The Cottage Hill community was founded in 1839, 20 years after two neighboring communities, East Alabama and New Philadelphia, merged to become the city of Montgomery. Before the 1830s there was little interest in the area in spite of its close proximity to the new town. In 1839 a local lawyer and land speculator named Edward Hanrick took an interest in the area. Hanrick, known locally as "Horseshoe Ned", laid out streets and established lots in the area then known as Hanrick Plat, still interest in the area remained modest. By 1846, only three lots had been purchased. Development in Cottage Hill continued to be slow well into the 1860s, despite the construction of a Episcopal female school in the area. A small group of planters had established homes along Whitman Street. However, most of the residents of cottage Hill at the time were working-class citizens including railroad employees, grocers, carpenters and laborers. (1)

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A large portion of the homes still standing in the district were built in the years following the Civil War, in the late Victorian style of architecture. The Victorian style was popularized during the reign of Queen Victorian of Britain and features many styles. But some of the main features of Victorian architecture are their doll-house like looks, curlicue trim, bright colors, and asymmetrical designs. Two of the more notable ones,  the Winter –Thornington Homes, located at the Winter Place Historic complex, are still standing but have greatly deteriorated. The Winter-Thornington Homes are particularly important because they are among the last Victorian style houses still standing in Cottage Hill The complex is located on the National Register of Historic Places and features two houses, conjoined by a passageway. (1)

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 Around the turn of the century, the area along Goldthwaite Street, located along the eastern edge of the neighborhood, became trendy. During the time the Queen Anne Style of Architecture, which featured asymmetrical fronts and towers, was popular in the United States and several homes of this style were built in Cottage Hill, including the house that sits at 103 Goldthwaite Street.

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