Charles L. Cushman House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Charles L. Cushman House
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 Location in Maine
Location in the United States
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| Location | 8 Cushman Pl., Auburn, Maine |
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| Built | 1888 |
| Architect | Coombs, George M. |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne |
| NRHP reference No. | 80000210 |
| Added to NRHP | June 16, 1980 |
The Charles L. Cushman House is a very old and special house located at 8 Cushman Place in Auburn, Maine. It was built in 1889 for Charles Cushman, whose father owned a big shoe factory. This house is unique because it shows off a style called Queen Anne architecture, but it's made of stone instead of the usual wood. It's also considered one of the best homes designed by Lewiston architect George M. Coombs. Because of its importance, the house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
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What Makes the Cushman House Special?
The Cushman House sits at the end of Cushman Place. It looks out over the Little Androscoggin River, just south of downtown Auburn. It's a large, two-and-a-half-story building made mostly of fieldstone. Fieldstone means it's built from natural stones found in fields. It also has fancy wood and cut granite decorations.
Cool Architectural Features
The house has a special roof shape called a cross-gable roof. It also has a full basement. The design shows many features of the Queen Anne style. This includes walls that aren't perfectly even, with decorated gables (the triangular parts of a wall under a sloping roof). It also has several porches. There's even a porte-cochere, which is a covered entrance where people could drive their carriages or cars. You can also see an arched window with beautiful wood carvings around it. A two-story tower with a pointy, cone-shaped roof stands at one corner of the house.
Who Was Charles Cushman?
Charles Cushman was the son of Ara Cushman. Ara Cushman owned the Ara Cushman Company. This company was one of the biggest shoe makers in all of New England. When this house was built in 1889, Charles Cushman was a very important person in the company. He was the vice president. He was in charge of three factories that covered a huge area, about 118,000 square feet (10,962 square meters). More than 1,000 people worked for the company.
The Architect: George M. Coombs
George M. Coombs was a very busy and important architect in the Auburn-Lewiston area during that time. He was well-known for designing many factories and public buildings. He created a lot of buildings in the Auburn-Lewiston area. The Charles L. Cushman House was especially noticed. It even got a special mention in a magazine called American Architect and Building News after it was finished.
