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The significance of the architecture of Vincentown is found primarily in the entirety of the town. The significance of the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. The town is composed mainly of simple traditional structures that are harmoniously arranged along seven streets. The streets, each with their own particular function and character, are compactly arranged on the nearby dry upland terrain. Each building in town functioned as a component within the system. They are the consciously arranged parts of a composition intended to operate as an efficient agrarian service center and also to create a pleasing and diverse environment for its residents and visitors. In this respect Vincentown can be seen as a single large-scale architectural work made up roughly two hundred separate structures intended to serve as the residences and work places of about 700 people. It was designed and built by unknown scores of individuals over a period of more than 75 years. It represents and speaks of a culture complete with social structure, economy, technology and values. The town is the physic I structure for the community it housed and thus, we can speak of its anatomy and attempt to examine its order.
At the gristmill site, Mill Street reaches the edge of the creek's flood plain. From here the street rises onto the upland west of the creek, which was from the earliest period of the town's development, considered the most desirable residential area in town. Ten houses are located along this part of Mill Street forming the western flank of and the principal entrance to the historic district. They range in date from late 18th to early 20th century and generally occupy large lots. The houses themselves are medium to large structures and all possess distinctive stylistic designs characteristic of their respective periods of origin: Federal, Italianate, Gothic, Queen Anne, Shingle and Bungalow designs are all represented. These houses predictably have been the residences of some of the town’s most prosperous citizens. A number of other streets in town represent yet another type of streetscape. Pleasant Street, Plum Street, Church Street, Red Lion Road (northern end) and the lower part of Main Street are all more typical residential streets generally containing small to medium sized houses. The predominant house type on these streets is some form of narrow and deep 2 to 2 ½ story structure situated close to the street and occupying a narrow, deep lot. In two cases narrow alleys run parallel to the streets behind the house lots offering access to stables and other outbuildings.
Nearly all of the buildings that compose the town are represented by only a few major types and trends that fit neatly into the plan and character of the settlement. Two main types, which are identified here simply as Types 1 and 2, predominate and form the vernacular or "common language" basis of the town's architecture. Type 1 Plan Type 2 Plan Another type of two-room deep (also termed double pile) house that appears in the town in the early 19th century is the Type 2 double or duplex house. It is simply two Type 2 houses joined as one structure by a common party wall (Inventory #124-125; 55-57 Plum Street). This arrangement had the appeal of conserving construction materials as well as land and heating fuel. Georgian Plan
Other Building Types Examples of various other late 19th century styles are also found in the town but on a very limited basis. The Second Empire is modestly represented by the mansard-roofed house at 177 Main Street (Inventory #50). An excellent Carpenter Gothic house at 75 Mill Street (Inventory #104) marks the western entrance to the town. Its neighbor at 71 Mill (Inventory #103) is a good example of a Shingle Style residence. In addition to the main building types presented thus far, there are a number of ancillary features found on the individual buildings which are noted as distinguishing features in the inventory descriptions and which need some brief analysis here. Chief among these are the additions that are nearly always found on the rear of the basic form. First, the term “additions” refers simply to the dependent structural nature of the building section. Determining when the additions occurred requires a degree of analysis not possible here. In general it seems that most house types had at least some type of shed roof addition off the back. Some remain this way while others went through stages of enlargement. Others, especially many built in the mid-19th century or later, were apparently constructed in one stage complete with 2 1/2 story rear wings. The additions, whatever their history, conform, like the main houses, to a few basic forms. Most are either sheds or gable-roofed wings. Their heights vary, limited only by the height and slope of the main roof. The main function of most additions is to house the kitchen. In this respect the additions to early basic structures, such as the Type 1 kitchen-parlor house already described would have altered the house drastically allowing for the rearrangement and alteration of the early floor plans. In later houses, however, the significance of the addition is its contribution to the overall size of a particular building. That is, two buildings that have say the same basic Type 2 structure may vary appreciatively in size depending on the type of addition. It should also be noted that the basic building types, i.e., the Type 1, 2 and Georgian, with their various additions, can be read fairly clearly in the detailed configurations on the 1908 Sanborn map reproduced for this report. Other building "parts" identified include the following:
It is important to note that all of these features are only general indicators of age some are subject to alteration, and all must be evaluated as part of a total picture in order to get a sense of a building's age and evolution. Institutional buildings such as churches and schools represent another important category of architecture in the town. These are a diverse group of buildings. Each possesses distinctive characteristics of style and form that are intended to express its function and group identity. The 1853 Methodist Church, for example, possesses common mid-19th century Methodist Church characteristics: a large plain Meetinghouse form with gable end to the street, the main hall level one story above ground level, simple classical detailing, a plain bell cupola; these are the trademarks of American Methodism of the period. In a very similar way the Carpenter Gothic design of the 1871 Episcopal Church expresses the interest in medieval Christianity and its art and architecture which was common in that era. The 1922 library on the other hand expresses the popular Georgian Revival style commonly used in civic buildings of the first quarter of the 20th century. Its cameo scale reflects the size of the community and fits neatly into Main Street. The most enigmatic of the town institutional buildings is the old town hall and Masons Lodge built in 1884 (Inventory #114). Its inconspicuous location on a back street and its plain exterior suggests a desire for anonymity that isn't typical of either town halls or Masonic Lodges. In its unaltered state however, it possesses strong integrity as a 19th century building and together with the Methodist Cemetery behind it, makes a strong contribution to the historic character of the town.
