Historic octagon-shaped home for sale in Manchester
Jul. 10—Many historic homes line the streets of Manchester, some dating to the heyday of the Amoskeag mills, but three of them stand out for their unusual octagonal architecture.
One of those homes, at 481 Hanover St., is for sale. The historic eight-sided brick house is designated as mixed-use with office space and three studio/one-bedroom apartments, but the home and carriage house (also an octagon) have plenty of opportunity for those looking to invest. The asking price is $595,000.
A wooden-carved spiral staircase runs from the bottom floors to a cupola, which offers sweeping views of the city's skyline — a much different view from when it was built in the 1880s.
"It is probably the coolest staircase you are going to see in Manchester," said Realtor Laura Gamache, founder of Gamache Real Estate Group. "I've been doing this for quite a number of years."
The home is full of many antique features, including doorknobs, moldings and wood floors. All the units are filled with longtime tenants.
"People like the character," Gamache said. "It is not just your standard kind of garden-style apartment. You have talking features."
The last time the home sold was in November 2016 for $290,000, according to city assessor records.
"We've had a fair amount of interest," Gamache said. "It probably isn't going to last too much longer."
Construction started in 1885 and was completed in 1886, when the widow of Henry Joy moved into the home and lived there for the rest of her life, according to the Manchester Historical Association.
The bottom floor was once a bridal shop and later a hair salon, according to records.
All three octagon-shaped homes in Manchester were designed by Orson Fowler, whose book, "The Octagon Home: A Home for All," published in 1849, boosted the style's popularity, according to the association.
The first octagon home in Manchester was built on Mast Road in 1858. Another was built on Beech Street before the turn of the century.
Why an octagon?
Fowler claimed the homes were easier to heat and cool and had better ventilation.
"The main rooms of the homes were square, but the closets and bathrooms that filled the odd spaces between the squares were triangular shaped," information from the Historical Association reads.
The homes also are said to be easier to clean with less pronounced corners, according to the New England Historical Society.
Hard to expand
The eight-sided homes were first thought to be a cheaper way to "bring comfortable dwellings within reach of poorer classes," according to historic documents.
Their popularity didn't last long, partly because the structures were hard to expand.
In 2018, the city's zoning board granted a variance for another apartment to be added in the carriage house. The work to convert the attached structure started but was never finished. A staircase will lead to a loft bedroom and full bathroom.
The variance requires a driveway to be built to the carriage house.
"It does need some work to finish it," Gamache said.
The third-floor attic also has the potential to be converted into another apartment with a fully open octagonal floor plan but would require a heating system and second entrance, Gamache said.
"They would have to go through the city to get the necessary requirements to make this another living space," she said.
Gamache said a lot of work was already performed on the home before it hit the market, including a new roof and rebuilt dormers.
"Like every other home, it is a labor of love," she said.