Major Bibliographical References (Cite the books, articles, and other sources used in preparing this form on one or more continuation sheets.) Previous documentation on file (NPS): Primary location of additional data: - preliminary determination of individual listing (36 x State Historic Preservation Office CFR 67) has been requested - Other State agency - previously listed in the National Register - Federal agency - previously determined eligible by the National x Local government Register - University _ designated a National Historic Landmark - recorded by Historic American Buildings Survey _ recorded by Historic American Engineering Record #. Pittsfield NPS Form 1 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section Number 8 Page1 OMB Approval No.
1024-0018 Springside Park Pittsfield (Berkshire), MA NARRATIVE STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE Springside Park is a 237.5-acre early 20" century municipal park located approximately one mile north of the center of Pittsfield, MA. It represents the assemblage by gift and purchase of private lands that were Abraham Burbank is believed to have built the earliest portions of the house. It ends in 1958, which is 50 years from the present. For this reason, resources listed on the data sheet that postdate 1958 are counted as noncontributing. Springside Park possesses integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association. It meets National Register Criterion A at the local level as a 19t century country estate and an early 20" century planned municipal park.
It meets National Register Criterion C at the local level as a well-preserved example of a 19t century country home, and as an example of early 20" century park and landscape design. Colonial and Early Industrial Periods - 1735-1870 In 1735, the General Court of Massachusetts granted portions of the "wild lands" at the western end of the colony to the City of Boston to compensate for the city's heavy tax burden. The lands were subsequently sold at public auction and Col. Jacob Wendell of Boston purchased 24,000 acres in the area known as Pontoosuck (now Pittsfield). The Mohican Indian name for the area is generally translated as "field or haven for winter deer." Settlement of the Pontoosuck area began in 1743, but was curtailed by the hostilities of the French and Indian War.
Permanent settlement expanded with the migration of settlers from Westfield, Massachusetts, in 1752 and the area was incorporated as Pontoosuck Plantation (population 200) in 1753. In 1761, Colonel William Williams, a leading resident of the area, successfully petitioned the colonial government to rename the settlement the Township of Pittsfield (in honor of William Pitt the Elder, 1708- 1778, British Secretary of State and subsequent Prime Minister), and to establish Berkshire County as the new westernmost county in Massachusetts adjacent to the New York border. By 1790, Pittsfield, located at the geographical center of the new county, had begun to take on its current character. Park Square was established as the central location for the community's new (second) meetinghouse.
Four main roads were laid out radiating from the square in each of the cardinal directions and were designated North St., East St., South St., and West St. The names and roadways remain in use today. (continued) NPS Form 1 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section Number 8 Page 2 OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Springside Park Pittsfield (Berkshire), MA Pittsfield in the year 1800 had a population of 2,261 people. The town was a local trade center surrounded by farms producing grains and livestock, but there were also sawmills and gristmills operating on the Housatonic River and its tributaries. During the War of 1812, Congress authorized a cantonment of United States troops and a depot for prisoners of war near North Street in Pittsfield.
The predictable result was a rapid increase in local trade. The almost unlimited availability of mixed deciduous forests on the hills and mountains surrounding Pittsfield led to the development of a thriving paper manufacturing industry on local waterways in the first half of the 19" century. The introduction of Merino sheep in 1807 helped boost specialized agriculture and supported the development of water-powered woolen mills throughout the region. The Western Railroad (later the Boston & Albany Railroad) connected to Pittsfield in 1841 and provided a vital link to urban markets in New England and New York. The building of the railroad and the expansion of local paper and textile mills also brought an influx of Irish Catholic immigrants to Pittsfield. By 1850, the town's population had reached 5,872.
The Springside Area The upland area now known as Springside was mostly undeveloped pasture in the first half of the 19th century. The earliest specific mention of the area is in 1808 when the Honorable Ashbel Strong sold water rights to the natural springs on the hillside of his farm to the first Pittsfield waterworks company. The company supplied water to the center of the village through subterranean wooden pipes, but soon ran into financial difficulty because the pipes were not buried deep enough and hada tendency to freeze and burst (1876 History of Pittsfield, p. 558). The roadway that extended from North Street beyond the village of Pittsfield was known as "the high road to Pontoosuck." Maps and census records suggest that settlement in the area was sparse until after the Civil War period.
The most significant local figure associated with the area that became Springside Park was Abraham Burbank (1813-1887). Born in West Springfield (MA), he came to Pittsfield as a journeyman carpenter in 1832 and married Miss Julia Brown of Pittsfield in 1834. The young couple migrated to the Michigan frontier, but returned to Pittsfield in 1837. Abraham Burbank subsequently cultivated a successful career as a builder, farmer, hotelkeeper, merchant and "landlord of several business blocks and scores of tenements" (History of Pittsfield, vol. 3, pp. 59-60). In the 1840s or early 1850s, Abraham Burbank purchased a large farm on the north side of Pittsfield from the Hon. Thomas B.
Strong (a descendent of Ashbel Strong) and established a gentleman's farm and (continued) NPS Form 1 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section Number 8 Page_3 OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Springside Park Pittsfield (Berkshire), MA country seat of about 80 acres at Springside. The exact location and appearance of Burbank's house have not been identified from available sources. According to a newspaper account in the Pittsfield Sur (January 10, 1856), Burbank subsequently sold the original farmhouse and thirty acres at Springside fo use as a private male boarding school under the direction of the Rev. Charles E. Abbott (or Abbot, in some sources).
The newspaper noted, "The location is a beautiful one - commanding a fine view of the village, and well suited for the purpose intended." Abbott ran the school from 1856 to 1866 and the location was presumably at the southern end of the farm in the vicinity of the present Abbott Street and Springside Avenue (History of Pittsfield, Vol. 3, p. 119). The 1860 census listed the Abbott household as Rev. Charles (born about 1812) and his wife Mary, three sons, four unrelated women (presumably domestics), but curiously no students. Around the same time, Burbank apparently moved to a new house located farther north at Springside. This assumption is based on the 1860 census, which indicates that Abraham and Julia were living on the farm with six of their eight children, two farm laborers and two domestics (one of whom was listed as "insane").
Burbank's own occupation had advanced from "Carpenter" (1850) to "Master Builder" (1860 census). By 1868, Abraham Burbank's business focus had shifted back to the center of Pittsfield. He ran the Burbank Hotel "two doors north of the B&A railroad bridge, North St." (1868 Directory) and was beginning to develop new commercial blocks along the North Street corridor downtown. His city address was on Summer Street near the hotel, but the farm at Springside continued to serve as a country retreat. Late-Industrial Period - 1870-1910 Pittsfield developed rapidly as a center for manufacturing, trade and tourism in the second half of the 19th century. The population of 5,872 in 1850 had almost doubled to 11,112 residents by 1870.
The natural beauty of the Berkshire Hills and the speed and ease of rail transit combined to make Pittsfield and surrounding Berkshire County towns a popular summer destination for New York City residents in the decades after the Civil War. At the persistent urging of Town Engineer, I.C. Chesbrough, Pittsfield developed a modern water and sewer system between 1870 and 1878. Abraham Burbank continued to operate and expand the Burbank Hotel in downtown Pittsfield from 1868 until his death from a stroke ("cerebral apoplexy") in 1887. (The hotel building was demolished in 1911.) In his will, he left the bulk of his estate valued at $350,000 to the Town of Pittsfield to support public education, a free hospital, and public parks.
Unfortunately, town leaders balked at the anticipated level of civic responsibility and negotiated smaller gifts to several community institutions instead (History of Pittsfield, Vol. 3, pp. 39-40). (continued) NPS Form 110-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section Number Page_4 OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Springside Park Pittsfield (Berkshire), MA Pittsfield's 1890 population of 17, 281 helped it to secure a City Charter in 1891. Thanks in part to the initiative of Abraham Burbank and other entrepreneurs, the central business district had developed an impressive streetscape of masonry buildings by that time, giving the downtown area a very prosperous urban appearance. Streetcar lines throughout the town and into surrounding communities were extended and electrified in 1891.
North Street in downtown Pittsfield was paved for the first time in 1903. Since 1886, electrical pioneer William Stanley (1858-1916) had been working with George Westinghouse to demonstrate the advantages of the alternating current (AC) power system in nearby Great Barrington (MA). In 1890, he established the Stanley Electric Manufacturing Company to produce transformers and electrical equipment in Pittsfield, opening a new chapter in the city's industrial history that attracted more immigrant laborers and eventually provided jobs for thousands of local residents. The Stanley Electric Manufacturing Company became part of General Electric in 1903. Springside Development Patterns It is clear from maps, deeds, and newspaper references that there were two major buildings in the vicinity of the current Springside Park.
