The Alvin O. Lombard House is in downtown Waterville, on the east side of Elm Street just south of the public library, in an increasingly commercial area. It is a rambling 2+1⁄2-story wood-frame structure, with a gambrel roof, shingled exterior, and stone foundation. Its front facade, facing west, is dominated by a projecting gabled section, which features a recessed porch flanked by polygonal windows bays, and a three-window recess in the upper part of the gable. A single-story porch extends across the front, and sweeps around to the side without a covering roof. A two-story carriage house of similar styling is attached to the northeastern corner; it has a square cupola at the top of its gambrel roof. The interior retains significant original decorative elements, despite its 1940s alteration into a multiunit residence.[2]
The house was built in 1908; its architect is not known. It was built for Alvin O. Lombard, a Waterville native, who lived there for the last third of his life. Lombard is credited with developing an early version of caterpillar tracks, a vehicular propulsion mechanism that eventually saw broad application in a variety of application, most notably in military vehicles and earthmoving equipment. The Lombard Steam Log Hauler was Lombard's effort to capitalize on this invention. He also patented a turbine water wheel control mechanism.[2]
