Twinehurst American Optical Company Neighborhood facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Twinehurst American Optical Company Neighborhood
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 Location in Massachusetts
Location in the United States
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| Location | Twinehurst Place, Southbridge, Massachusetts |
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| Architectural style | Colonial Revival |
| MPS | Southbridge MRA |
| NRHP reference No. | 89000593 |
| Added to NRHP | June 22, 1989 |
The Twinehurst American Optical Company Neighborhood is a special area in Southbridge, Massachusetts. It's known as a historic district, which means it's a place with old buildings that are important to history. This neighborhood has seven unique houses that were built a long time ago by the owners of the American Optical Company. They built these homes to help their workers have a place to live. In 1989, this neighborhood was added to the National Register of Historic Places, recognizing its historical value.
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A Look at the Twinehurst Neighborhood
Most of these seven houses are located on a small street called Twinehurst Place. This street is a short loop near the meeting point of Paige Hill Road and Central Street. One house is on Central Street but is right next to the others. The middle of the loop is an open, grassy area. This gives everyone a clear view of the whole neighborhood.
When Were These Homes Built?
All the houses in the Twinehurst neighborhood were built between 1915 and 1917. This was a busy time for the American Optical Company. Even though some changes have been made to the houses over the years, they still show signs of the Colonial Revival style. This style was popular for buildings around that time.
What Makes These Houses Special?
A typical house in this neighborhood has a front that is three sections wide. The main doors to the building are usually on the ends of the front. Above these doors, there's often a triangle-shaped roof part, called a gabled pediment. Some of the buildings only have one entrance. Most of these homes also have large, three-part windows in the middle section of the front.
Inside the Homes
These houses might look like regular two-family homes with two and a half stories. Their pointed roofs face the street. However, each house has special extended dormer windows. These dormers are large enough to create a full apartment on the third floor. This means each house could fit three families!
Changes Over Time
When the houses were first built, each apartment had a porch on the south side. But over the years, these porches have been closed in. Originally, the houses had wood-shingle siding. This has also changed on most homes. Some now have wider wood siding, while others have modern synthetic siding. Even with these updates, many of the original Colonial Revival details have been kept. This helps the neighborhood keep its historic charm.
