The Windsor Court Historic District is a residential
historic district
A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal protection from c ...
in
Southbridge, Massachusetts
Southbridge is a city in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 17,740 at the 2020 census. Although Southbridge has a city form of government, it is legally known as the Town of Southbridge.
History
The area was in ...
, United States. It is a collection of five three-family residences located on Windsor Court and adjacent North Street that were built by the American Optical Company between 1915 and 1917 to provide worker housing. The district was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
in 1989.
Description and history
Windsor Court is a short spur road on the south side of North Street, which runs east–west north of Southbridge's downtown and south of the
Quinebaug River
The Quinebaug River is a river in south-central Massachusetts and eastern Connecticut, with watershed extending into western Rhode Island. The name "Quinebaug" comes from the southern New England Native American term, spelled variously , , etc ...
. Between the road and the river stands part of the former manufacturing facility of the American Optical Company, once Southbridge's leading employer. Two of the five buildings in the district flank Windsor Court, facing south toward North Street, while the other three stand on the west side of Windsor Court. They are essentially identical in original construction, 2-1/2 story wood frame structures with gable roofs. They differ from traditional
triple-decker
A three-decker or triple-decker, in the United States, is a three-story ( triplex) apartment building. These buildings are typical of light-framed, wood construction, where each floor usually consists of a single apartment, and frequently, or ...
construction in that they have gabled roofs and Colonial Revival styling. Distinctive features include corner pilasters and recessed porches, some of which have since been enclosed. Although the roofline starts at the second floor, the houses have dormers that run most of the length of the structure, giving the third floor unit additional space. These features are similar to those found in another cluster of company housing on
Twinehurst Place.
These houses typified the densest form of residential housing built by the American Optical Company to house its workers. These buildings were built between 1915 and 1917, and were rented to workers at $7 per month for the lower units, and $6 for the third floor.
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See also
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References
External links
MACRIS Listing - 8-10 Windsor Ct
{{National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts
Historic districts in Southbridge, Massachusetts
National Register of Historic Places in Southbridge, Massachusetts
Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts
Company housing