300-302 DIVISION STREET
HISTORIC SIGNIFICANCE
The original house at 300-302 Division Street dates back to 1854 when it was owned by Lydia B. Wilber and her husband, Joshua Wilder. The 1867 City Directory lists the Wilber family at what was then 46 Division, later renumbered to 158 Division and finally in 1894, given its current house number, 300 Division. Joshua worked as a builder, carpenter and architect.
The house remained in the Wilber family until 1910 when it was purchased by Albert Hall who converted the home into a modern two-flat dwelling.” Prior to purchasing the property, Albert and his wife, Frances resided at 119 Tennyson Court along with their daughter Harriet.
ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE
300-302 Division, as it is currently, is considered "Eclectic" with Shingle, Greek Revival and Mission details. In 1910, this building was converted from a single family dwelling to a two-flat. Drawings by builder, Henry Jensen dated April 14, 1910, based on a plan by architect W. W. Abell show a two-flat building with the second floor similar to the first floor. Exterior 1910 modifications include the expansion of a rectangular bay on the east elevation, the addition of an entry door on the west side of the south elevation, an indentation of the original front door, an enlarged rear porch and an expanded front porch. The main alteration was perhaps the relocation and resizing of windows so that they are identical in both flats.
The low pitch of the roof is atypical for 1910 but matches the pitch of Italianate Style roofs, suggesting that the house was modernized by removing decorative details typical of that style, such as paired brackets under the eaves and possibly a round attic window at the front elevation.
TIMELINE OF PREVIOUS OWNERS
Sources: 2017 Heritage Plaque Application, Audio: TextAloud