Four Seasons Houses

The Four Seasons Houses are a row of four distinct Queen Anne Victorian homes situated along Waller Street. Built in 1896 by a shipwright named John Whelan, these residences earned their name through the unique thematic carvings found on their facades. Each house represents a different time of year. The westernmost home, representing winter, features an intricate carved snowflake above its entrance. A flower vase carving adorns the spring house, while the summer home displays a motif of vines, and the fall home is distinguished by a golden sprig of wheat. These seasonal symbols are accompanied by specific paint schemes tailored to reflect the essence of each period. The Whelan family occupied the winter-themed house for the first nine years after its construction. Despite their artistic flourishes, these structures were built as a unified architectural project at the end of the nineteenth century and remain private residences today.