The first, properly known as "Springside" and located on the southern end of the parcel, was the original farmhouse occupied by Abraham Burbank, then converted to a preparatory school in 1856 and remodeled as a resort after 1872. It was removed from the site in 1894 to make way for the development of Abbott Street and Springside Avenue. The second house, formerly known as "Elmhurst" and situated farther north, was apparently built (or remodeled) by Abraham Burbank in 1856 and further enlarged and remodeled by John Davol in 1872-73. It was purchased by Clarence Stephens in 1904 and became part of Springside Park in 1938. The building survives on its original site and is now known (somewhat erroneously) as Springside House.
"Springside" The earliest period use of the name "Springside" is a newspaper notice in the Pittsfield Sun (August 7, 1872): Valuable purchase-"Springside" at the North Part of the town and formerly occupied by Prof. Richards [presumably the successor to Rev. Abbott] as a school for boys, has been purchased of the William Pollock administrators for about $25,000 by Messrs. Cyrus Wilcox, S.T. Whipple and John M. Cole of Williamstown. It consists of 30 acres of valuable land and is one of the most desirable and pleasant locations in Pittsfield (continued) NPS Form 1 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section Number Page_5 OMB Approval No.
1024-0018 Springside Park Pittsfield (Berkshire), MA The Pittsfield atlas of 1876 still identifies the complex as the "Pollock Estate" located just east of the intersection of North Street and Wellington Avenue. The executors of the estate must have retained some control over future development in the area. The three Williamstown (MA) investors converted the former school to a summer resort by 1871, but were stymied in their initial plans for expansion. As noted in the Pittsfield Sun (October 30, 1878): "The executors of the Pollock Estate rather sat down on Mr. Gale's plan of converting Springside into a First- Class Summer Resort." Good business sense must have eventually prevailed, since the Pittsfield Sun later reported (December 4, 1878): Springside was so successful as a summer resort, last season, that considerable improvement is going on up there for next Summer.
The two school buildings are to be brought down by the main building making a continuous front of over 125 feet, the lower story is to be made into parlors and the upper floors into sleeping rooms. The dining room is to be extended, and a general clearing up of the premises is going on. The improvements must have been worthwhile, since the Gazetteer of Berkshire County (1885) noted: "...north of the village may be found 'Springside,' one of the most beautiful places in Pittsfield." (p. 558) Additional repairs to the Springside resort were completed a few years later when the Pittsfield Sun again noted (June 10, 1886): "'Springside' has been improved at an expense of $5,000 or thereabouts.
Rooms have been enlarged, additions built, so that upwards of 30 rooms can now be let to summer boarders." The encroachment of the city's burgeoning residential neighborhoods eventually undermined the appeal of Springside as a country retreat. In 1893, the area was surveyed by G.H. Murdock for the development of small residential building lots on two new streets (Abbott Street and Springside Avenue) on the east side of North Street. "Springside" itself (the former farmhouse, boys' school and resort) met an interesting end as noted in the Pittsfield Sun (May 31, 1894): "Building Inspector Cowell has bought the main part of the Hotel Building at Springside and will move it to a lot East of its present location and make it over into tenements." If the building is still extant today (2007), it has yet to be identified.
"Elmhurst" The building now known as Springside House (DDS #15, Photos 3 and 4) was built or updated as a (continued) NPS Form 1 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section Number 8 Page_6 OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Springside Park Pittsfield (Berkshire), MA residence by Abraham Burbank on land to the north of Rev. Abbott's school (the original "Springside") between 1856 and 1860. The original appearance of the house is unknown, but portions of it may be incorporated in the current building. In 1872, Abraham Burbank sold the house and 50 acres of farmland for $16,500 to John Davol, a wealthy orass manutacturer from Brooklyn, New York. Burbank apparently moved on to another house and farn on the opposite (west) side of North Street.
Abraham's son George Burbank inherited that property (designated 811 North St.) in 1887 and maintained it until about 1910. John Davol (1811-1878) was born in Rhode Island, but went into business as a hardware merchant in Brooklyn by 1850. The federal census of that year (1850) showed a household of John Davol and his wife Laura, four children ages 2 to 10, and one Irish-born servant. Another son was born in 1851. The 1860 census recorded Davol's personal estate at a relatively modest value of $1,000 and no real estate. By 1870, Davol owned real estate valued at $25,000 and personal estate of $6,000. He was no longer a "merchant," but rather a "manufacturer of brass and copper goods." Davol's success was due in part to his position as the first president of the Bridgeport Brass Company, founded in 1865 by Davol and his partners, Daniel W. Kissam and Samuel R. Wilmot.
Originally formed to make clock movements, the company expanded to include production of fasteners, lamps, lamp burners and trimmings, electric lamp sockets, and other products. It manufactured the copper wire used to string the first long distance telephone line, from New York to Boston in 1884. Like many other New Yorkers, John Davol summered in the Berkshires. His principal residence was at 384 Washington Avenue in Brooklyn, and he used the former Burbank house in Pittsfield as a summer retreat. The Pittsfield Sun noted at the time of purchase (August 21, 1872): "Abraham Burbank has sold his fifty-acre farm and dwelling house just North of Springside, for $16,500 to John Davol of New York, who will fit it up and use the place as a summer residence." In 1873, the paper again noted: "Mr.
Davol, of New York, is to erect this Spring, on his farm a mile North of this village, a model Barn, to contain many new improvements." The barn (DDS # 14, Photo 16) is presumably the board and batten structure just northeast of the residence, but the "many new improvements" are unspecified. In another show of anticipatory excitement, the Pittsfield Sun again revealed (June 18, 1873): The Extensive alterations of the Davol Summer Residence near Eveningside [the adjacent property on the west side of North Street] are rapidly approaching completion under the direction of a New York architect [unnamed]. Mr. Davol, of New York, has expended the sum of $50,000 in the purchase and adornment of this most charming outlook over Pittsfield and the Housatonic Valley, and will soon arrive hither with his family to enjoy the same during the hot months.
(continued) NPS Form 1 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section Number_ 8 Page7 OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Springside Park Pittsfield (Berkshire), MA The 1875 tax valuation sheets for Pittsfield showed no poll tax for John Davol (as a non-resident), but itemized assessments for the following property: 3 horses [valued at] $225 2 steers $75 1 Dwelling 1 Barn $5,500 $500 Burbank lot - 50 acres $6,000 The 1876 Pittsfield atlas shows the Davol property (designated 234 North St., Pittsfield) with a distinct circular entry drive (DDS #2, still evident) leading to a cruciform house with a single barn (DDS #16) at the rear.
Davol's alterations to Springside House (DDS #15, Photo 3) are difficult to determine since the earliest visual representation of the house is the 1876 atlas, which depicts a cruciform plan. The next dated visual images are the 1899 birdseye view of Pittsfield (see attached map) and the 1900 Pittsfield atlas, both of which show the house in its current configuration including the wraparound porch. The Pittsfield Parks Department file contains a note from John Underwood Stephens, a descendent of a later owner, dated September 2, 1954. It proposes that the east and west wings of the house were physically separated in order to build a high (mansard) section between them, "At least, so I remember hearing my father [Clarence Stephens] say that Mr.
Davol [one of John Davol's sons] had told him." The validity of that tradition will have to by tested by a much closer examination of the framing of the current house and a detailed review of historical tax valuation records. In addition to the circular carriage drive, Davol may have also installed the stone entry gate posts (DDS #3, Photo 1) at the northwest entrance in the southwest corner of the property. The left (north) post bears the name "Elmhurst," the name likely given to the house by the Davols. The right (south) post is marked "874," a street address that was not assigned to the property until 1905. (It was designated as 234 North St. during Davol's ownership.) Unfortunately, John Davol did not live to enjoy many summers at his new retreat in Pittsfield. He died in Brooklyn on June 28, 1878 at a published age of 68.
After John Davol's death, the house and farm in Pittsfield was shared by his two surviving sons, Frank (b. 1851) and William H. Davol (b. ca. 1840). Both sons succeeded their father in the brass manufacturing business in New York. (A third son, John Davol Jr., had died in 1873 at age 29.) According.to Pittsfield directories, the two Davol brothers and their respective families summered at the house until 1887, after which date William H. Davol, his wife Jennie, and their five children were the primary summer occupants. The address of the house, which had been 234 North St. since 1874, was (continued) NPS Form 1 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section Number 8 Page 8 OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Springside Park Pittsfield (Berkshire), MA changed to 832 North St.
in 1892 as part of a general renumbering in the city. (It was renumbered again as 874 North St. in 1905.) The Davol house gained a brief mention in the 1885 Gazetteer of Berkshire County (p. 282): "...just beyond it [Springside] is the summer home of the Davols, of New York." It is unclear whether William H. Davol further remodeled or expanded the house during his ownership. An undated photograph (ca. 1890) donated by a descendant and placed in the Parks Department file shows the house in its current configuration, but with shallow balconies at the third floor tower windows and at the gable windows. (The balconies were removed by 1941.) As noted above, the 1899 birdseye view of Pittsfield and the 1900 atlas also show the house in its current double rectangle configuration, along with additional barns and sheds located near the carriage house. William H.
