Charles Allen House (Worcester, Massachusetts) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Charles Allen House
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 Location in Massachusetts
Location in the United States
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| Location | 65 Elm St., Worcester, Massachusetts |
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| Built | 1870 |
| Architectural style | Second Empire |
| MPS | Worcester MRA |
| NRHP reference No. | 80000579 |
| Added to NRHP | March 05, 1980 |
The Charles Allen House is a cool old building located at 65 Elm Street in Worcester, Massachusetts. It was built way back in 1870. This house is special because it's a great example of a unique style called "Second Empire." It's also famous because of Charles Allen, who was an important lawyer, politician, and judge in Massachusetts. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980, which means it's a really important historical site. Today, it's used for offices.
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Discovering the Charles Allen House
The Charles Allen House stands on the north side of Elm Street. It's right at the corner of West Street. This spot is a few blocks west of downtown Worcester's Main Street. The house is three stories tall. It has a special roof style called a mansard roof.
Unique Design of the House
The building is mostly square-shaped. It has an extra part, like an "L" shape, sticking out from the back. The front of the house has a section that sticks out a little bit. This part is called a central pavilion. It goes up two stories high. The top of this section has a triangular shape, known as a pedimented gable.
The main roof has decorative blocks under its edge. These are called modillions. You can also see these same blocks on the porch. The porch covers the front door. These details make the house look very fancy and unique.
Who Was Charles Allen?
The idea for this house likely came from Charles Allen himself. The land where the house stands used to belong to Governor Levi Lincoln, Jr.. Governor Lincoln had a house there before. Charles Allen had that old house moved a short distance away. This made room for his new house.
Charles Allen's Important Life
Charles Allen was a very important person from Worcester. He worked as a lawyer with John Davis. John Davis also became a governor of Massachusetts. Charles Allen served in the state's law-making group, called the legislature. He also worked as a local judge.
Later, he became the very first chief judge of a new court. This court was called the Massachusetts Superior Court. He was even offered a job on the highest court in the country, the Supreme Court of the United States. But he decided not to take that important position.
Charles Allen passed away in 1869. His family members, called his heirs, might have finished building the house. They owned the property until the early 1900s.
