{"nrhp_refnum":"89000580","name":"House at 18 Walnut Street","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"18 Walnut St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Southbridge","county":"Worcester County","state":"MA","lat":42.07374161900003,"lon":-72.02906858899996,"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 small Shingle Style cottage at 18 Walnut Street in Southbridge, Massachusetts, built about 1898 and still used as a residence. Its architect is unknown.","why_significant":"It is significant as an example of housing built by the Wells family for workers of the American Optical Company during the growth of Southbridge's eastern section in the late 19th century. It is also a high-style Shingle Style cottage that has changed little since it was built. The form finds it meets criteria A and C at the local level.","narrative":"Built around 1898, this small cottage at 18 Walnut Street in Southbridge is a high-style example of the Shingle Style despite its modest size. Its most notable features are a gambrel roof, a gambrel dormer on the facade, a front bay window with diamond panes, a slate roof and wood shingle siding. It is one of two similar cottages on the street, the other having a gable roof, and the two share nearly identical trim and window and door placement. The quality of the design suggests an architect was involved, though none has been identified. The house has had no major alterations and remains in good condition. It was owned by George W. Wells, who became president of the American Optical Company in the 1890s, and was likely built to house company employees. Individuals with controlling interests in the company built several such houses before the company began its own factory housing around 1915. The house is valued locally for both its architecture and this connection to workers' housing.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Shingle Style","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Condition described as good; present use is residential, with no major alterations and no outbuildings.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:01.941247-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/61/7935/63793561/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/89000580.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/89000580/5d2ad11509-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/89000580/5d2ad11509-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"John Phelan","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:18_Walnut_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:18_Walnut_Street,_Southbridge_MA.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63793561","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_at_18_Walnut_Street","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5914023"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/worcester-county/house-at-18-walnut-street-89000580/"}