Davol died in 1904 at age 64 and the house and contents were offered at public auction in June of that year. The newspaper advertisement is quoted below for the level of detail its provides about the furnishings of the house and farm: AUCTION! I will Sell at Public Auction on Saturday, June 18 [1904] at 1 p.m. All the Personal Property of the DAVOL ESTATE At the Residence on the Hill. There are 26 rooms in the house, all furnished with fine furniture. Best Hair Mattresses, Pillows, Elegant Walnut Chamber Suits, Brussels and Velvet Carpets, China Matting, Rugs. Sofas, Lounges, Couches, some Rare Old Pieces in Mahogany and Rosewood, 6 Very Choice Old Mahogany Parlor Chairs. All the kitchen Furniture, Crockery and Glass, 1 Ping Pong Table, Lot fine Steel Engravings. A Fine Up-to-Date BILLIARD TABLE IN PERFECT CONDITION. COST $300.
Also all the farm tools - nearly new Worcester Buck-Eye Mowing Machine, Swivel Plow, Hay Rake, Disk Harrow, Spring Tooth Harrow, Cultivator, Horse Hoe, Stone Boat, Grind Stone and lot of small garden tools; Set Heavy Bob Sleighs, Double Farm Wagon and Harnesses, Fine Dump Cart, Brewster Station Wagon with poles and shafts, lot of Hay and Straw, 3 good Cows, two Horses and lots of other property usually found at a gentleman's country seat. Sale Positive Rain or Shine. James M. Burns, Auctioneer. Clarence Stephens (b. 1866), a mining engineer who was also a Brooklyn neighbor of William H. Davol, purchased Davol's Pittsfield estate "by accident." His son John Underwood Stephens recalled in 1954: "My father....went to the auction because he liked auctions and because Mr. Davol was an acquaintance of his. The bidding did not go well, and to help it along, he raised it.
Then he found that he owned the place - so he moved in." (Correspondence in Pittsfield Parks Department file) According to a survey prepared for the Davol estate by J.P. Barnes of Pittsfield (May 10, 1904), the property consisted of 53 acres of land with 935 feet of frontage on the east side of North St. The purchase price of the estate was recorded as $12,500 (Deeds, Bk. 323, p. 484). (continued) NPS Form 1 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section Number 8 Page9 OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Springside Park Pittsfield (Berkshire), MA Clarence Stephens and his wife Hannah continued the use of the house as a summer residence. Mr. Stephens also used the horse track (no longer extant) that the Davols had laid out east of the house to exercise trotters (1900 atlas). Mrs.
Stephens was active in local affairs, helping to found the Pittsfield Day Nursery Association in 1905 to provide "a daytime home for the infants of working mothers." (History of Pittsfield, Vol. 3, p. 226) The north and south drives of the country estate had earlier been lined with elm trees that succumbed to disease in the early 20* century. John Underwood Stephens recalled that his father replaced the elms with rows of maple trees along the north and south entry drives. (The original Stephens trees were replaced in the 1950s by the silver maples that currently line the drive.) Early Modern Period - 1910-1940 By the early 20" century, Pittsfield was Berkshire County's largest city by far. In 1910, the city population was 32,121, and by 1930 it had increased to more than 50,000 residents.
General Electric's burgeoning electrical manufacturing plant provided a wide range of job opportunities and employed more than 13,000 local workers at its peak. The North Street corridor in downtown Pittsfield became a shopping and entertainment mecca in the 1920s. Development in the central business district had created an almost-continuous streetscape of multistory masonry commercial blocks. Downtown Pittsfield supported eight active theaters offering a mix of vaudeville, stage shows, and motion pictures. The city also had a "speakeasy" reputation during the Prohibition era. Summer visitors from metropolitan New York and Boston still flocked to Berkshire County, but they traveled more frequently by private automobile rather than by train.
Pittsfield's central location began to be a disadvantage as tourists favored smaller villages and rural Berkshire communities over the increasingly "urban" character of Pittsfield. As in most Massachusetts communities, the economic and social impact of the Great Depression was profound. Manufacturing went into decline as paper and textile mills either reduced their workforce or moved to less expensive labor markets in the southern United States. The growing popularity of automobiles undermined the vitality of the traditional downtown. The last electric trolley ceased operation in 1932. Some downtown merchants were forced to shut down, leaving vacant storefronts throughout the area.
Birth of Springside Park - 1910-1941 As Pittsfield's population increased in the early 20" century, progressive leaders pushed for more public (continued) NPS Form 1 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section Number 8 Page 10 OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Springside Park Pittsfield (Berkshire), MA amenities in the city. They were responding to an emerging national trend that promoted urban recreation and active play. The crowding of cities had produced unhealthy conditions for citizens of lesser means. Action recreation areas - playgrounds - resulted. The first playgrounds were called "sand gardens," located on school properties in the 1890s. Larger spaces, such as open-air gymnasiums and fields for athletic activities followed.
In 1906, the Playground Association of America formed, promoting a national interest in active play and endorsing a national Playground Movement. The formation of Springside Park by Kelton B. Miller and his sons reflects the thinking of this national Playground Movement. Kelton B. Miller (1861-1941), a former Pittsfield mayor and the editor of the Berkshire Evening Eagle since 1892, began acquiring land in the vicinity of Springside in 1908 (Deeds, Bk. 347, p. 140). In February 1910, Kelton Miller and his wife Eva took the bold step of donating 10 acres to the city of Pittsfield in the area traditionally known as Abbott Park (Deeds, Bk. 355, p. 9). The gift, "in consideration of the affection I bear for to the City of Pittsfield," reserved the right of the neighboring Burbank family to continue to draw water from the spring through underground pipes.
It was also contingent on the city acquiring thirteen of the building lots that had been laid out on Abbott Street and Springside Avenue and a city commitment to "improve the granted premises and forever maintain [them]...for the use and enjoyment of the public." In 1911, Kelton Miller donated about two more acres to the park in two parcels (Deeds, Bk. 332, p. 633 & Bk. 380, p. 513). In 1914 and 1915, the private Park and Playground Association further enlarged Abbott Park by selling undeveloped lots at the east end of Abbott Street and Springside Avenue to the city (Deeds, Bk. 380, p. 291 & Bk. 384, p. 133). By 1919, the first year in which the Pittsfield City Directory listed "Parks and Playgrounds," the former Abbott Park was already renamed Springside Park.
According to newspaper accounts, the park in the 1920s served an average of 1,100-1,500 children each day, learning to swim in the pool, as well as playing baseball and tennis. With the increased public usage, the facilities on Springside Park's 15.5 acres began to seem overcrowded. In the meantime, Clarence and Hannah Stephens continued to occupy the former Davol house on the hill above the park (renumbered as 874 North St. in 1905). They purchased some 21.75 acres of adjoining land, increasing the original 53-acre property to almost 75 acres. Clarence Stephens died in 1932 or 1933, and his widow moved to a smaller house in town at 29 Wendell Avenue, Pittsfield. When Hannah Stephens subsequently died, the country property was inherited by their son the Rev. John Underwood Stephens (b. 1901), a Presbyterian minister in New York.
Kelton Miller's vision for public parkland was shared by his sons, Donald B. (1899-1972) and Lawrence K. Miller (1907-1991), who took over the publication of the Berkshire Eagle newspaper. In 1938, the two brothers took an option on the 75-acre Stephens estate and announced their intention to donate the property to the city for the enlargement of Springside Park and in honor of their father Kelton B. Miller, then still living (Berkshire Eagle, December 3, 1938 and Berkshire Land Court, Doc. #4337). The gift (continued) NPS Form 110-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section Number 8 Page11 OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Springside Park Pittsfield (Berkshire), MA was contingent on the city also acquiring "by eminent domain or otherwise" the 36-acre cow pasture to the northeast owned by Mrs.
Anna Wilde Pierce "now residing in Italy" (Deeds, Bk. 482, p. 377). The transactions were completed and within the year, Springside Park had grown from 15.5 acres to a total of 126 acres. The expanded Springside Park included the Burbank-Davol-Stephens hilltop house formerly known as "Elmhurst" and the related outbuildings. In May 1939, the Pittsfield Electric Company prepared a "Plan of Existing and Proposed Lines to Serve Springside Park (formerly Stephens Property), North St." The plan shows the configuration of the estate at that time, including the existing Springside House (datasheet #15), the garage (Building 1, datasheet #17), and the barn (Building 2, datasheet #16) (Pittsfield Electric Co., DRG #A-509, in Parks Dept. file). In September of 1939, the city Park Commission opened the houserenamed Springside House - to about 3,000 Pittsfield citizens.
