Jonathan Bowers House facts for kids
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Jonathan Bowers House
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U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
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 Location in Massachusetts
Location in the United States
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| Location | 58 Wannalancit St., Lowell, Massachusetts |
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| Built | 1872 |
| Architectural style | Second Empire |
| Part of | Wannalancit Street Historic District (ID98000541) |
| NRHP reference No. | 76000253 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | June 18, 1976 |
| Designated CP | May 20, 1998 |
The Jonathan Bowers House is a truly unique and historic home located in Lowell, Massachusetts. Built in 1872 for a local businessman, it stands out because it's a circular building made of stone. It also features a fancy architectural style known as Second Empire. This special house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976, recognizing its importance.
About the Jonathan Bowers House
The Jonathan Bowers House sits on the east side of Wannalancit Street. This is a residential street just east of the Pawtucket Canal, not far from downtown Lowell. The house is built on top of a small hill.
A Unique Design and Look
This house is 2-1/2 stories tall, meaning it has two full floors and a half-story, usually in the attic. It is built from granite stone found nearby. What makes it really special is its round shape!
The roof is also unique. It's a mansard roof, which means it has four slopes, each with two different angles. The lower part of the roof is steeper than the upper part. It's covered with slate shingles that look like fish scales. Right in the middle of the roof, there's a round cupola. A cupola is a small dome-shaped structure on top of a roof. This one has a belvedere, which is a raised open structure that offers a nice view.
The roof also has special windows called pedimented gable dormers. These are windows that stick out from the roof and have a triangular top, like a mini-temple front. This style is very typical of the Second Empire look. There's also a round chimney sticking out of the roof.
Who Was Jonathan Bowers?
The land where the house stands had been owned by the Bowers family for a long time. Around 1850, the land was divided up for building. Jonathan Bowers built this house in 1872. He was an important local businessman. He owned a sawmill, which cut wood, and a granite quarry, which dug up stone. He even owned an amusement park in nearby Tyngsborough!
The materials used to build the house came from Bowers' own businesses. The stone for the outside and the wood for the inside were all from his sawmill and quarry. Jonathan Bowers lived in the house until 1879. After he moved out, a dealer in plumbing and metals owned it.
From 1919 to 1924, a French-American social club called the Club Lafayette owned the house. After that, it became a private home again. For a while, it also had a small law office inside. Today, the Jonathan Bowers House is still one of Lowell's most unusual and interesting buildings.
