24/7 Wall St. Insights

• Queen Anne architecture proliferated during a period of rapid growth in the American economy.
• There are over 3,500 listings categorized as Queen Anne in the National Register of Historic Properties today.
• Massachusetts is home to 7 of the 25 best cities for Queen Anne architecture.
• Also: 2 Dividend Legends to Hold Forever

The Queen Anne style began in England with architects emphasizing simple construction methods that harkened back to the days of Queen Anne. The style was first exhibited in America at the Philadelphia Centennial of 1876, and spread rapidly throughout the country over the following 20 years. Wooden Queen Anne houses served as a cheap alternative to the popular stone-carved Romanesque style of the day, and often emphasized open first floors, big sliding doors, and high brick chimneys.

Popularized through pattern books and standardized housing plans, there was little variation in Queen Anne houses throughout the country. Many builders were influenced by Moorish and Turkish styles, including details like cusped arches, domed roofs, and circular open kicks. The popularity of the Queen Anne style coincided with a period of rapid growth in the American economy, resulting in the erection of hundreds of thousands of Queen Anne homes over a short period.

Today, there are over 3,500 listings categorized as Queen Anne in the National Register of Historic Properties. And while thousands more Queen Anne buildings exist throughout the country without formal historic status, a look at NRHP listings by address reveal the best cities for seeing Queen Anne architecture in America.

To determine the best cities for Queen Anne architecture, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed data on historic properties from the National Register of Historic Places of the U.S. National Park Service. Cities, towns, and villages were ranked based on the number of listings in the NRHP that are designated as Queen Anne architecture style as of October 2024. Supplemental data on median home age is from the 2022 American Community Survey of the U.S. Census Bureau.

25. Glens Falls, NY

• NRHP listings in Queen Anne style: 13 properties
• All listings in NRHP: 45 properties
• Median home age: 85 years
• City incorporated: 1839
• Notable Queen Anne listings: Helen Wing House, Smith Flats, Ephraim B. Potter House, John E. Parry House, George H. Parks House

24. Helena, MT

• NRHP listings in Queen Anne style: 13 properties
• All listings in NRHP: 69 properties
• Median home age: 50 years
• City incorporated: 1867
• Notable Queen Anne listings: Former Montana Executive Mansion, Christmas Gift Evans House, T.H. Kleinschmidt House, D.H. Cuthbert House, Appleton House No. 9

23. South Bend, IN

• NRHP listings in Queen Anne style: 13 properties
• All listings in NRHP: 77 properties
• Median home age: 69 years
• City incorporated: 1935
• Notable Queen Anne listings: Joseph D. Oliver House, Chapin Park Historic District, Kelley-Fredrickson House and Office Building, South Bend Remedy Company, Morey-Lampert House

22. Wichita, KS

• NRHP listings in Queen Anne style: 13 properties
• All listings in NRHP: 136 properties
• Median home age: 51 years
• City incorporated: 1871
• Notable Queen Anne listings: L.W. Clapp House, North Topeka Avenue-10th Street Historic District, Judge T.B. Wall House, Fairmount Cottage, Riverside Cottage

21. Petoskey, MI

• NRHP listings in Queen Anne style: 15 properties
• All listings in NRHP: 39 properties
• Median home age: 52 years
• City incorporated: 1879
• Notable Queen Anne listings: J. M. Wells House, Jacob VanZolenburg House, Seventh Day Adventist Church, Petoskey Grocery Company Building, Sarah Pennington House

20. Raleigh, NC

• NRHP listings in Queen Anne style: 15 properties
• All listings in NRHP: 142 properties
• Median home age: 29 years
• City incorporated: 1792
• Notable Queen Anne listings: North Carolina Executive Mansion, Oakwood Historic District, Capehart House, Tucker Carriage House, Glenwood

19. Kansas City, MO

• NRHP listings in Queen Anne style: 15 properties
• All listings in NRHP: 361 properties
• Median home age: 56 years
• City incorporated: 1850
• Notable Queen Anne listings: Janssen Place Historic District, Row House Building, Quality Hill, Sacred Heart Church, School and Rectory, August Meyer House

18. Newton, MA

• NRHP listings in Queen Anne style: 16 properties
• All listings in NRHP: 187 properties
• Median home age: 83 years
• City incorporated: 1873
• Notable Queen Anne listings: Building at 1-6 Walnut Terrace, Amos Adams House, Simpson House, John Souther House, Amos Judkins House

17. Pueblo, CO

• NRHP listings in Queen Anne style: 16 properties
• All listings in NRHP: 64 properties
• Median home age: 58 years
• City incorporated: 1885
• Notable Queen Anne listings: Bowen Mansion, Pitkin Place Historic District, Baxter House, Hazelhurst, Gast Mansion

16. Little Rock, AR

• NRHP listings in Queen Anne style: 17 properties
• All listings in NRHP: 282 properties
• Median home age: 46 years
• City incorporated: 1831
• Notable Queen Anne listings: Frederick Hanger House, Deane House, Chisum House, William L. Terry House, Ragland House

