Vinton, Alfred, House
Why it's listed
Built just before 1854, this two-and-one-half story Italianate house at 417 Main Street in Winchester sits on a rectangular plan on a 0.36-acre lot along an early road to Woburn. Gardner Symmes, a well-known local builder of the mid-nineteenth century, built it and owned it from 1854 to 1864. By 1865 it belonged to Alfred C. Vinton, a Winchester lawyer, financial backer of the newly organized Winchester Hospital, and author of the Symmes Memorial. In 1892 Vinton partnered with neighbor Sarah Lunt to lay out and sell houselots on Fairview Terrace. The Vinton family kept the house until the 1920s. Its features include scroll brackets with pendant drops under the eaves, a center entrance with a molded surround and leaded-glass half-sidelights, bracketed window hoods, and a facade scored and flushboarded to imitate ashlar masonry. It was listed as a conservative mid-century Italianate residence and an example of early suburban homes of Boston businessmen.
Significance in brief: The house is presented as one of Winchester's finest examples of a conservative, mid-century Italianate residence. It also represents the up-to-date suburban homes built by prosperous Boston businessmen in the early days of Winchester's suburbanization. It meets Criteria A and C.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 89000629, listed July 5, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 417 Main St., Winchester |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | July 5, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89000629 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Gardner Symmes |
| Architectural style | Italianate |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Present use is dwelling; condition is excellent with no major alterations; a two-bay detached garage stands on the lot. |
| Acreage | 0.4 |
| Coordinates | 42.44880, -71.13393 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 89000629.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4723560
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.