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The town streets can each be identified as fitting one of three or four types and from these we can identify various zones of land use that developed over the years. The main business district in town was confined along Main Street south to just below Grange Street. This street contained a blend of residential, commercial, commercial-residential, and institutional buildings. We find a wider variation in scale and style here than on any of the other town streets. Sizes range from the one room shop at 47 Main Street (Inventory #4b) to the Methodist Church (Inventory #18). Buildings are also noticeably closer together and closer to the street than elsewhere in town, a function of increased land values in the prime commercial district. Geographically, the street is laid out on the uplands east of the creek and it follows the contour of the creek bank south and southeast.
The flood plain of the creek in the village district dictated another distinct zone of activity. For obvious reasons it was an area generally considered undesirable for most building purposes. The saw-and gristmills however, were constructed in this zone (Inventory #87 and 200) in order to make use of the stream's waterpower. The result is that a major green space has always existed near the center of the town focused on the stream and pond. The only major building activity in this area occurred along Mill Street, the major thoroughfare into town from the West. The section of Mill Street located within the flood plain had a special character of its own. It was an extension of the business district running from Main Street out to the gristmill, but unlike Main there were only small to medium size buildings that housed tradesmen's shops. The only exception to this is the Episcopal Church built on the bank of the creek in 1871.
Type 1 is the older of the two types and was probably the predominant building type in the town prior to the mid 19th century. The main characteristics of this type are its 2-story elevation and one room deep plan with a simple gable roof with ridge parallel to the street. This format produces a building with distinctly tall and narrow (12 to 16 feet) gable end sidewalls. The front walls would always be at least as wide as the building's depth but would more typically be two to three times as wide. The floor plans of these basic structures could vary considerably depending on period or construction and use. Early plans are especially difficult to identify as changes in use and plan have obscured the original character of early buildings. Early structures of this type probably contained simple kitchen and parlor plans or just plain kitchen plans. This is a house type that survives through the 19th century and was commonly formalized into a 5-bay center hall type. This later form however is not found in the town plan. Because of the variations in plan the window/door or bay arrangement on the facade varies a great deal in the Type 1 and will be described individually in the inventory. (Examples found at 74 Main, Inventory #30; 148 Main, Inventory #65; 35 Mill, Inventory #95; and 36 Plum, Inventory 130).
full hallway with rooms on only one side which generates a 3 bay facade and side entrance. With respect to its massing, it is a type closely related to the basic Type 2 already identified, with the important distinction of having a decidedly more formal character as displayed in the segregated hallway plan (allows passage through the house without entering the rooms) and the orderly 3 bay facade. Due to the approach of this inventory, in which only a few house interiors were actually investigated, the 3/5th Georgian or side hall house is classified as a Type 2 but with the "full 3 bay" distinction added to the type designation. This distinction serves as an indicator of the use of the Georgian plan type but only interior investigation can establish the true difference. (Inventory #100, 59 Mill and #102, 65 Mill Street).
One of the most individually significant works of architecture in the village is the John Woolston house at 51 & 53 Mill Street (Inventory #98-99). This structure was recorded in a set of measured drawings prepared by the 
By the third quarter of the 19th century desire for increased space coupled with an ability to pay for it introduced further developments in building design. One example is the full three-story elevation that was used as a modification in both the full Georgian and 3/5ths Georgian houses. Together with greatly diminished roof slope visibility (Made possible by the introduction of metal roofs) this form was closely associated with the Italianate or Bracket Style of the period. Good examples of the local interpretation of this style are found at 64 Mill Street (Inventory #107), an austere version with no superfluous woodwork decoration and at the head of Mill Street, 57 Main Street (Inventory # 6) that exhibits rich carpenter ornamentation. A Type 2, 3-bay side hall (3/5th Georgian) example is located at 938 Main Street (Inventory #17) and a double version at 42-44 Main Street (Inventory #21-22).
The turn-of-the-century classic revival period is represented by a neo-Palladian house at 171 Main Street (Inventory #49). One of the later significant styles to appear was the Bungalow of British India origin that produced 78 Mill Street (Inventory #109). A most wonderful and totally idiosyncratic Victorian structure is the Francis Lee house at 52 Pleasant Street (Inventory #166) where it looks out over Jade Creek. This is composed of a small 2-½ story Gothic Cottage with numerous additions, porches, sun-porches, balconies, and sheds stretching out behind in a manner that defies description and analysis. All of these distinctive building designs contribute significantly to the character of the architecture of the town but represent a proportionately small group of buildings and were primarily the property of the wealthier citizens. Throughout the 19th century the basic Type 2 vernacular structure continued to be the most common building type.