The house at 155 Longhill Street in Springfield, around 1938-1939. Image courtesy of the Springfield Preservation Trust.
The house in 2017:
This house was designed by prominent local architect and builder Napoleon Russell, and it was completed in 1902. At the time, Colonial Revival architecture was the dominant trend for new homes, and this house includes common elements such as a Palladian window above the door and Corinthian-style pilasters on the corners. It was originally the home of traveling salesman Leslie Anderton and his wife Josephine. Leslie was from Ohio, and Josephine was from Michigan, and they apparently did not live here in Springfield for very long, because the house was sold sometime before 1910.
By 1910, this house was owned by David and Ellen Clark. David was a Civil War veteran, and after the war he earned his M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania and began working as a physician here in Springfield. He served for many years as a surgeon in the Massachusetts Volunteer Militia, while also working as an obstetrician at Springfield Hospital. David died in 1926, and Ellen was still living here a few years later, although by the 1930 census the house was being rented by a different family.
By the time the first photo was taken, the house had become a two-family home, with one unit being rented for $60 per month, and the other unit for $35 per month. Since then, the exterior of the house has remained unchanged, and it is one of many historic early 20th century homes along Longhill Street. Along with the rest of the neighborhood, it is part of the Forest Park Heights Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places.