The Berkshire Eagle described it as "the city's most beautiful urban property." It was one mile from the center of the city, on rolling, smoothly clipped lawns. At the southern end of Springside Park, in the area formerly known as Abbott Park, was (and is) Springside Pond (datasheet #9, Photo 6), an enlarged natural pond for children's bathing. In 1919, the Park Commission had issued specifications for rebuilding the ca. 1910 Springside Pond Dam and Bridge (datasheet #10, Photo 6) at the pond's southern end to create an outflow area. A small bath house (datasheet #27, Photo 7) was added near the pond in 1939 to promote good hygiene. The design of the bath house has been attributed to Pittsfield architect Joseph MacArthur Vance (1868- 1948).
Vance was the architect of many buildings in downtown Pittsfield, including the Wahconah Park Grandstand (143 Wahconah Street), the England Brothers department store (99 North Street, no longer extant), the Melville Building (308-320 North Street, 1899), the Masonic Temple (116 South Street, 1914), the exterior of the Colonial Theatre (111 South Street, 1903), and the First Baptist Church (88 South Street). Vance also designed the still-extant bath house at the Pittsfield Common, which is identical to the one in Springside Park, including architectural details such as the wall and floor tiles. Natural features in the park included a small piece of woodland and rocky knolls. Active recreation elements included swings, climbing structures, sandboxes, horseshoe pits, a softball diamond, and basketball and volleyball courts.
The Park Commission had engaged a professional designer from New York - W. Ellingwood Allen, recreational development specialist for the National Recreation Association - to develop a long-range plan for the 125-acre park, which was unveiled in 1939. He observed that Pittsfield had "greater potentialities for park development than any city [he had seen]." The Allen plan envisioned a nine-hole golf course, picnic areas, an outdoor theatre, a garden and arboretum, a zoological garden, swimming pools, baseball and softball diamonds, football and soccer fields, tennis courts, handball courts and (continued) NPS Form 1 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section Number 8 Page :12 OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Springside Park Pittsfield (Berkshire), MA parking for a total of almost 800 cars.
Allen also recommended that the city acquire further lands surrounding the park on the north and east sides. The present Abbott Street softball field may have been built ca. 1939 as a result of the plan, although this is not verified; all other ballfields were added after 1970. The Park Commission authorized caretaker Harry J. Watson to renovate Springside House (the former "Elmhurst") for use by clubs and community organizations, and in 1941 it was ready for public use. Four of the first-floor rooms - main room (west), music room (south), hall, and north room (north) -- were renovated to provide space for meetings, parties, and other adult activities. The commission painted the walls and re-covered furniture that had been donated by city residents, and restored the expansive porch.
The Berkshire Eagle observed that "the knoll on which the house stands is one of the coolest spots in the city, rising as it does high enough to catch the never failing breeze from the west." The newspaper noted that, "The house is equipped with five bridge tables, adequate meeting space, and there are picnic tables on the lawn." (Berkshire Eagle, June 20, 1941 & June 27, 1941) Late Modern Period - 1941-1957 World War II production needs resulted in a temporary increase in local jobs and economic activity. By the end of the war, however, the character of Pittsfield was noticeably changed. The main corridor through downtown Pittsfield (South and North streets) was designated Massachusetts Route 7, and the focus was on moving traffic quickly through the area. Downtown merchants complained constantly about the need for more parking if they were to compete with suburban locations.
One by one, the city's theaters shut down. Improvements and Alterations at Springside Park After its substantial enlargement in 1939, Springside Park received several improvements. In 1945 the Park Commission added an observatory (no longer extant) to a high point east of the house. A petting zoo (no longer extant) appeared before 1947, and operated into the 1950s. Some local residents also recall a short ski slope and tow rope that operated in the southeast corner of the park in the early 1950s (no longer extant). In 1950 the City of Pittsfield announced a comprehensive plan to build two new junior high schools and three new elementary schools in the city. After discussions with the Miller family who had donated the parkland, the city designated 20.1 acres on North Street (just north of Springside House) for the location of the North Junior High School.
The initial plan for development of the parcel (1951) showed the school supplemented by a football field, track, field hockey and soccer areas, baseball and softball diamonds, basketball, volleyball, tennis, horseshoes, archery, and a picnic area. North Junior High (now called Reid Middle School) was completed in 1956. (continued) NPS Form 110-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section Number 8 Page13 OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Springside Park Pittsfield (Berkshire), MA The construction of the junior high school reduced the size of Springside Park, but the agreement with the Miller family called for the city to recoup the loss by purchasing additional acreage.
In 1954, the city purchased 38 acres north of the new school from Hillcrest Hospital for $16,000, bringing the total size of the park to about 144 acres. Two additional acquisitions in 1955 added more acreage to the park. The city acquired a 5-acre parcel on the north west side of the park (adjacent to the Knights of Columbus) from Donald B. Miller (Deeds, Bk. 626, p. 67 & 235). The city also purchased a large 58-acre parcel (the Reed-Fallon-Hurley-Horrigan tract) located on the northeast side of the park for the purpose of developing expanded playground facilities (Deeds, Bk. 634, p. 43 & Bk. 636, p. 6 & 8). As a result, the total size of Springside Park exceeded 207 acres. As the size of the park increased, so did its administrative and maintenance needs.
In 1954, Springside House was remodeled "in the modern style" and became the office and headquarters of the Department of Parks and Recreation (former Park Commission). The drop ceilings and fluorescent lighting that characterize the building today presumably date from the 1954 remodeling. An aerial photograph from 1953 shows the circular entry drive that arches north and south to connect Springside House to North Street. The photo also shows woodlands in the south and east quadrants of the park, with the northern section appearing as fallow farmland or pasture. A small square observatory that the city constructed east of Springside House in 1945 is also visible in the photo. As the park grew in size, maintenance became more difficult. Photographs from the late 1950s show workers combing the bottom of Springside Pond to remove silt.
The pond, the dam, the bridge, and the steps in the southern end of the park all gradually fell into disrepair. Recent Developments Like many other cities, Pittsfield's history has been one of rapid growth, slow decline and gradual rediscovery. General Electric, the city's major employer for so many years, reduced or relocated most of its operations. The GE Plastics Division is the only segment still operating in Pittsfield and employs only about 700 people (down from the GE peak of 13,000). Unfortunately, environmental lawsuits starting in the 1970s revealed that General Electric's manufacturing facilities in Pittsfield had contaminated the Housatonic River and much of the soil with toxic deposits of PCBs.
In an unusual settlement, GE agreed to compensate the city to the tune of several million dollars over a span of years, and the city leaders committed to use the settlement funds to redefine Pittsfield as a local center for the arts and cultural activities. (continued) NPS Form 1 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section Number 8 Page 14 OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Springside Park Pittsfield (Berkshire), MA Springside Park In 1960 and 1961, the City of Pittsfield enlarged the park again by purchasing the 23-acre "Victory Hill" parcel (the former location of Victory gardens during WW II) and two smaller parcels on Benedict Road, northeast of the park (Deeds, Bk. 716, p. 176 & Bk. 721, p. 123). With these purchases, Springside Park reached its current size and configuration of 237.5 acres.
At the same time, the Victory Hill House, built ca. 1930-1940, is believed to have been moved to its present location amongst the other Springside outbuildings, where it now serves as a caretaker's residence. The southernmost tip of the park was slightly modified in 1967 when Springside Avenue was extended westward for 1,350 feet. In 1962, the Berkshire Museum Garden Club added a greenhouse (DDS #25) and rose gardens to Springside Park in honor of Mrs. Bernice Crane. The garden, located east of Springside House, consisted of five long, linear beds filled with roses of many colors. In 1999, the city officially established the Hebert Arboretum, named for Vincent Hebert, the Pittsfield Parks Superintendent from 1955 to 1990. Incorporated as a non-profit organization operating under a board of directors, the arboretum was the part of Hebert's long-term vision for the park.
A coordinating committee worked for two years to establish gardens, care for trees, and care for the grounds of Springside House. Students from the Conway School of Landscape Design (Conway, MA) created a master plan for the arboretum, and the engineering firm of Dufresne and Henry prepared plans for restoring the "lower" pond (Springside Pond, DDS #9, Photo 6). Many elements of the plan have been implemented, including the labeling of specimen trees, building of information kiosks (DDS #s 6 & 7), creation of butterfly and hospice gardens, and the Vin Hebert Lilac Walk. Today Springside Park is one of the largest and most beautiful parks in the city of Pittsfield, but the buildings and landscape are sorely in need of restoration.
The nomination of Springside Park to the National Register of Historic Places will acknowledge the cultural and historical significance of the park and help make the case for raising the funds necessary for the repair and restoration of the buildings and facilities. Archaeological Significance Since patterns of ancient Native American settlement and subsistence in Pittsfield are poorly understood and few sites are recorded, any ancient sites found in the park could be significant. Ancient sites in this area can be important by contributing information to our knowledge of Native American settlement and (continued) NPS Form 1 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section Number 8 Page_ 15 OMB Approval No.
