Built 1870 NRHP Reference # 89000523 Area 4,047 m² | MPS Southbridge MRA Opened 1870 Added to NRHP 22 June 1989 | |
 | ||
Architectural styles Gothic architecture, Gothic Revival architecture, Italianate architecture Similar Wellfleet Drive‑In Theater, Notre Dame Catholic, Southbridge Town Hall | ||
The Sylvester Dresser House is a historic house at 29 Summer Street in Southbridge, Massachusetts. It was built between 1865 and 1870 for Sylvester Dresser, a leading businessman in Southbridge during the second half of the 19th century. Dresser began his career as a schoolteacher, but operated a variety of businesses between the 1840s and 1860s. He was notable for making the first shipment (a load of bricks) when the railroad arrived in Southbridge in 1866. His house is a 2.5 brick structure in a strong Italianate form, but with some Gothic Revival details. The blocky form with three bays, with the rounded arch entry and heavy balcony, are typical Italianate features, but the steeply pitched roof lines and Stick style decorative elements are more distinctly Gothic. The choice of brick as a building material is somewhat unusual, but not unexpected given that Dresser owned brickyards at the time of its construction.
It was built in 1870 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.