Wilder Street Historic District

Wilder Street, in the Highlands section of Lowell, Massachusetts, forms a compact residential district of 31 buildings along about 525 feet of roadway. Nearly all date from the 1870s and 1880s, when former farmland was subdivided by provisions dealer Charles H. Wilder and sold as house lots. Large homes on spacious west-side parcels sit opposite smaller houses on narrower east-side lots, reflecting speculative development. The houses show Italianate, Second Empire, Queen Anne and Stick Style design, with one Colonial Revival house from 1893. Notable examples include the Charles W. Wilder House, the Asa C. Russell House and the William Bascom House, whose Eastlake porch is described as probably the finest of its kind in Lowell. Many properties retain matching carriage houses. Of the 31 resources, 29 contribute to the district's character, and the buildings remain in good condition with modest alterations. The district illustrates how successful businessmen and the growing middle class settled in the Highlands once streetcar lines made the area accessible.