1024-0018 Springside Park Pittsfield (Berkshire), MA subsistence in the Berkshire uplands of Western Massachusetts at the headwaters of the Housatonic River drainage. Ancient sites in this area can also be important by further defining the extent of native socio/political and socio/economic relationships with Native peoples in neighboring river drainages to the west in the New York areas, to the south in Connecticut, or in more eastern locales in Massachusetts, including the Connecticut River Valley. Springside Park lies within the Housatonic River drainage, which flows southerly through Connecticut. The park is also located in close proximity to New York, which abuts Hancock to the west. The Hudson River drainage also lies a short distance north and west of the park. Major Native American core settlement areas also exist along the Connecticut River to the east.
Ancient sites in this area can help test the importance of drainage system boundaries versus geographic proximity and their influence on Native American subsistence and settlement systems. Historic archaeological resources described above may contribute important evidence that identifies the complete landuse history and evolution of a 19" century country estate and early 20" century planned municipal park. Historical and archaeological research might identify components of the Ashbel Strong farm that may survive within the Springside Park nominated area. Strong's farm is known to date at least to the early 19" century, possibly earlier. Archaeological evidence from the Strong Farm may contribute important evidence relating to the 18t and 19" century origins and growth of agriculture in Berkshire County and agricultural technologies in use in that area.
Archaeological evidence from the Strong Farm and surrounding area may also contribute important evidence related to the evolution and technology of 19'" century public water supply. Important evidence may survive related to technological changes in water pipes, transport, and storage. Additional historical research combined with archaeological survey and testing may contribute important evidence that clarifies the landuse history and evolution of both Springside properties located in Springside park. Documentary and archaeological information may identify what portions of the first Springside property included the original Abraham Burbank farmhouse that was converted to a preparatory school in 1856 then remodeled as a resort after 1872.
Documentary resources supplemented with information from archaeological resources may identify specific architectural details for each occupation and function of the property and patterns of reuse as the property changed through time. Important information may also survive that identifies the agricultural activities conducted on Burbank's Eemns during the same mid-lgik compared with technologies and products on olher Berkshire County century period Archaeological and historical resources may also help identify the origins and changes that took place at the current Springside House, formerly known as Elmhurst. Archaeological and historical resources may identify whether the core of the present house was built by Abraham Burbank in 1856 or was remodeled from some other structure.
Similar evidence may identify changes made to the original structure during renovations by Davol in 1872-73 and Stephens in 1905. Archaeological and historical resources may also identify the types and distribution of outbuildings located on the property during the 19t century. Outbuilding sites may also contribute important information that identifies changes in the function of the property as it evolved from the Burbank, Davol, and Stephens periods of ownership. (continued) NPS Form 1 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section Number 8 Page16 OMB Approval No.
1024-0018 Springside Park Pittsfield (Berkshire), MA While structural evidence from the house, barns, and outbuildings may contribute information related to the overall growth and evolution of the property, detailed analysis of the contents of occupational-related features (trash pits, privies, wells) may contribute important social, cultural, and economic information lated to the occupants and individuals or groups that worked on the property. Important informati av exist related to the social, cultural, and economic lives of gentlemen farmers and the extent th farming and husbandry played an important role in their lives. Historical and archaeological resources may contribute important information related to the division of labor between gentlemen farmers and farm workers and the extent to which the social life on the farm may have been more important that what was produced.
(end) NPS Form 1 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section Number9 Page1 OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Springside Park Pittsfield (Berkshire), MA MAJOR BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES Books & Periodicals The Berkshire Eagle, Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Articles published in issues of December 31, 1938, June 20, 1941, February 14, 1950,June 12, 1954, January 1, 1955, October 31, 1967, November 2, 1972, February 11, 1978. Berkshire Report Topics. Volume 2:4:2, June 18, 1904. Biographical Review. Volume XXXI, containing Life Sketches of Leading Citizens of Berkshre County, Massachusetts. Boston, MA: Biographical Review Publishing Company, 1899. Brooklyn Daily Union-Argus, Brooklyn, New York. Article published in issue of January 25, 1879.
Bryan, Clark W., The Book of Berkshire: Describing and Illustrating its Hills and Homes. Great Barrington, MA: Clark W. Bryan & Co., 1886. Child, Hamilton, ed., Gazetteer of Berkshire County, Massachusetts 1725-1885. Syracuse, NY: Hamilton Child, 1885. Doell, M. Christine Klim, Gardens of the Gilded Age, Nineteenth-Century Gardens and Homegrounds of New York State. Syracuse: Syracuse University Press, 1986. Emmet, Alan, So Fine a Prospect, Historic New England Gardens. Hanover, NH: University Press of New England, 1996. Honig, Bruce N., BuildingNews and Real Estate Transactions from the Pittsfield Sun 1800-1906. Karson, Robin, The Muses of Gwinn, Art and Nature in a Garden Designed by Warren H. Manning, Charles A. Platt & Ellen Biddle Shipman. Sagaponack, NY: Sagapress, Inc., 1995. Newton, Norman T., Design on the Land. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1971.
Owens, Carole The Berkshires: Coach Inns to Cottages, Images of America Series. Owens, Carole, Berkshire Cottages: Vanishing Era. Stockbridge, MA: Cottage Press, Inc., 1980. Pryzby, Phyllis, Wildflowers of the Berkshires: Where and When They Bloom, Vol. 2. Massachusetts: Phyllis Pryzby, c. 2000-2002. (continued) NPS Form 1 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section Number 9 Page_2 OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Springside Park Pittsfield (Berkshire), MA Smith, J. E. A., History of Pittsfield from the Year 1800 to the Year 1876. Springfield, MA: C. W. Bryan & Co., 1876. US Census Records, 1860, 1870, 1910. Maps, Atlases, Plans & Photographs (listed chronologically) 1876 County Atlas of Berkshire, Massachusetts 1725-1885. Syracuse, NY: Hamilton Child (editor and publisher).
1893 Map of Springside Building Lots, Pittsfield, Mass. as surveyed by G. A. Murdock, June 1893, scale 80' = 1" ca. 1900 Photograph of Springside House (Elmhurst) taken from North Street looking northeast. 1900 County Atlas of Berkshire, Massachusetts. 1904 Atlas of Berkshire County, Massachusetts. Pittsfield, MA: Barnes & Farnham. 1919 Pittsfield Park Commission, Dam at Springside Park Specifications, drawings and written specifications, designer unknown. Issued by John M. Flynn, clerk. 1939 Psiner, Pisiogd Peciocd mipanyo ay 1, ping rde eatl (formany 4, (phrn Peaci 7, o9th. October 2, 1941, no scale. 1953 Photograph, aerial view of Springside Park, Aerial Photos, Pittsfield, MA, Neg. No. E104A8. Photograph, grading of land to the north of Springside House, Springside Park, photographer unknown, date unknown.
Photograph, "Springside Park Pool," Will Plouffe Studio, Pittsfield, MA, date unknown. Photograph, rose garden at Springside Park with gardeners, photographer unknown, date unknown. Photograph, rose garden at Springside Park (looking northwest), photographer unknown, date unknown. ca. 1954 Photographs (2), interior of west room, first floor, Springside House, Joseph W. Overlook, Pittsfield, MA ca. 1954 Photograph, interior of hall, first floor, Springside House, Joseph W. Overlook, Pittsfield, MA. (continued) NPS Form 1 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section Number 9 Page 3 OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Springside Park Pittsfield (Berkshire), MA Photograph, interior of barn, Springside Park, Will Plouffe Studio, Pittsfield, MA, date unknown.
1956 Property Plan North Junior High School, Pittsfield, Mass, survey drawn by W. E. F., November 13, 1956. 1964 Springside Park. November 10, 1964 sketch map showing parcels, deed numbers and conveyance dates for land comprising Springside Park, author unkown. 1967 Location of Trees at Rear of #163 Brown Street, survey drawn by J. Riddle, 1" = 20°, December 14,1967. 1983 Springside Park Site Improvements, John W. Tullock, Jr., landscape architect - site planner, Pittsfield, Massachusetts. ca. 1939 Study for the Development of Springside Park, City of Pittsfield, Mass., Ellingwood Allen Organization, Park and Recreation Planners, New York City. Assessors' Maps for the City of Pittsfield, #s H11, H12, H13, I11, I12, I13, J13, date unknown.
Deeds (Berkshire County Registry -listed chronologically) February 10, 1910, book 355, page 9, 10 acres March 12, 1911, book 332, page 663 (book 380, page 513) August 28, 1914, book 380, page 291&c August 12, 1915, book 384, page 133&c May 1, 1939, L.C. Doc. #4337 (2 parcels covering 53 acres and 21.75 acres) May 1, 1939, book 482, page 377&c, 36 acres June 28, 1954, book 612, page 179&c (book 612, page 182&c), 38 acres May 25, 1955, book 626, pages 67 & 235, 5.05 acres November 22, 1955, book 634, page 43&c; book 636, pages 6&c and 8&c, 58 acres September 21, 1964, book 787, page 317&c (or December 27, 1960, book 716, page 176&c), 30 acres (continued) NPS Form 1 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section Number_9 Page 4 OMB Approval No.
