The Albert Potter Octagon House was built after the appearance of the second edition (1853) of Orson Fowler's Home for All, which recommended the octagon as the most economical and practical shape for a house. Fowler also recommended concrete for walls, but this example is shingled, with bracketed cornices at the eaves and around the cupola, and unadorned windows throughout. An unadorned door opens onto the roof from the cupola. The quaint sobriety of this well-maintained octagon accounts for its character.