Milford's 'Spite House' May Be Turned Back Into A Home

MILFORD, MA — A notable building in the downtown Milford area that was built in the late 19th century in spite of its oddly-shaped lot may soon return to its original use.

The owner of the "Spite House" at 61 Exchange St. is seeking a permit to turn an office in the building — which had been used by attorney Warren Heller, also the owner — into an apartment. The Milford Planning Board has given the change a positive recommendation before it heads to the Zoning Board of Appeals.

The building has a long, notorious history in Milford.

A Milford resident named William Nichols built it in 1899 for Anna Mary Nichols Ballou as her wedding present, according to town history. At the time, neighbors told Nichols it was impossible based on the space he had, which means the building is quite angular — apparently only one room has four corners.

"This small triangular nine room home contains rooms of various geometric shapes, only of which has four corners," a Milford Historical Commission description reads. A Worcester Telegram article from 1996 described the building as a "cubist painting turned into a living space."

Since its construction, the home has gone through several zoning changes, most recently in 2016 to office-residential.

Heller recently entered into an agreement to sell the Spite House, but the new owner wants to convert it into an apartment building. There's already one apartment unit on the top floor of the building. Heller needs ZBA permission before he can convert the office into an apartment to complete the sale.

The ZBA held a hearing on the change on Thursday evening. Town Planner Larry Dunkin has recommended that the Spite House change be allowed.