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): HPCA # 17189 - preliminary determination of individual listing (36 CFR 67) has been requested - previously listed in the National Register _ previously determined eligible by the National Register _ designated a National Historic Landmark _ recorded by Historic American Buildings Survey # _ recorded by Historic American Engineering Record # Primary location of additional data: x Massachusetts Historical Commission/SHPO Other State agenc Federal agenci XLocal government: Springfield Bldg. Dept. _ University x Other Name of repository: Connecticut Valley Historical Museum (Springfield, 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 8 Page1 OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Verona Apartments Springfield (Hampden), MA HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE The Verona Apartments block is a four-story masonry apartment building that retains integrity of ocation, design, materials, setting, workmanship, feeling, and association. It meets National Registel riterion A at the local level as a representative example of the modern multifamily housing that wa erected in Springfield's streetcar neighborhoods in the early 20* century. It also meets National Register Criterion C at the local level as a well-preserved example of the work of Casper Ranger (1850-1912), a prominent local contractor and developer.
The Verona meets National Register Criterion A because it is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of Springfield history. As Springfield's central business district grew and prospered in the late 19" century, residential development radiated out from the city's core. Improved roadways and streetcar service made the North End a more accessible and desirable place to live, as single-family farmsteads and estates gave way to newly subdivided streets lined with two- and three-family wood-frame homes and masonry apartment blocks. The Verona was one of a number of bowfront, four-story brick tenements that provided housing for Springfield's clerical and industrial workers employed by downtown businesses. The Verona housed a continuous series of new immigrants to Springfield, from Russian Jews in the 1910s to Puerto Ricans in the 1950s and 1960s.
The Verona's owners and tenants reflect Springfield's ethnic heritage, with first- and second-generation immigrants occupying the apartments throughout its history. Although German, Irish, and French- Canadian immigrants built the tenement, the city's Jewish and Hispanic communities ultimately had the closest historical ties to the building. The Verona's construction by immigrant builders and its links with significant persons and developments in Springfield's immigrant communities, particularly the city's Jewish and Hispanic communities, give it significance within the context of the city's 20"* century growth. In addition, the Verona meets Criterion C because of the involvement of local builders in its development. The Verona is a fine example of the work of Casper Ranger (1850-1912), Holyoke's premier industrial construction contractor at the turn of the 20* century.
The Verona is an example of the type of multifamily residence that dominated Springfield's housing market through the early 20* century in response to both market demands and building safety concerns. Colonial & Federal Periods (1636 - 1840) In 1636, William Pynchon (1590-1662) led a group of English emigrants west from Roxbury, (continued) 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 8 Page2 OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Verona Apartments Springfield (Hampden), MA Massachusetts, to the Connecticut River Valley to exploit the area's potential for fur trading and to prevent Dutch settlement in the region.
Settlement concentrated along what became Springfield's Main Street, which runs north-south and parallel to the river, with most early development occurring along the west side of the street, closer to the river. Springfield's strategic location on the Connecticut River midway between Boston and Albany was key to its later success as a center of trade and industry. During the Revolutionary War, Colonel Henry Knox selected Springfield as "the best place in all the four New England States for a laboratory, cannon foundry, etc." (cited in Rettig and Shedd, 1974). A militia training field, sited on a broad plain overlooking the town, was selected and construction of the Springfield Arsenal began with a magazine, barracks, and ordnance laboratories began in 1778. In 1794, the Springfield Arsenal [NHL] became a National Armory by an act of Congress.
As in many communities, less desirable institutional development was pushed to the edge of the village. In 1802, the town's Poor House Farm was sited between North Main Street and North Street, to the north side of the future Jefferson Avenue and near the present location of Calhoun Park. Springfield's population grew steadily from 1,574 in 1790, just a few years before the Armory's establishment, to 2,312 in 1800, to 2,767 in 1810 -- an increase of nearly 75% over twenty years. Springfield's growing significance as a commercial center was formally recognized in 1812, when Springfield became the shire town of the newly formed Hampden County. By 1820, Springfield had become a thriving manufacturing community with a population of 3,914. According to the census, about 58% of the population was engaged in industrial work, whether at the Armory or in home-based industries.
Armory workers brought religious and ethnic diversity to town as newcomers arrived to work in the new factory. New residents in the predominately Congregationalist community included Baptists, Methodists, Universalists, and Roman Catholics. Downtown development progressed rapidly during the early 19" century. The North End, however, was still a large expanse of rural land and scattered farms. The present Jefferson Avenue was originally a short jog where North Street curved east to meet Springfield Street (which later became a northern extension of Chestnut Street) before the road headed northeast into Cabotville (Chicopee Center). Early Industrial Period (1840 - 1870) By the 1840s and 1850s, Springfield's location along the Connecticut River and the major east-west road between Boston and Albany made it a crossroads community for New England.
