a combined 200 acres around 1845. By 1875 Allston, Brook and Warren streets were built up with substantial homes, many with mansard roofs. Gothic and Queen Anne end houses followed, and shingle-sided four-squares were common additions by about 1900.

The riverside streets have their own history. The 1889 map shows caterer James R. Young's home on Jerome Street, which the survey treats as the start of a wave of Black families who integrated Sharon, Jerome, Lincoln and Arlington streets and created a historic community. West of the tracks, two-family houses were later added on open lots, especially on those riverside streets. The four eastern estates were divided after 1900. That produced Craftsman and Shingle four-squares mixed with Dutch Colonials on Wolcott Street and Austin Road, a uniform group of brick houses on Essex Street, many with Tudor Revival gable pents,, and Colonial, Dutch Colonial and Craftsman homes in the Chandler subdivision around Suffolk and Exeter streets.

Mansard roofs and towers

The mansards of Hastings Heights and the towered Queen Annes on Boston Avenue have steep roof faces, dormers and towers that sit well above a ladder's easy reach. Plan for staging, and look closely at dormer trim and cornice returns, where water can sit against the wood.

High Street's 18th-century houses

The overview places the Marm Simonds Hill Historic District on High Street between Woburn and Winthrop streets, where several 18th-century houses survive. The city lists Marm Simonds as one of its two local historic districts, and exterior alterations visible from the street there go through the Historic District Commission. Confirm what needs a certificate before choosing colors or replacing trim.

Brick Tudors on Essex Street

The Essex Street group is brick, many with a gable pent in the Tudor Revival style. Paint on these houses is mostly on windows, doors, eaves and other wood trim. Painting the brick itself is a separate decision that is hard to undo.

Single-family east, two-families by the river

Census Tract 3392, which takes in Hastings Lane, Warren, Essex and Suffolk streets, is 68.8% single-family detached and 75.5% owner-occupied. In Tract 3393, covering Boston Avenue, Jerome, Sharon and Monument streets, 36.6% of units are in two-unit buildings. A two-family exterior needs both households to agree on colors and timing.