Built in 1898 to a design by Barker & Nourse, it was one of the city's finest examples of Tudor Revival architecture, and was home to Esther Forbes, author of Johnny Tremain.

It was a large 2+1⁄2-story wood-frame structure, with steeply pitched gables, diamond pane windows, and extensive half-timbered stucco exterior.

[3] The house was built in 1898 to a design by Barker & Nourse, and it was a prominent local example of the Tudor Revival.

It was supposedly built on the site of an early example of residential construction in concrete, designed by Elbridge Boyden; that house was demolished because it could not accommodate modern amenities such as indoor plumbing and electricity.

William Forbes, the owner, was a local lawyer and politician who served in the state legislature and as a probate judge.