Alpha M. Cheney House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Alpha M. Cheney House
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Alpha M. Cheney House
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 Location in Massachusetts
Location in the United States
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| Location | 61 Chestnut St., Southbridge, Massachusetts |
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| Area | 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| Built | 1881 |
| Architect | Barker & Nourse |
| Architectural style | Stick/Eastlake |
| MPS | Southbridge MRA |
| NRHP reference No. | 89000526 |
| Added to NRHP | June 22, 1989 |
The Alpha M. Cheney House is a special old home located at 61 Chestnut Street in Southbridge, Massachusetts. It was built in 1881 for Alpha M. Cheney. He was a very important person at the American Optical Company. This company was one of the biggest employers in Southbridge. The house was designed by Barker & Nourse from Worcester. It's a great example of the fancy Victorian Gothic style. This historic house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.
About Alpha M. Cheney
Alpha M. Cheney lived from 1834 to 1897. He grew up in Southbridge. His father was a local church leader. Alpha went to Nichols Academy for his education. After school, he started working in the business of making eyeglasses.
He became interested in a company called R. H. Cole. Later, in 1869, he helped start the American Optical Company. This company became very successful. When Alpha M. Cheney passed away, people said he owned "a large amount of property." This included "one of the finest private residences in Southbridge."
The Cheney House Design
The Cheney House sits on a large piece of land. It is at the corner of Chestnut and Cisco Streets. This area is a neighborhood east of downtown Southbridge. The house is two and a half stories tall. It has steep roofs with pointed sections called gables. These gables have special Stick style decorations.
The house also features a small tower called a turret. This turret has its own gables on all four sides of its steep roof. There is a front porch that sticks out. It has fancy railings and decorative posts. On the property, there is also a carriage house. This building was built around the same time. It has a similar style to the main house. A carriage house was used to store horse-drawn carriages.
Building the House
The Alpha M. Cheney House was built in 1881. It was designed by architects Barker & Nourse from Worcester. Back then, Chestnut Street did not have many houses. Alpha M. Cheney also built several houses across the street. These were likely homes for his workers. It was common for important businessmen in Southbridge to provide housing for their employees.
