Richard Barker Octagon House facts for kids
The Richard Barker Octagon House is a very unique old house in Worcester, Massachusetts. It's called an "octagon house" because it has eight sides, just like a stop sign! This house was built a long time ago, around 1855. It's one of only two octagon houses in Worcester. What makes it extra special is how its walls were built, using a method with gravel that was not very common. Because it's so interesting and important, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places on March 5, 1980.
Quick facts for kids |
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Richard Barker Octagon House
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 Location in Massachusetts
Location in the United States
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| Location | 312 Plantation Street, Worcester, Massachusetts |
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| Built | 1855 |
| Architectural style | Octagon Mode |
| MPS | Worcester MRA |
| NRHP reference No. | 80000592 |
| Added to NRHP | March 5, 1980 |
Contents
What Makes This House Special?
The Barker Octagon House is located on the east side of Worcester. You can find it on Plantation Street, not far from a main road called Massachusetts Route 9.
How the House Looks
This house has two floors. It has a roof that is also eight-sided and not very steep. The roof has wide edges that stick out, supported by fancy pairs of decorations. The outside walls are covered in a smooth material called stucco. There are simple flat columns at the corners, which make the walls look like they have panels.
At the front, there's a porch where you can enter. This porch has four round columns that hold up a simple roof. Long ago, the house used to have a small, eight-sided tower on top, but it's not there anymore.
Why Octagon Houses Were Built
Octagon houses were popular for a short time, mostly between 1848 and 1865. A writer named Orson Squire Fowler helped make them famous. He wrote books saying that octagon houses were healthier and more practical to live in. They let in more sunlight and were easier to heat.
This house is quite unusual because of how its walls were made. Orson Squire Fowler suggested building walls using gravel and stone chips. Most octagon houses were built with regular wood frames. The Richard Barker Octagon House might be one of the few built using this special gravel technique.
Who Lived Here?
The first known owner of this house was Richard Barker. He was a carpenter, a person who builds with wood. He bought the house in 1866. By this time, the craze for octagon houses was already starting to fade away.