1024-0018 Springside Park Pittsfield (Berkshire), MA Directories (listed chronologically) 1874 Pittsfield City Directory. 1900 Pittsfield City Directory. 1910 Pittsfield City Directory. Material from the Pittsfield Parks Department Files Will of Abraham Burbank, December 16, 1887. "Massachusetts Historical Commission Form B-Building for Springside House." Prepared by Elizabeth Fitzsimmons as part of the Pittsfield Historical Survey & Planning Project, April 18, 1981. Letter from John Underwood Stephens, Ogunquit, ME, September 2, 1954. Auction notice for the John Davol Estate, June 18, 1904. "Springside - The Park, the Buildings, the People", article, 1954 (author unknown). "Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Know Your City," pamphlet, author and date unknown.
Additional Resources "A Brief Historical Profile of the Bridgeport Brass Company." Website of the Lampworks, 435 Main Street, Hurleyville, NY, www.thelampworks.com/lw_companies_bbc.htm. (end) Springside Park Name of Property 10. Geographical Data Berkshire, Massachusetts County and State Acreage of Property 237.5 UTM References See continuation sheet. 1.18 Zone 2.18 Zone 644220 4703140 Easting Northing 644300 4703120 Easting Northing 3.18 Zone 4.18 Zone 644360 Easting 644640 Easting x See continuation sheet 4703280 Northing 4703260 Northing Verbal Boundary Description (Describe the boundaries of the property on a continuation sheet.) Boundary Justification (Explain why the boundaries were selected on a continuation sheet.) 11.
Form Prepared By name/title Martha Lyon, Proprietor, Gregery Farmer, Consultant, with Betsy Friedberg, NR Director, MHC organization Massachusetts Historical Commission _ date_May 2008 street & number220 Morrissey Boulevard telephone 617-727-8470 city or town_Boston state MA Additional Documentation Submit the following items with the completed form: _ zip code_02125 Continuation Sheets Maps A USGS map (7.5 or 15 minute series) indicating the property's location. Asketch map for historic districts and properties having large acreage or numerous resources. Photographs: Representative black and white photographs of the property.
Additional items (Check with the SHPO or FPO for any additional items) Property Owner (Complete this item at the request of the SHPO or FPO.) name_City of Pittsfield under custodianship of Department of Community Development street & number _7 Allen Street telephone _413-499-9344 city or townPittsfield _ state_MA _ zip code_ 01201 Paperwork Reduction Act Statement: This information is being collected for applications to the National Register of Historic Places to nominate properties for listing or determine eligibility for listing, to list properties, and to amend existing listings. Response to this request is required to obtain a benefit in accordance with the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended (16 U.S.C. 470 et seq.).
Estimated Burden Statement: Public reporting burden for this form is estimated to average 18.1 hours per response including the time for reviewing instructions, gathering and maintaining data, and completing and reviewing the form. Direct comments regarding this burden estimate or any aspect of this form to the Chief, Administrative Services Division, National Park Service, P.0. Box 37127, Washington, DC 20013-7127; and the Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reductions Project (1024-0018), Washington, DC 20503. NPS Form 1 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section Number 10 Page 1 OMB Approval No.
1024-0018 Springside Park Pittsfield, (Berkshire), MA GEOGRAPHICAL DATA UTM References (continued) Point Zone 18 6 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 39 18 18 18 18 Easting 644660 644740 644740 644960 644980 644020 645060 645240 645260 645540 645540 645480 645480 645520 645520 645240 645200 645300 645360 645300 645300 644840 644760 644360 644380 644140 644200 644500 644660 644700 644480 644500 644400 644340 644260 Northing 4703340 4703320 4703300 4703300 4703340 4703360 4703600 4703400 4703320 4703320 4703300 4703180 4703160 4702660 4702680 4702580 4702220 4702400 4702680 4702640 4702760 4702860 4702900 4703160 4703180 4703020 4703020 NPS Form 1 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section Number 10 Page_2 OMB Approval No.
1024-0018 Springside Park Pittsfield, (Berkshire), MA Verbal Boundary Description The nominated property is the parcel of land known as Springside Park. It is defined by the dashed lines marked on the attached "Sketch Map," and is included on City of Pittsfield Assessor's Map #1-12, with portions of the park appearing on Map #'s H-11, H-12, H-13, I-11, I-13, and J-13. The boundary is continuous and includes both developed and undeveloped parklands. Most of the boundary lies unfenced, making the park accessible from all sides. Boundary Justification The boundary of the nominated property includes the 237.5 acres that comprise Springside Park. The acreage is composed of multiple parcels acquired for park use between 1910 and 1955. The most recent parcel, which brought it to its present size, was acquired in 1961.
Within the boundaries is Springside House and a number of associated resources that predate the establishment of the park. (end) NPS Form 10-900 (Rev. 10-90) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number photos Page 1 PHOTOGRAPHS Photographer: Martha Lyon, Northampton, MA Date: August 2005 1. Gatepost marking SW entrance to property, looking NW 2. Circular maple-lined driveway, looking SW 3. Springside House, looking NW 4. Springside House, looking SE Barn (ca. 1872), looking N Springside Pond and Dam, looking NE 7. Bath House at Springside Pond, looking W OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Springside Park Pittsfield (Berkshire), MA NPS Form 10-900 (Rev.
10-90) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number drawings (Additional Documentation) Page 1 xonf OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Springside Park Pittsfield (Berkshire), MA 1a, F Main facade (south elevation) Soaf North (rear) elevation NPS Form 10-900 (Rev. 10-90) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number_drawings (Additional Documentation) Page 2 East elevation ent Raet AP West elevation Lauf OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Springside Park Pittsfield (Berkshire), MA NPS Form 10-900 (Rev. 10-90) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number_drawings (Additional Documentation) Page 3 POREN Porch Plan OMB Approval No.
1024-0018 Springside Park Pittsfield (Berkshire), MA 40034 NPS Form 10-900 (Rev. 10-90) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number sketch maps (Additional Documentation) Page1 PARK SKETCH MAP (MAP A) CRANE AVENUE NORTH STREET (US ROUTE 7) PONTOOSUC AVENUE SCHOOL F.SPRINGSIDE HOUSE -MAP B AREA ABBOTT STREET SPRINGSIDE AVENUE 500' 1000' 2000' OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Springside Park Pittsfield (Berkshire), MA BERKSHIRE HILLS COUNTRY CLUB BENEDICT AVENUE NPS Form 10-900 (Rev.
10-90) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number sketch maps (Additional Documentation) Page 2 DATA SHEET LOCATIONS (MAPA) CRANE AVENUE NORTH STREET (US ROUTE 7) SCHOOL PONTOOSUC AVENUE 10 - ABBOTT STREET SPRINGSIDE HOUSE 13 - MAP B AREA 8 9 SPRINGSIDE AVENUE 500* 1000 2000 OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Springside Park Pittsfield (Berkshire), MA BERKSHIRE HILLS COUNTRY CLUB BENEDICT AVENUE NPS Form 10-900 (Rev. 10-90) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number sketch maps (Additional Documentation) Page 3 DATA SHEET LOCATIONS (MAP B) 6 19 - BARN 2 KIOSK P6 KIOSK 15 5 NORTH STREET (US ROUTE 7) SPRINGSIDE HOUSE 131 PATH FLAGPOLES ENTRY PIERS SILVER MAPLE ALLEE OMB Approval No.
1024-0018 Springside Park Pittsfield (Berkshire), MA GREENHOUSES GARDENS LILAC WALK MEADOW - TOSPRINGSIDE- POND NOTTO SCALE NPS Form 10-900 (Rev. 10-90) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number_sketch maps (Additional Documentation) Page 4 PHOTOGRAPH LOCATIONS (MAP A) CRANE AVENUE NORTH STREET (US ROUTE 7) SCHOOL PONTOOSUC AVENUE * - SPRINGSIDE HOUSE ABBOTT STREET -MAP B AREA #1 SPRINGSIDE AVENUE 500' 1000 2000 OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Springside Park Pittsfield (Berkshire), MA BERKSHIRE HILLS COUNTRY CLUB BENEDICT AVENUE NPS Form 10-900 (Rev. 10-90) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number historic maps (Additional Documentation) Page1 Detail: J.E.
Rapp, [Birds-eye view of] Pittsfield, Massachusetts (A.M. Van de Carr, 1899). Source: Norman B. Levanthal Map Center, Boston Public Library OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Springside Park Pittsfield (Berkshire), MA SRSCE PITTSFIELD, MASS NPS Form 10-900 (Rev. 10-90) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number historic maps (Additional Documentation) Page2 OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Springside Park Pittsfield (Berkshire), MA -NORT Dayoll Est Detail from: Pittsfield Plate 7, Atlas of Berkshire County (Barnes & Farnham, 1904) SPRINGSIDE PARK Pittsfield Berkshire County, Massachusetts DATA SHEET Note: All resources contained in the data sheet can be found on the sketch maps included as additional materials in the nomination.