15. Des Moines, IA

• NRHP listings in Queen Anne style: 17 properties
• All listings in NRHP: 190 properties
• Median home age: 64 years
• City incorporated: 1851
• Notable Queen Anne listings: Herndon Hall, Rees Gabriel House, Albert Baird Cummins House, Richard T. C. and William V. Wilcox House, Capt. Nicholas W. and Emma Johnson House

14. Atlanta, GA

• NRHP listings in Queen Anne style: 18 properties
• All listings in NRHP: 241 properties
• Median home age: 39 years
• City incorporated: 1845
• Notable Queen Anne listings: Edward C. Peters House, Inman Park, Martin Luther King Jr. Historic District, Atlanta University Center District, Ansley Park Historic District

13. Detroit, MI

• NRHP listings in Queen Anne style: 18 properties
• All listings in NRHP: 291 properties
• Median home age: 77 years
• City incorporated: 1802
• Notable Queen Anne listings: Charles Lang Freer House, West Canfield Historic District, Wayne State University Buildings, Woodbridge Neighborhood Historic District, Alexander Chapoton House

12. Saranac Lake, NY

• NRHP listings in Queen Anne style: 19 properties
• All listings in NRHP: 72 properties
• Median home age: 85 years
• City incorporated: 1892
• Notable Queen Anne listings: Witherspoon Cottage, Wilson Cottage, Smith Cottage, Seeley Cottage, Schrader-Griswold Cottage

11. Waltham, MA

• NRHP listings in Queen Anne style: 19 properties
• All listings in NRHP: 109 properties
• Median home age: 63 years
• City incorporated: 1884
• Notable Queen Anne listings: E. Sybbill Banks House, Wetherbee House, Robert M. Stark House, Stark Building, Moody Street Fire Station

10. New York, NY

• NRHP listings in Queen Anne style: 20 properties
• All listings in NRHP: 809 properties
• Median home age: 73 years
• City incorporated: 1652
• Notable Queen Anne listings: Mount Morris Park Historic District, Jumel Terrace Historic District, Stuyvesant Heights Historic District, Cobble Hill Historic District, Ottendorfer Public Library and Stuyvesant Polyclinic Hospital

9. Somerville, MA

• NRHP listings in Queen Anne style: 21 properties
• All listings in NRHP: 81 properties
• Median home age: 85 years
• City incorporated: 1872
• Notable Queen Anne listings: Lemuel Snow Jr. House, Wright House, Otis-Wyman House, Louville Niles House, Louville V. Niles House

8. Washington, D.C.

• NRHP listings in Queen Anne style: 21 properties
• All listings in NRHP: 663 properties
• Median home age: 68 years
• City incorporated: N/A
• Notable Queen Anne listings: Capitol Hill Historic District, Dupont Circle Historic District, Eighteen Hundred Block Park Road NW, Schneider Triangle, Cleveland Park Historic District

7. Davenport, IA

• NRHP listings in Queen Anne style: 22 properties
• All listings in NRHP: 256 properties
• Median home age: 58 years
• City incorporated: 1881
• Notable Queen Anne listings: Max Petersen House, Iowa Soldiers’ Orphans’ Home, I. Edward Templeton House, F. Jacob Schmidt House, Ranzow-Sander House

6. Cambridge, MA

• NRHP listings in Queen Anne style: 22 properties
• All listings in NRHP: 212 properties
• Median home age: 78 years
• City incorporated: 1846
• Notable Queen Anne listings: Cambridge Common Historic District, William Morris Davis House, Reginald A. Daly House, Norfolk Street Historic District, Hubbard Park Historic District

5. Boston, MA

• NRHP listings in Queen Anne style: 23 properties
• All listings in NRHP: 318 properties
• Median home age: 79 years
• City incorporated: 1822
• Notable Queen Anne listings: Adams-Nervine Asylum, Moreland Street Historic District, Fenway-Boylston Street District, Engine House No. 34, New Riding Club

4. Chicago, IL

• NRHP listings in Queen Anne style: 23 properties
• All listings in NRHP: 411 properties
• Median home age: 72 years
• City incorporated: 1835
• Notable Queen Anne listings: Pullman Historic District, Ann Halsted House, Tree Studio Building and Annexes, Dr. Daniel Hale Williams House, Robert S. Abbott House

3. Hartford, CT

• NRHP listings in Queen Anne style: 24 properties
• All listings in NRHP: 150 properties
• Median home age: 72 years
• City incorporated: 1784
• Notable Queen Anne listings: Day House, Charter Oak Place, Sigourney Square District, Frog Hollow, Jefferson-Seymour District

2. Denver, CO

• NRHP listings in Queen Anne style: 28 properties
• All listings in NRHP: 321 properties
• Median home age: 52 years
• City incorporated: 1861
• Notable Queen Anne listings: Wilbur S. Raymond House, Vine Street Houses, Westside Neighborhood, George Schleier Mansion, Creswell Mansion

1. Worcester, MA

• NRHP listings in Queen Anne style: 61 properties
• All listings in NRHP: 289 properties
• Median home age: 73 years
• City incorporated: 1848
• Notable Queen Anne listings: Massachusetts Avenue Historic District, Whitcomb House, Woodland Street Firehouse, Elliot Smith House, Moody Shattuck House

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