{"nrhp_refnum":"89000576","name":"Cole, E. Merritt, House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"386 Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Southbridge","county":"Worcester County","state":"MA","lat":42.07678227800005,"lon":-72.03521216099995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1989-06-22","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Industry","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A Gothic Revival house at 386 Main Street in Southbridge, Massachusetts, originally built in the early 1800s by Jacob Edwards and remodeled between 1855 and 1878. It is now used as offices.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the house is significant for its link to the town's mid-19th century real estate development and for its stylish, early Stick style design. Its ornament is unusually high in quality for Southbridge and Central Massachusetts, and it appears to have inspired other local houses. It is also tied to E. Merritt Cole, an original stockholder and treasurer of the American Optical Company.","narrative":"Located at 386 Main Street in Southbridge, this T-shaped house began as an early 1800s residence built by Jacob Edwards. Sometime between 1855 and 1878, and possibly before 1870, it was remodeled into its present Gothic Revival appearance. Its most distinctive feature is the elaborate relief treatment of the clapboard walls, which includes half timbering, diagonal tongue and groove panels, board and batten motifs and other geometric ornament. A two-story projecting porch, a gable apron, bracketed overhanging eaves and original double-leaf entrance doors remain, and the porch columns are the main later alteration. The house is considered unusual in Southbridge and Central Massachusetts for its style and the quality of its ornament, and it seems to have influenced other local buildings. It is also associated with E. Merritt Cole, an original stockholder of the American Optical Company in 1869 and its first treasurer. It is now used as offices and is in excellent condition.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Architect unknown; original house built by Jacob Edwards","architectural_style":"Gothic Revival (with early Stick style design elements)","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Condition described as excellent; present use is offices; originally a residence.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:01.790922-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/77/7934/63793477/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/89000576.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/89000576/bd2825fec3-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/89000576/bd2825fec3-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"John Phelan","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:386_Main_Street,_Southbridge_MA.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">John Phelan</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:386_Main_Street,_Southbridge_MA.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63793477","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E._Merritt_Cole_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5322061"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/worcester-county/cole-e-merritt-house-89000576/"}