Then and Now, May 7, 2025

This circa 1900 photograph of the houses at the southern end of Hubbard Street perfectly captures the topography of many of Montpelier’s residential neighborhoods. The twin houses at 9 and 11 Hubbard Street are dwarfed by the larger houses on Nelson Street above them. The current prevalence of large trees, even without leaves, softens the views of Montpelier’s terraces. Houses on this section of Hubbard Street were built in the 1880s and 1890s. The street was probably named for successful local meat market owner William B. Hubbard (1802–1871) who lived on Barre Street, adjacent to the new street, rather than members of the even more prominent family who gave the city the eponymous library, park, and chapel.