Originally Madison Avenue, land in the area was part of a vast tract purchased by Humphrey Almy in 1861. The lots were platted the next year. Built as a rental property in 1887, the brick Victorian is unusual in that it sits directly on the street. At that time, there were only a handful of houses already constructed in the neighborhood. The Almy family lived nearby, on South Angell Street and on Butler Avenue. What makes this house unique in the neighborhood is the use of brick in its construction, rather than wood. Another unique feature is the oversized entrance and the jerkin head roof, on which the peaks and gable ends are clipped off.
The first tenant of the property was William Nisbet, an auditor for the city, and the street was named after him in 1901. Throughout its history, the house has seen many tenants. After William Nisbet’s death in 1894, his widow Isabella invited her brother, Robert Hogg and his wife, to live here. By 1915, Helen Putnam, a physician, resided here. The house remained in the Almy family from 1887 until 1994, when it passed from Marion Almy to her niece, Marian Hayes.
— Festival of Historic Houses Guidebook, 2019
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