NUMBER RESOURCE description 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 date of construction type Springside Park 1939 Landscape-Park Site Circular Entry Drive ca. 1856 Gravel/Turf-Carriage Road Structure Entry Gateposts ca. 1872, numbered ca. 1905 Mortared Granite/Limestone Walking Path Concrete Gate Posts/Mortared Stone Retaining Wall Information Kiosk Information Kiosk Springside Pond Springside Pond Dam & Bridge Springside Park Playground/ Ballfield Abbott Street Little League Field Benedict Road Field/ Doyle Memorial Park Springside House Barn (Building 2) ca. 1872 ca. 1930-1940 ca. 1990 ca. 1990 ca. 1919/1939 ca. 1910/1939 ca. 1970 ca. 1939 ca. 1990 ca. 1856/1872 ca.
1872 Gravel Walking Path Structure Structure Concrete/Mortared Stone Structure Wood Kiosk Structure Wood Kiosk Structure Granite/Schist/Limestone - Pond Edge Structure Mortared Granite/Schist/Limestone-Dam Structure Tur- BaseBad Diamond Site Turf-Baseball Diamond Site Turf/Baseball Diamond Site Wood Frame/Vernacular Italianate Building Wood Frame/Vernacular Building Page 1 of 2 status C C C NC NC C C NC C NC C SPRINGSIDE PARK Pittsfield Berkshire County, Massachusetts DATA SHEET 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Garage (Building 1) Maintenance Building (Building 3) Maintenance Building (Building 4) Tool Shed (Building 5) Main Garage (Building 6) Victory Hill House (Building 7) Garage/Workshop (Building 8) Equipment Building (Building 9) Greenhouse Complex Garden Tool Shed Bath House SUMMARY Buildings Sites Structures Objects TOTAL RESOURCE COUNT ca. 1920 ca. 1960 ca. 1960 ca. 1960 ca.
1960 ca. 1930-1940, moved ca. 1960s ca. 1960 ca. 1970 1962 with Later Additions ca. 1990 1939 CONTRIBUTING OONA Page 2 of 2 Wood Frame/Stucco/Craftsman Wood Frame/Vernacular Wood Frame/Vernacular Wood Frame/ernacular Concrete/Nernacular Wood Frame/Vernacular Wood FrameNernacular Wood Frame/Vernacular Glass/Wood/ernacular Aluminum Pre-Fabricated Brick/ernacular noncontributing 9 2 2 Building Building Building Building Building Building Building Building Building Buidling Building TOTAL 13 4 0 25 C NC NC NC NC NC NC NC NC NC C NPS Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8/2002) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service OMB No.
1024-0018 National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet (Expires 1-31-2009) Section number Page Name of Property County and State Name of multiple property listing (if applicable) SUPPLEMENTARY LISTING RECORD NRIS Reference Number: 08000553 Date Listed: 6?27/2008 Property Name: Springside Park Multiple Name: County: Berkshire State: MA This property is listed in the National Register of Historic Places in accordance with the attached nomination documentation subject to the following exceptions, exclusions, or amendments, notwithstanding the National Park Service certification included in the nomination documentation. atirk Andus Signature of the Keeper 6/27/2008 Date of Action Amended Items in Nomination: This SLR is issued to make a technical correction to the nomination form. In section 5 of the form (Classification) the park is categorized as a Site.
Under National Register guidance, the park meets the definition of a District. The form is amended to categorize the park as a District. DISTRIBUTION: National Register property file Nominating Authority (without nomination attachment) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES EVALUATION/RETURN SHEET REQUESTED ACTION: NOMINATION PROPERTY Springside Park NAME : MULTIPLE NAME: STATE & COUNTY: MASSACHUSETTS, Berkshire DATE RECEIVED: DATE OF 16TH DAY: DATE OF WEEKLY LIST: 5/14/08 6/18/08 DATE OF PENDING LIST: DATE OF 45TH DAY: REFERENCE NUMBER: 08000553 6/03/08 6/27/08 REASONS FOR REVIEW: APPEAL: N DATA PROBLEM: N LANDSCAPE: N LESS THAN 50 YEARS: N OTHER: N PDIL: N PERIOD: N PROGRAM UNAPPROVED: REQUEST: N SAMPLE: N SLR DRAFT: Y NATIONAL: N N COMMENT WAIVER: N /ACCEPT _RETURN ABSTRACT/ SUMMARY COMMENTS: REJECT 6/27/2008 DATE RECOM.
/CRIFERIA Accept AEC REVIEWER Patrick Andvues DISCIPLINE Historian TELEPHONE DATE 6/27/2008 DOCUMENTATION see attached comments Y/N see attached SLR Y/N If a nomination is returned to the nominating authority, the nomination is no longer under consideration by the NPS. HERINGHIDBPARE RTAFILD, PERLINIRE COUNTU, NA WAKTHAH. MON-317 EUMSTREET NORTHAMPION, AN OIOLO XUU4T2005 UATEFOLE MARKNG THEGOUTHWEET ENTRANKE TO TIE PROPERTU, TAHN OUTW UENDR DF THE PPOPERTY, WOKNG NURTIWEHT ARAET TREE LAWN. #2 SPRINGIDEPARY PITLFIELD RERILHTIRE COUNTY, MH NARTHÄ H.WON.23 EMETKUET.NORTHAMDON, AMO1000. XUOIVE 2005 THE URWIE, CINEENAOLE UINED DRVEWKY TAKEN FROM THTE SOVTHETKK COFNARDRÜPRINKADE HOVSE, WDKING COUTINEET. #3 YARINUSIDEPARK RITLEWID, VAPKHIPE ONUT, NNA NAPTTAH. WAS. 13 EUMSTPEET:NOPTAMPTON, MH 9ULO.
AUUV4T 2005 APENNLAIDE HOUZE, TAKEN PROM THE GONTHERLTCADE, WDKINENDRTHWE #4 GPRINKADE PARL RITYPAEZO, KIEPAGHIPE COUNTU, MA NARTTA H. WON 213 BUNETREET :NDPTHAMPION, AHOOL. KUWST 2005 OPRINGHIDE HOUSE, THKEN PROM THE NIRTHWER SDE, UTOKIUG GOUTHERT. #5 SPRNWIDEPKRL PITYPIELD PORKLATPE COUNTY, NA NHOTAH.MON. 313EUNGTREET NDPTHANPTON, MN OIOLO AUGUK 2005 THE C.1O72 BARN, TAKON PRON THE GOVTHSIDE, WODENGNDPTH #b GPRINGAIDE PARE PITUPIELD, PERUIHIRE COUNTU, NK NHPTHEAH.WUPN-313 EIMERRERT. NOPTHANPTAN, NNO100D. AUWU4T 2005 SPEINGSDO PONDAND DAN TAHE FRIM THE GOUTHEND OF THE FOUD, LOUK GPEINGSIDE PARK PITGPHED DERKAIRELOUNTU, MA MAPTHAH. MON 213 EUNGTRETT-NOATHANSTON, NN O1060.
AMOUMT 2005 THEWKTHHNKE ATGPEINUAIDE FOND, TAREN FROMTHE ANRGIDE, UOK Springside Park Pittsfield, Berkshire County, Massachusetts City of Pittsfield Assessor's Map #H-11 SEE 012-2-1 13730 28849 1.0A0 WAHCONAH 70057 0550 533 T3le C 7078 HOUSATONIC 3000 CFE MLR 102 1003 A-S WAHCONAH PARK BRANCH HESY 4.0 AC L 3131 PARK 3891 OERAREN IInrO TH AVAMAPNC 12870 218BI WELLER 4135 10690 21 tm EDGEWOOD WASHINGTON LENOX 40727 LENOX 101 ,3088 B554 e53h 0940 -1950 12375 6112 CHARLES BERKSHURE MEDICAL CENTER STREET 15200 12040 SEYMOUR "og" B 8712 5336 CTOECT 107 102 Temp 7830 5 = STREET e5Ö+ 10800 STREET Port of H11-3-1 117,50 8.36 AC NORTH 33067 WICD CITY OF PITTSFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS ASSESSORS MAPS Stt-e ROLTE7) * 58541 - TrÀo FI6BO * ABBOTT CTPEST g 20 7920 18 17920 7920 7920 11g 7920 e 7920 7920 10 13068 70 7 10692 1020 SPRINGSIDE AVENUE 18232 * 0302 1220 27 1320 20 10 18 7920 STREET 10687 5382 13885 3 STREET 8905 1858 12 g 13 E /11937 E/ 1000 15 g 12180 AVENUE 2192 300 AVENUE 310500 10500 Ba7e G12 H12 112 G11 H11 111 |G1O|H10|110 STODDARD 39 STREET 10 .
