Winthrop Center/Metcalf Square Historic District

Winthrop's historic center is a V-shaped district on a ridge in the middle of the peninsular town, organized around the small triangular park of Metcalf Square. Around the square stand the Renaissance Revival town hall (1929) and library (1898), a Colonial Revival Methodist church (1930), the Wadsworth Block from the early 1890s, and the former post office (1932). Stone and bronze war memorials dot the green. Beyond the square, the district takes in churches, a fire station, and mostly wooden houses in Italianate, Queen Anne and Colonial Revival styles, dating from the 1850s to the 1920s. The oldest dwelling may date to the late 18th century. The district grew between 1805 and 1930, with about three quarters of its buildings erected from 1885 to 1930. Rail service on the narrow-gauge line, with stations just west of the district, brought commuters and prosperity, making the center the town's chief village. The area keeps its small-town character despite its closeness to Boston.