Railroads came to Springfield fairly early, with the Western Railroad (later the Boston & Albany) linking Boston and (continued) 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 8 Page 3 OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Verona Apartments Springfield (Hampden), MA Albany in 1839 and the Connecticut Valley Railroad (later the Hartford & Springfield Railroad, then the Boston & Maine) running north/south in 1844. The two railroads ensured the area's prosperity. Springfield was on its way to becoming a vital and bustling town. The town's population jumped to 10,985 in 1840. Springfield continued to grow, reaching a population of 11,766 by 1850. The town retained an industrial and mercantile center that attracted many levels of workers, from unskilled laborers to educated professionals.
By 1850, the central business district had a public reservoir and sewer system and gas lighting. Springfield began to perceive itself, not as a town, but as a city. In 1852, the perception became reality when the community obtained a city charter. Prior to the Civil War, the bulk of development in Springfield took place south of the Boston & Albany Railroad tracks. By the mid 19* century, some of the farmland in the North End was converted to suburban estates by successful professionals, merchants, and businessmen who constructed stylish homes on large lots. The Civil War was a time of growth and prosperity for Springfield. The new city's population had reached 15,199 by 1860 and continued to grow through the war years. The Armory expanded during the war, manufacturing the famous Springfield rifle.
The Nov 8, 1862 (p.4) Springfield Daily Republican noted substantial additions to the Armory that year. Production increased from 1,000 guns per month in 1861 to 1,000 per day in 1864. Thirty-four hundred employees, nearly a quarter of Springfield's work force, worked around the clock to keep up with orders. Vacant lots surrounding downtown Springfield were the focus of new development after the Civil War, and new streets were finally planned in the North End. Calhoun Street, three blocks north of the Verona site, was the northern boundary for new development. After the Civil War, the Springfield Armory cut back its workforce greatly, keeping only skilled workers. However, the manufactory was still quite busy. In the private sector, manufacturers scrambled to transfer production from military products to other goods.
Companies like Smith & Wesson (small arms) and the Wason Car Company (railroad cars) became leading employers in the postwar city. Banking, insurance, and publishing were also significant employers, with the Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company and Merriam-Webster taking the lead. The site of the Verona was originally part of a large tract of North Street farmland. Through the mid 19th century it was owned by Thomas H. Allen (1817-1881), who specialized in providing fresh meats and orchard fruits for local markets. He supplied most of the large institutions in Springfield, including "all the first-class hotels" (Biographical Review, p. 717). From early maps, it appears that his home was the brick house that stood on the site of the Verona until 1906. (continued) 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 8 Page_4 OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Verona Apartments Springfield (Hampden), MA Late Industrial Period (1870- 1900) By 1870, development in Springfield was increasingly dense, with construction extending east of the Armory and fanning out from the city center. In spite of fears of postwar stagnation, Springfield's population continued to grow, reaching 26,703 in 1870. Residential development throughout the city intensified through the 1870s and 1880s as developers saw opportunities in the North End and other streetcar-connected neighborhoods. By 1875, Jefferson Avenue had been laid out on the south side of the former City Farm property.
The proposed street was to be a broad avenue with homes set back from the road by a wide grassy treebelt (see 1875 bird's-eye view). In the 1880s and 1890s, the old City Farm was subdivided, with some lots sold off for private development. The population increased steadily from 33,340 residents in 1880 to 44,179 in 1890. Developable land near the city center was snatched up almost as soon as it became available. Transportation and transportation-related industries supported the late 19"*-century development of the North End. Springfield's position at a major railroad juncture made it an ideal site for the manufacture of railroad cars. The Wason Car Manufacturing Company, founded in 1845, exploited an international market for both passenger and freight cars ranging from the utilitarian to the luxurious.
At its peak, the company employed 700 workers at a sixteen-acre riverfront site in the North End. Real estate developers recognized the opportunity to make a profit building homes for Wason plant employees. Changes in local transportation also fostered the rapid expansion of the North End in the late 19th century. In 1868, the Springfield Street Railway was organized and became a major force in enabling suburban development. The railway's first stables were sited on the corner of Main and Hooker Streets, in the North End. Within a few years, streetcar lines connected Springfield neighborhoods to downtown and to surrounding communities, allowing workers greater opportunities for employment, shopping, and entertainment outside their immediate neighborhood. When the street railway was electrified in 1900, the company had 400 employees and 68 miles of track.
