Millis Center Historic District

Millis Center is the historic core of the town of Millis, Massachusetts, a compact neighborhood of modest houses, two factory complexes, a rail line, and civic buildings north of Main Street. Most buildings are wood-frame dwellings from the mid 19th to early 20th centuries, though a center-chimney Georgian house from about 1750 survives. Italianate houses from the 1850s to 1870s, the elaborate 1887 Rocklawn house designed by Boston architect Frank W. Weston, and rows of gable-front cottages built for factory workers in the 1890s show how the village grew. The Millis Company financed about 60 cottages, and streets such as Lavender and Irving were laid out for employees. The railroad, the 1886 station, and spurs serving the factories tied the community to industry. Churches, the former Memorial School now used as town offices, an American Legion hall, Memorial Park, and a stone bandstand complete the village center. Of 219 resources, 171 are counted as contributing.