General
triple-decker
What does triple-decker mean?
A three-story wooden apartment house, one unit per floor, built by the thousands across Boston, Worcester, Providence and the rest of New England between roughly 1880 and 1930 to house mill and factory workers. Long porches stacked out back, flat or low-pitched roof, and almost always wood-frame. If you grew up in Dorchester or Somerville you grew up in one or next to one.
"She rented the top floor of a triple-decker off Dot Ave."
Origin
New England working-class housing boom of the late 19th century; the form became so dominant in cities like Worcester and Boston that it's now a recognised vernacular architectural style.
Frequently asked questions
What is a triple-decker?
It's a three-story wood-frame apartment building with one flat stacked per floor, iconic to New England.
How do you use triple-decker in a sentence?
For example: "They rented the top floor of a triple-decker in Worcester."
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