Alvin O. Lombard House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Alvin O. Lombard House
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 Location in Maine
Location in the United States
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| Location | 65 Elm St. Waterville, Maine |
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| Area | 0.3 acres (0.12 ha) |
| Built | 1908 |
| Architectural style | Shingle Style |
| NRHP reference No. | 82000753 |
| Added to NRHP | February 19, 1982 |
The Alvin O. Lombard House is a historic house located at 65 Elm Street in Waterville, Maine. It was built in 1908 and is a great example of a building style called Shingle style architecture. This house is also important because it was the home of Alvin O. Lombard. He was a clever inventor who created the Lombard Steam Log Hauler. This machine was one of the first vehicles to use tracks to move around, like a tank! The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982, which means it's recognized as an important historical site.
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What Makes This House Special?
The Alvin O. Lombard House is in downtown Waterville. It's a large, two-and-a-half-story building made of wood. It has a special roof shape called a gambrel roof and its outside walls are covered with shingles. The house sits on a strong stone foundation.
Unique Design Features
- The front of the house faces west. It has a part that sticks out with a pointed roof (a gable).
- This sticking-out part has a porch that is set back into the house.
- On either side of the porch, there are cool window bays that are shaped like polygons.
- Above the porch, there's a section with three windows set back into the wall.
- A porch goes all the way across the front of the house and wraps around to the side.
- Connected to the house is a two-story building that used to be a carriage house. It looks similar to the main house and has a small tower (a cupola) on its roof.
Even though the house was changed into apartments in the 1940s, many of its original decorations inside are still there!
About Alvin O. Lombard
The house was built in 1908 for Alvin O. Lombard. He was born in Waterville and lived in this house for the last part of his life. Lombard was a very important inventor.
Lombard's Big Invention: Caterpillar Tracks
Alvin O. Lombard is famous for developing an early version of what we now call caterpillar tracks. These are the special tracks that help vehicles move over rough ground. Think of tanks or big construction machines like bulldozers – they all use similar tracks!
- Lombard's invention was first used in his Lombard Steam Log Hauler. This machine helped pull heavy logs out of forests.
- His idea for tracks became very important and is now used in many different types of vehicles, especially military vehicles and machines that move earth.
- Alvin O. Lombard also invented and patented a way to control the speed of a turbine water wheel.
