Built 1888 Opened 1888 Added to NRHP 16 June 1980 | NRHP Reference # 80000210 Area 4,047 m² Architect George M. Coombs | |
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Location 8 Cushman Pl., Auburn, Maine Architectural style Queen Anne style architecture Similar Bay of Fundy, Lost Valley Ski Area, Sen William P Frye House, Franklin County Courthouse, Dingley Building | ||
The Charles L. Cushman House is an historic house at 8 Cushman Place in Auburn, Maine. Built in 1889 for the son of a major local shoe manufacturer, it is unusual as an example of Queen Anne architecture executed in stone, and is one of the finest residential commissions of Lewiston architect George M. Coombs. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
Description and history
The Cushman House is set at the southern end of Cushman Place, overlooking the Little Androscoggin River south of Auburn's downtown area. It is a large 2-1/2 story fieldstone structure, with wood and cut granite trim elements. It has a cross-gable roof, and is set on a full basement. Its design includes many characteristic Queen Anne traits, including asymmetrical facades with ornamented gables, multiple porches, a porte-cochere, and an arched window surrounded by wood carvings. A two-story tower with conical roof is set at one corner.
Charles Cushman was the son of Ara Cushman, owner of the Ara Cushman Company, one of the largest manufacturers of shoes in New England. At the time this house was built in 1889, Charles Cushman was vice president of the company and supervised three factories with 118,000 square feet (11,000 m2) of space, with more than 1,000 workers. George M. Coombs was at the time a prolific and leading architect of the Auburn-Lewiston area, best known for his many industrial and civic buildings. He executed a significant number of commissions in the Auburn-Lewiston area, with this one receiving particular notice in the American Architect and Building News after its completion.