Address: 34 North Main Street
Contemporary Building Name: 34 North Main Street
Historic Building Name: Congregational Church Parsonage
Present Use: Residential
Historic Use: Residential
Architectural style: Greek Revival / Vernacular
Date constructed: c. 1850 (Baber), 1750 (Assessor)
Description: The gable-end front elevation of the Parsonage has two 6-over-6 windows and a door at the first floor. The door is fitted into the small space between the south window and the nearby cornerboard. Basically, the Parsonage is a two-bay house. The front doorway, otherwise plain, is embellished with a frieze and heavy bold cornice. The second floor has two windows. The eaves return slightly below the level of the second-floor caps. There is no window in the gable end above. The raking eaves have no fascias. A small brick chimney rises from the center of the roof ridge. On the south side elevation windows at the second floor are 6-over-3, in conformity with the fact the house is less than a full two stories high. A fascia runs under the eaves on the side elevations. A long narrow wing/ell is set back on the south side elevation. Its central front door is flanked by single windows. On the north side elevation of the main block there are two windows at both first and second floors.
Significance: The Congregational Church Parsonage is one of the few 1 3/4-story houses in Marlborough, perhaps the only Greek Revival house of the description. The Greek Revival style is assigned to the house because of the frieze and cornice over the front door and because of the eaves returns, which suggest a gable-end pediment. The style designation is tenuous because of the absence of any confirming normal Greek Revival features, such as pilasters, cornice with frieze, pediment, and rectangular window in the gable end. Age of the wing/ell is not known but if by odd chance it is the older original part of the Parsonage, such circumstance would be consistent with the Assessor's date of 1750 for construction of the house.
Sources: Baber, David. Capitol Region Council of Governments Historic Resource Survey of Marlborough, 1978.
Ransom, David. Historical and Architectural Resources Survey, Town of Marlborough, Connecticut. April 1998.
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