Charles L. Cushman House

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.^[2]

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.^[2]

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Androscoggin County, Maine