House at 91 Coombs Street
Why it's listed
Built around 1905, this three-decker at 91 Coombs Street in Southbridge is a clapboard-sided, Queen Anne Vernacular house with a gable front sheltering a bay window and three stories of porches beneath the facade pediment. It is narrower and taller than many Southbridge three-deckers and unusual for its gable roof. The building keeps its original 2/2 sash, porch doors, wood trim, balusters and stained glass stair windows, and it is one of the few relatively unaltered three-deckers left on the street. Side porches were added in the 1980s without greatly changing the facade. Coombs Street was subdivided into house lots in the late 19th century on land once part of large estates along Main Street. Growth of nearby American Optical drove construction of multifamily housing here, and several three-deckers on the street, including this one, housed company workers in the 1930s and 1940s. The builder is not documented.
Significance in brief: It is presented as a rare, well-preserved example of the triple decker, a regional multi-family housing type, in a town where such housing was popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It is also one of several three-decker designs built in Southbridge. Its development reflects the growth of the neighborhood near the American Optical Company.
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 89000525, listed June 22, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 91 Coombs St., Southbridge |
|---|---|
| County | Worcester County |
| Listed | June 22, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89000525 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne Vernacular |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Industry, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition described as good; present use is residential. Side porches were added in the 1980s. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.07177, -72.02952 (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 89000525.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14715597
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.