BlockThe nomination, in full
Bibliography, boundary description, and the people who prepared and reviewed the nomination.
MAY 1 5 1989 FORM B - BUILDING MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION 80 BOYLSTON STREET BOSTON, MA 02116 Photo (3"x3" or 3"x5", black and white) Indicate address of property on back of photo. Staple to left side of form. Roll1=-0 Sketch Map: Draw map showing property's location in relation to nearest cross streets and/or geographical features. Indicate all buildings between inventoried property and nearest intersection(s). Indicate north UTM REFERENCE 18/745 330/4662 025 USGS QUADRANGLE Southbridge, Mass-conn SCALE 1.25,000 590 SOUTHBRIDGE MRA MASS AREA C FORM NO. 301 Town Southbridge Address 25 Elm Street Historic Name Tiffany-Leonard House Use: Present offices Original residential DESCRIPTION Date ca.
1832 Source maps, visual analysis Style Greek Revival Architect unknown Exterior Wall Fabric brick Outbuildings none Major Alterations (with dates) modern rear wing added (mid-late-20th century) Condition Excellent Moved no Date nla Acreage less than one acre Setting civic, commercial, institutional area Recorded by E. Woodford, S. Ceccacci ed. S. Ceccacci OrganizationSouthbridge Historical Com- mission Date May 1986 NATIONAL REGISTER CRITERIA STATEMENT (if applicable) The Tiffany-Leonard House is significant for its association with the developing mili economy, its new gable-front orientation and Greek Revival ornament, and its use of brick as a building material. It meete National Register criteria A and C at the local level and retains integrity of location, materials, worknanship, design, feeling, and association.
The boundaries indicated on the attached assessors map are those of current ownership. ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE Describe important architectural features and evaluate in terms of - other buildings within the community. This brick temple-front house with its two story quadristyle porch and facade pediment is one of the most imposing 19th-century residences in Southbridge. That it was also considered to be one of the outstanding of its own day is suggested by a comment made in the Quinebaug Historical Leaflets written around the turn of the 20th-century. This source reported that the Judson-Litchfield House (form #D-448) (ca.
1830-1837) on South Street was built so as to "outrival" Ammidown Castle" and the Be a Tiffany or Leonard house." Although the temple form of the Tiffany-Leonard House and much of its ornament is dis- tinctly Greek Revival, the slimness of its reeded Doric columns and the less massive treatment of the entablature and cornice are inspired by the earlier Federal style. The use of brick rather than wood construction is also more typical in Southbridge of Federal period residences (See Continuation Sheet) HISTORiCAL SIGNIFICANCE Explain the role owners played in local or state history and how the building relates to the development of the community. Built for Bella Tiffany about 1832, this house was owned for a much longer period by the Leonard family. It belonged to Manning Leonard in 1855 and was still owned by his heirs in 1898.
Bella Tiffany (1786-1851) was the original partner of Samuel Slater (the so-called "father of cotton manufacture in the United States") in establishing Slater & Tiffany, the first cotton mill in Webster, Massachusetts about 1812. According to Ammidown's Historical Collectior -(1870): "Bella Tiffany, John Iyson and Edward Howard were the chief managers - the pioneers, the moving spirits - that executed the plans of Mr. Slater in founding what is now the principal business of Webster..." As a result of a depression in cotton manufacturing which occurred due to a flood of English manufactured goods on the American Market following the close of the War of 1812, Tiffany sold out his holding in the business in 1816. He then dealt in "the commission sale of American cotton and wool manufactures" in Boston and New York.
Retiring from that business in about 1832, Tiffany moved himself and his family to Southbridge "where he maintained a favorable social position." While in Southbridge, he was involved in the founding of the Southbridge bank and numerous public improvements. He also represented Southbridge in the state Legislature. His wife, Deborah, died in 1839 at the age 52. Manning Leonard was an active Southbridge businessman and citizen during a major portion of the 19th~century. He served as clerk of the Central Manufacturing Company (form #B-203) . when it was formed in 1837. By 1845 he was a holder of fifteen of the eighty shares (See Continuation Sheet) BIBLIOGRAPHY and/or REFERENCES - maps, atlases Ammidown, H., Historical Collections Vol. "I, 464-468; Vol. II, Pp. 382.385 Holbrook. Vital Records to 1850, pp. 154-5, 263 Quinebaug Historical Leaflets, Vol. I, pp. 14-15, Vol. II, p.
147 8/85 INVENTORY FORM CONTINUATION SHEET MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Office of the Secretary, Boston Commmity : Southbridge SOUTHDR C- BASA MRA Form No: C-301 Property Name: Tiffany-Leonard House 25 Elm Street Indicate each item on inventory form which is being continued below. ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE (cont'd) During the 1830's and 1840's in larger Worcester County towns, such as Worcester, houses 'of well-to-do families like the Tiffanys were being built which were wholly Greek Revival in character. Hints of the earlier Federal style lingered longer in smaller outlying communities like Southbridge. Other Southbridge houses built in the 1830's and 1840's, such as the Judson-Litchfield House (mentioned above) and the Hamilton Millwright's/Mill Agent's House (form #D-46l), display a blending of characteristics of both styles. HISTORIEAL SIGNIFICANCE (cont'd) in the company.
