Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984, the Hoyt-Shedd Estate consists of two late 19th century residences at 386 and 396 Andover Street and their rear carriage houses at 569 and 579 East Merrimack Street. The two main houses along Andover Street were constructed in 1874 as identical Stick style residences with Queen Anne style porch trim added in the 1880s. Both houses include a tremendous variety of ornamental millwork. The two Queen Anne style carriage houses fronting East Merrimack Street were built in 1884 and are mirror images of each other.
The builders, E.W. Hoyt and F.B. Shedd, were close friends as well as business partners. Their company produced the internationally acclaimed Hoyt's German Cologne. In addition to their cologne business, Hoyt and Shedd also undertook major real estate development projects including the subdivision of the immense Rogers Farm in Belvidere, today the Rogers Fort Hill Park Historic District. In 1912, Shedd donated the 56 acre Shedd Playground to the City.
