Yale-Cady Octagon House and Yale Lock Factory Site

The Yale-Cady Octagon House is an eight-sided residence built in 1849 with Italian-influenced design, featuring wide roof overhangs, paired decorative brackets, and a cupola rising from its center. The property also preserves remains of the original Yale Lock Factory that operated next to the house.

Linus Yale Sr. built this house in 1849 for his daughter Chlothilda and her husband Ira L. Cady while running the adjacent factory that transformed lock mechanisms. The work at the factory led to major advances in security technology that changed the lock industry around the world.

The house shows how successful manufacturers lived and worked in the 1800s, with its octagonal shape representing the era's embrace of new ideas and progress. The location next to the factory reveals how home and work life were closely connected for industrial families.

The property sits on a private lot along North Main Street in Newport and can be viewed from outside, with both the house and factory remains visible from the road. Visitors should know that interior access may be limited and the location is somewhat remote from town centers.

The prototype for the cylinder lock was developed and tested at this factory before it spread to security systems worldwide. Few visitors realize the octagonal shape was a deliberate choice to stand out from typical rectangular houses in the neighborhood.

Location: New York

GPS coordinates: 43.19278,-75.01833

Latest update: December 14, 2025 16:45