The Wianno Historic District is a

historic district A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains historic building, older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal p ...

in the

Osterville Osterville is one of seven villages within the town of Barnstable, Massachusetts, United States. The village of Osterville is located on the south side of Barnstable on Nantucket Sound. Osterville is a residential community that includes marshes, ...

section of

Barnstable, Massachusetts Barnstable ( ) is a List of municipalities in Massachusetts, town in the U.S. state of Massachusetts and the county seat of Barnstable County, Massachusetts, Barnstable County. Barnstable is the largest community, both in land area and population ...

. It encompasses a well-preserved summer resort area for the wealthy that was first developed in the late 19th century, focused around the

Wianno Club The Wianno Club is a historic club at 107 Sea View Avenue in Osterville, Massachusetts. The club began as the Cotocheset House, a Shingle-style structure built in 1882 on the site of a grander hotel that burned down in 1881. This hotel was the ...

, built in 1881 on the site of an earlier resort hotel. The district has a significant number of well-preserved Shingle style and Colonial Revival houses. Architect Horace Frazer designed the Wianno Club, as well as a number of the private residences in the district. The district is roughly bounded by East Bay Road, Wianno and Sea View Avenues between Nantucket Sound and Crystal Lake. It was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1987.

Description and history

The Wianno area occupies a small portion of the southern coast of

Cape Cod Cape Cod is a peninsula extending into the Atlantic Ocean from the southeastern corner of Massachusetts, in the northeastern United States. Its historic, maritime character and ample beaches attract heavy tourism during the summer months. The ...

in the Osterville section of Barnstable. It includes a series of waterfront properties on Sea View Avenue extending from Warren Street to Wianno Avenue, and extends a short way along Wianno, including a few properties lacking direct access to the water. The central focus of the district is the

, a large Shingle/Colonial Revival structure designed by Horace Frazer and built in 1881 to replace the grand c. 1873 Cotocheset House hotel, which had burned down. The colony had been planned in the 1870s by wealthy interests from

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, and the local area, which had bought up most of the land on a speculative basis, built the hotel, and sold of parcels for summer houses. The result was a series of handsome "cottages", large two-story wood-frame structures that are predominantly Shingle style. These houses are typically somewhat rambling in character, often with gambrel roofs, and with porches, projecting gables, and dormers to give visual interest. They are set on larger lots (typically or more). One particularly handsome example of the houses built is the Calvin Prescott House, 550 Wianno Avenue, which was built in 1882-83. It is 2-1/2 stories in height, with a gabled roof pierced by eyebrow windows, corner turret and complex entry pavilion. The Isobel Richards House, 432 Wianno, has Queen Anne features, and has a

windmill A windmill is a machine operated by the force of wind acting on vanes or sails to mill grain (gristmills), pump water, generate electricity, or drive other machinery. Windmills were used throughout the high medieval and early modern period ...

on the property, one of several found in the district. The Tiffany House, located next to the Wianno Club and now one of its guest houses, was built for a member of

Louis Comfort Tiffany Louis Comfort Tiffany (February 18, 1848 – January 17, 1933) was an American artist and designer who worked in the decorative arts and is best known for his work in stained glass. He is associated with the art nouveauLander, David"The Buyable ...

's family in 1879.

References

{{National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts Historic districts in Barnstable County, Massachusetts Shingle Style architecture in Massachusetts National Register of Historic Places in Barnstable, Massachusetts Barnstable, Massachusetts Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts

Description and history

See also

References