With Chester A. Dresser he became an owner of the mill in 1858, finally withdrawing from the business in 1863. Leonard was active in conservative political circles in town and served as justice of the peace from 1849 to 1883. He was married to Mary F. Ammidown, the daughter of Ebenezer and Rebeccah Fisher Ammidown, in 1840. They had several children. At the time of the construction of this house, the section of the east side of Elm Street between Main Street and the original Congregational Church (1822) was occupied by barns and sheds and only one residence, that of Holmes Ammidown (no longer standing) which had been erected in 1830. The first Town Hall was erected on the site of the present Town Hal1 in 1838, several years after the construction of the Tiffany-Leonard House.
Staple to Inventory form at bottom NPS Formr:0-000 (8-86) United States Department ofthe Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet OMB Approvel No. 1024-0018 Section number Page Multiple Resource Area Thematic Group Name State Southbridge MRA Worcester County, MASSACHUSETTS Nomination/Type of Review 71. Tapin, Eugene, House Date/Signature intered in the saLuoa Aogtata Reper AlelmaByar 6/0/89 Attest rod in the 72. Tiffany--Leonard House Ha i ra iagtstof keeper lelunZge 4p22/89 Attest 73. Iwinehurst American Optical Company. Neighborhood Kkeeper SlurBgen 62214 38-1 3si05s2 Attest 74. Upper Chapin Street Historic District Entered in the kaeper dlomByu 0/22/09 National RegisterAttest Entered 1n tha 75. Vinton--Boardman Farmhouse Natlona. Begister /Keeper AleluuyZzu 4/2/89 Attest Enter t.) 76.
Vinton--Torrey House Nation, wan atoc eeper 6/22/89 Attest 11. Wells, George B. and Ruth D.entersa in the /Keeper AhluDyu 6/24/44 Natlonal RegiateFAttest Entered 1othe 78. Wells, H.C., Double House Batured 10i bakeeper AulmByun 4/2/, Attest 1: 79. Wells, John M., House Ne.t1 Heaper AlelmreBye 6/2/5 Attest 80.
Wheeler, Albert H., House Entered in the Watlonal Regietor/Keeper_ Attest ShlmreaBgen 6/22/84 NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES EVALUATION/RETURN SHEET REQUESTED ACTION: NOMINATION PROPERTY NAME: Tiffany--Leonard House MULTIPLE NAME: Southbridge MRA STATE & COUNTY: MASSACHUSETTS, Worcester DATE RECEIVED: DATE OF 16TH DAY: DATE OF WEEKLY LIST: 5/15/89 6/16/89 DATE OF PENDING LIST: 5/31/89 DATE OF 45TH DAY: 6/29/89 REFERENCE NUMBER: 89000590 NOMINATOR: STATE REASONS FOR REVIEW: APPEAL: N DATA PROBLEM: N LANDSCAPE: N LESS THAN 50 YEARS: OTHER: N PDIL: N PERIOD: N PROGRAM UNAPPROVED: REQUEST: N SAMPLE: N SLR DRAFT: N NATIONAL: N COMMENT WAIVER: N LACCEPT RETURN REJECT 6/22/89 DATE Entered in the National Register ABSTRACT/SUMMARY COMMENTS : RECOM./CRITERIA REVIEWER DISCIPLINE DATE DOCUMENTATION see attached comments Y/N see attached SLR Y/N CLASSIFICATION count resource type STATE/FEDERAL AGENCY CERTIFICATION FUNCTION historic current DESCRIPTION architectural classification materials descriptive text SIGNIFICANCE Period Areas of Significance--Check and justify below Specific dates Builder/Architect Statement of Significance (in one paragraph) summary paragraph completeness clarity applicable criteria justification of areas checked relating significance to the resource context relationship of integrity to significance _justification of exception other BIBLIOGRAPHY GEOGRAPHICAL DATA acreage UTMS verbal boundary description boundary justification ACCOMPANYING DOCUMENTATION/PRESENTATION sketch maps USGS maps photographs presentation OTHER COMMENTS Questions concerning this nomination may be directed to Phone Signed Date THE SOUTABRIDGE NEWS The News 25 Em Street.
(Form C-301) Tiftany-Leonara House Southonae, MASS MR 1986 southbndge Hhstorical commission R0Nl#2-0 25 Elm Street 35 819 SER 1s. 133 78 2F 129 139 140 CHAPIN STREET 142 145 124 13319 SOUTHBRIDGE MASS 58 JOHN LO'NANELL ALRURAMU 111 .TE9 36 209 210 E-301 #25 MAIN 204 KENP OinKe 202 201 200 12F BA GI 2F 46 1!) PowN 28 23 24 26O 70: 20 30 2F 2F HF 32 33Q: 51 SOUTHBRIDGE, MASS 55 ;. 46 47 Please refer to the map in the Multiple Property Cover Sheet for this property Multiple Property Cover Sheet Reference Number: 64000294