An asymmetrically massed brick-veneer English Cottage, the Winslow House partakes of this country’s early 20th-century fascination with picturesque European architecture. Self-conscious architectural revivalism had come onto the American scene in the mid-19th century but became more symbolically infused, especially for old-guard Anglo-Americans, as millions of immigrants from Eastern Europe came here in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The reference for this house is the late medieval vernacular of the English countryside, a memory of a long-past heritage. This house was built on speculation, and the Winslows — an insurance executive, his wife, and three young daughters — purchased the house during its construction. As originally completed, both house and garage were covered in stucco, replaced by brick veneer in 1938, by which time the Winslows had moved up the street to 750 Elmgrove Avenue. In the late 20th century, this was the home of Albert and Selma Pilavin, major donors of modern-American art to the Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design.
— 2012 Festival of Historic Houses Guidebook
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