Linwood Painters — Linwood Avenue, Maple Court and Pine Court

Linwood occupies the southernmost section of Northbridge, about a mile southeast of Whitinsville along Linwood Avenue. Its 1988 National Register form explains that the Linwood Cotton Mill, built around 1866 by the Whitins, and its first buildings gave the place its identity; the village later spread northeast along Route 122 and southeast across the line into Uxbridge. The district was listed in 1989 and counts 17 contributing resources plus one noncontributing building, a carwash from about 1970.

The mill at 666 Linwood Avenue is three and a half stories of brick on a granite basement, topped by a slate mansard roof. Northwest of the mill stands the house of James Fletcher Whitin, the mill's first proprietor: a two-and-a-half-story wood-frame Second Empire mansion from about 1866 to 1870, which was operating as an inn when the form was written.

The worker housing follows three Greek Revival designs, all wood frame with rear ells: a three-and-a-half-story dormitory at the corner of Linwood Avenue and Maple Court, five one-and-a-half-story duplexes for mid-level managers on Maple Court, and two matching two-and-a-half-story dormitories on Pine Court. By 1988 these had become apartments. The form recorded asbestos shingles on the big dormitory, siding over the frieze windows of three duplexes, and fresh synthetic siding on the Pine Court buildings, while original pilastered doorways survived at 19–21 and 27–29 Maple Court.

Asbestos shingles on record

Asbestos shingles were documented on at least one Linwood building. EPA guidance is to leave undamaged asbestos material alone and never sand, scrape or drill it, so suspect shingles should be identified before any prep, and the prep chosen must not abrade them.

Greek Revival trim on worker housing

Rakeboards, full entablatures, pedimented door hoods and pilaster door surrounds give these plain buildings their character. Wide, flat boards like these make open joints and lifted edges easy to spot once a fresh coat goes on.

Siding that came later

Several of the worker buildings had been partly or fully re-sided by 1988. On those buildings painting may be limited to trim, doors and porches, and wherever covering is removed, the wood and any old paint beneath have to be assessed before anything is coated.

Lead in an 1860s district

The contributing buildings date from the third and fourth quarters of the 1800s, so federal lead-safe rules apply to paid work that disturbs their paint. Our lead-safe painting page explains what that work looks like.