3354 14 Bgv28g 6 19999 10505 10005 AVENIIS 10093 0552 MYRTLE gim = 9954 9912 9982 99931 6370* 17780R°R 4270 22883 1850 PLACE 8450 8326 6300 5300C PLEASURE 1250 STREET Springside Park Pittsfield, Berkshire County, Massachusetts City of Pittsfield Assessor's Map #H-12 CALUMET ST LINN STREET 12500 $12300 6150 (18) 12300 B 12500 16i6A 483 18300 MOHEGAN PLINN STREET 10 PITTSFIELD HOUSINC AUTHORITY 10180 7.700 12000 BIBO 1723 MALONEY 0970 8z 0427 8 155i7 22010 ª.so"ão 0370 1120 14790 ALCOVE ST ALCOVE CTRECT 20000 H* n02x 190% 12687. STUDENTS PECKS WAHCONAH ROAD 20210 2433 2200 PONTOOSUC L.3KR.KONT....
i ic 1146 30400 ELMVALE 15761 2588C Bl8e 1.6'Ac 3820 1279 r PLACE 185 1032 13612 NAHCONAH 1271 191-5 S-0g DOCDADtA PITTSFIELD BOARO OF ASSESSORS AVIC AIPMAD INC WEST 0042 s082 193-9 ICHMOND GREYLOCK STREET Jag.y *2N0 "HtO 12925 10560 AVENUE 80-8 10560 100-5 ( 1020.0 14000-s 8 129-3 102g HOUSATONIC 14000 102-2 6250 Ueso- BRANCH -319-% 1726 401io 11620 19127 00,49 28428 OT CHARLES CHUNCI 42471 AVENUE 1600 2280 21780 0800 BRIGGS 0250 9900 3300 CITY OF PITTSFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS ASSESSORS MAPS AVENUE 1560 7680 0070 SHERRILU 7300 7030 9160 Ecg.Eu 12:0 27810 1OBOT EXTENSION AVE 10 1000 7000 7800 AVENUE = ,600 E t0o : 1080 j0114'0 21400-5 24200 30444-D 24381-S R4902 20l27 *356 20106 105 20787 2080: 2132 728 1010030 AVENUE AVENUE 10050 24906 12867 0132 MONTGOMERY 300 FEET (ROUTE STREET 200-9 SHERRILL 260.00 AVENUE 140 AC SEE 112-1-1 331.4 26.B AC REID MIDDLE SCHOOL SEE 112-F-I 7 H13 113 GI2 H12112 GII HII|111 Springside Park Pittsfield, Berkshire County, Massachusetts City of Pittsfield Assessor's Map #I-11 SEE I/2-1-1 SPRINGSIDE PARK HULU 4060 = 060 E2 g3 5660 4520 SPRINGSIDE 33977 18728 3490 1520 10440 AVENUE 20 t $600 STODDARO STREET 7280 7000 7700 6750 8020 1000 0180 7280 ORTL AND HOEO 99) UHITS 1S TYLER STREET "!?
8760 Bo0g, 6750 3 PINE 12 1654 1436 100) AVENUS GLENWOOD 8650 1160 6340 niiACYi ITTCEIEIA ROARO NF ASSFCCOR AVIS AIRMAP, INC. CITY OF PITTSFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS ASSESSORS MAPS 6310 N0.24 6323 2D B325 s7ro 20 A16200 STREET 10500 6300 (6) 10620 10620 5200 4928 1300 10950 BROWN EAST 15000 8 10000g 76 815000 1500 7800 AVENUE 25000 20300 10000 10000 100 ROLAND 5000 50°0 10000 9220 3000 10000 10000 10000 ° s800 Ex 33 BROWN E .
3o Ea 6760 AVENUE 20000 -100 10065 8600 20s 13AC PARK 8830 10000 10000 15000 10000 3000 6092/8805/0800 L2988/00g0/322al5000 AVSNUE 22 7260 RÃ00 12700 9075 s ta sT STREET DICK INSON AVENUE 8/ 30 LEKKACe -0000 1:5818868 AVENUF 12 TEDPACE = CIPTIC B7ia Lo7O 10000 g °g/ AVENIE PERRINE AVENIIE WOODLAWN H12 112 H10 110 Springside Park Pittsfield, Berkshire County, Massachusetts City of Pittsfield Assessor's Map #I-12 CITY OF PITTSFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS ASSESSORS MAPS SPRING SIDE PARK 237.0 AC L PREPARED PITTSFELD ROARE OAESSORS OF THE P 20 /10 2// /12 613 E14 215 $16 6200627230003303 8402 :8400| 8450| A50C 17100 19E 8600 8650 0650 1747 1665 STREET BROWN 10000 103 AKOO 5000 20000 25000 EAST Ewwsi SCAMMELL 10000 10000 10000 5000 10000 8 10000 3 15000 10300 B 300 FEET DRAPER BROADVIE $ 0500 10000 5100 4 8 10000 8 10000 10200 103 8 100008 10000 10000 PARK 24 SADLER 8800 10000 5 10000 1030762105 9500 1000 10500 10000 27° 28 101 8900/0980 18000 TERRACE 6250 6260 88000/0000 100003 TANNER CKINSON 12700 Inone 3 14707 TEPRACE 10000% STREET 7600 14300 H13 113 J13 HI2 I |2 HIl I" Setl Assessors maps 12/17/07 (boundaus marked epencil) The HEBERT ARBORETUM 874 North Street Pittsfield MA 01201 ph 413-443 6345- At Springside Park, P.O.
Box 344,, Pittsfield, Ma. 01201 ~ 413-443-5348 February 12, 2008 Historical Commission Massachusetts On behalf of the Vincent J. Hebert Arboretum it gives me great pleasure encourage you to add Springside Park to the National Register of Historic Places. The Hebert Arboretum Board would like you to have our information booklet that contains some information about Hebert Arboretum at Springside Park, and information about the glones of this natural environment, which are many. Yesterday I learned that the website Hebert Arboretum will be included in is up on the web at www.garedensoftheberkshires.org. This spring volunteers will begin work on the Vincent J.
Hebert Lilac Walk and continue with the restoration of the southern portion of the historic Elm Allee, which will be planted with new, disease-resistant elm trees, a key in the rehabilitation of the southwest pedestrian entrance to the park, the "gateway" to the original Elmhurst Grounds. Many volunteers have made a difference that will be felt by those who sit this park. On their behalf we endorse the nomination of Springsid ark to placement on the National Repister of Historic Place THE VINCENT J. HEBERT ARBORETUM BOARD. Eizabithtulas Elizabeth Kulas, President JSYD LIBEKTAR The Commonwealth of Massachusetts William Francis Galvin, Secretary of the Commonwealth Massachusetts Historical Commission RECEIVED 2280 MAY 14 2008 NAT. REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES NATIONAL PARK SERVICE May 8, 2008 Mr. J.
Paul Loether, Chief National Register of Historic Places Jepartment of the Interior Vational Park Service 1201 Eye Street, NW 8" floor Washington, DC 20005 Dear Mr. Loether: Enclosed please find the following nomination form: Springside Park, North Street, Pittsfield (Berkshire), MA The nomination has been voted eligible by the State Review Board and has been signed by the State Historic Preservation Officer. The owners of the property were notified of pending State Review Board consideration 30 to 45 days before the meeting and were afforded the opportunity One letter of support has been received.
Sincerely, Betsytredheig Betsy Friedberg National Register Director Massachusetts Historical Commission Enclosure CC: Rebecca Smith, Pittsfield Historical Commission Martha Lyon, consultant Elizabeth Kulas, Hebert Arboretum Mayor James Ruberto, City of Pittsfiel eanna Ruffer, Planning & Community Developmer James McGrath, John Herman, Parks & Recreation Department 220 Morrissey Boulevard, Boston, Massachusetts 02125 (617) 727-8470 - Fax: (617) 727-5128 www.state.ma.us/sec/mhc 4/25/08 Sprinaside lark- WhiteHall Pitlsfield, Berkshine, MA 4. of Sig: Local Contrik: 12 Non-Con: 13 A. of sig: Citeria A-Coteuaity Rlaquing e Sevlapmert: I9Men cstete cen. mun. park Social History cen. park/landsca, *Sec.5 should this be a Historic Aistrict, instead of a "site"? sect.
8t1-The statement that "ancient sites" may be found on the Not nominated site does not sufficiently justify Archedlogy as an for arched. aEane t significan ei y spinien fourd? No #2- Athough the nomination mentions some community use, the nomination does not provide enough descriptibn of the desitt impact of the lark on the daily lives of fittsfield - Would not recommend listing, sig. mesidents. Focus almost exclusively on the ownership history. * Nomination does a good jols of descrbing the develapment of the patk as an entertainment and recreation, municieal park.
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