Alden, William E., House
Why it's listed
Built between about 1882 and 1887 at 428 Hamilton Street in Southbridge, this clapboard and shingle house combines Victorian and Queen Anne features. It was the home of William E. Alden, Jr., who ran a grocery and dry goods business with his father in the Alden Block, the only brick commercial block in Globe Village. The house has a broad sweeping roof, ornamental panels, some shingle siding, turned porch posts and balusters, an asymmetrical design and a complex roofline. It is more elaborate than the typical middle-class Victorian house of its time but less grand than houses such as the A.M. Cheney House. A board and batten carriage house with a cupola and a facade balcony adds to the setting. In 1878 only the church next door and one small house stood nearby, so the house belongs to the earliest development of this part of Hamilton Street. It remains in residential use and is in excellent condition.
Significance in brief: The house is significant for its association with the town's late-19th-century real estate development and for adapting the familiar gable-front form to the Queen Anne style. It was part of the earliest development of this section of Hamilton Street. It meets criteria A and C at the local level.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 89000562, listed June 22, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 428 Hamilton St., Southbridge |
|---|---|
| County | Worcester County |
| Listed | June 22, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89000562 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Victorian/Queen Anne |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Industry, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Present use is residential; condition is described as excellent, with no major alterations and the building not moved. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.08214, -72.04052 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 89000562.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q8008186
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.