Brabrook, E. H., House

Set flush to the street at 42-44 Avon Street in Cambridge, this wood-frame double house dates to 1849 and was built by Ezra H. Brabrook, a furniture dealer. Avon Street was laid out in 1845 on land that had been part of the Lower Common, which stayed largely pasture, orchards and gardens until owners began subdividing in the mid-nineteenth century. The house combines two styles. Greek Revival features include center entrances with sidelights, corner pilaster strips and six-over-six windows. Italianate features include paired brackets under a widely projecting cornice, a full-front porch with square posts and open brackets, and window hoods. The north gable has a round-headed window and a truncated pediment. Other transitional houses exist in Old Cambridge, such as 154 Mount Auburn Street from 1852, but this one is the earliest and most elaborate survivor. That distinction supports its significance for architecture. The building has no recorded major alterations and remains in residential use.