Located on roughly 80 acres (32 ha) east of downtown Southbridge, the complex was developed between the 1880s and 1950s by the American Optical Company (AO), one of the largest manufacturers of eyewear at the turn of the 20th century.

[1] The American Optical Company was founded in Southbridge in 1869, by the merger of several other lens manufacturers whose origins in the town dated back to the 1830s.

The former main plant, dating to the early 20th century, is located on Mechanic Street on the river's south bank, and was designed by Earle & Fuller.

Now housing a hotel and conference center, this large brick building has fine Romanesque styling.

Later buildings of the complex are generally concrete construction, with the lens plant specifically sited and designed to minimize the intrusion of dust into the glass manufacturing processes.