The Railway Company's facilities expanded, becoming one of the North End's major employers. By 1897, the Springfield Street Railway facility was at its peak of prosperity and streetcar access along Main, Dwight, and Chestnut streets increased the marketability of house lots in the North End. ao od aeue trstin he et eraeces iangs Main, The mid to late 19" century brought a number of new ethnic groups to Springfield, including French- Canadians, Germans, Italians, Swedes, Greeks, Poles, Russians, and other Eastern Europeans, in addition to the Irish immigrants already there; many of these new residents settled in the North End. By 1870, the North End's Irish community had grown to such an extent that the newly formed Springfield (continued) 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 8 Page5 OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Verona Apartments Springfield (Hampden), MA Diocese contemplated organizing a new parish there. Bishop Patrick O'Reilly commented that a new parish was needed for "the fast-growing section north of the railroad where many Irish families made their home.." (Cited by Burns, p. 21). By 1885, nearly one third of Springfield's Irish residents lived in the North End. In the 1870s, French-Canadian immigration to the Springfield area surged as new immigrants took advantage of employment opportunities. In the 1910s and 1920s, the neighborhood had a French- Canadian community large enough to vote one of their own, Emile J. Erard, into office on the City Council (The French and French-Canadian Community, pp. 25-30).
Springfield had a small population of German Jews who had emigrated in the mid 19* century. From 1870 to the early 1900s, however, Russian Jews fleeing pogroms began to form a significant population in Springfield. In 1883, a small community of Jewish peddlers settled in the North End on Liberty Street. The community grew slowly along the side streets just north of the Boston & Albany Railroad lines. Henry Glickman, who operated a grocery store, developed some of the North End's first apartment blocks (Schatz, Jewish Community, pp 3-8). Around 1885, Eleftherios Pilalas, Springfield's first documented Greek resident, settled on Calhoun Street in the North End. Pilalas got his first job at the Kibbe Candy Company and subsequently helped many of his compatriots get jobs at the factory. A second influx of Greeks arrived around 1905.
Between 1885 and 1895, Springfield's Polish population rose from eight individuals to 246. This new ethnic group settled in Indian Orchard and the North End. By 1915, Springfield had about 5,000 Polish residents distributed between the two neighborhoods. In the North End, while private funds constructed new homes and businesses, public funds provided amenities for the new residents. In 1883, the city's first Board of Park Commissioners proposed a new park in the North End.
The park commissioners suggested squaring off the corner of North Street (now Dwight Street) at Jefferson Avenue and creating a park on a portion of the almshouse site: We would...recommend that North street be extended from a point near the site of the former almshouse, in a line nearly parallel with Chestnut street, to Calhoun street, and that the land which will then lie between North street on the west, and Chestnut street on the east, and between Calhoun street on the north, and Jefferson avenue on the south, be set apart as a public square or park. This will comprise about two and one-half acres of land which the city now owns, and nothing need be expended for improvements at present unless it should be thought best to do some filling and tree-setting, which could be done at small cost. (Springfield Municipal Register, 1884, p. 234) (continued) 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 8 Page6 OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Verona Apartments Springfield (Hampden), MA The new park was named after William Calhoun, who was mayor of Springfield in 1859 and served in both the Massachusetts and United States legislatures. By the turn of the 20" century, the area around Calhoun Park included schools, churches, and charitable institutions. The late 19"h and early 20" centuries were times of increasing industrial and commercial growth in Springfield. As downtown businesses prospered, the market grew for multifamily housing for clerical and retail workers in and adjacent to the downtown area. To meet this demand, developers began to replace many older single- and two-family homes with large brick apartment blocks of eight or more units.
Over the next 35 years, development density increased, until by 1930, four- and five-story apartment buildings were a common feature of the city's built environment. The Thomas Allen farm was one of several large tracts of North End property that were subdivided to provide homes for the city's new residents. After Allen's death in 1881, his widow, Mary, held onto the property until 1889, when she sold it to Judson Strong, Jr. (1851-1904) for $40,000. Strong subdivided the Allen farm in the 1890s and began laying out streets. By 1895, Allendale Street had been laid out. That year, Strong sold the Allen House to Louis J.
Rigali, with the stipulation that any new buildings constructed on the site could not be built any nearer to North (Dwight) or Allendale Streets than "the house now on said property nor [could any] old building of any kind [be] moved thereon or any stable erected except for private use" (Hampden County Registry of Deeds Book 560, Page 579, 22 May 1895). Rigali appears to have retained the Allen House as a rental property until he sold it in 1902 to Henry W. Pearl (1823-1907), a paper dealer. Early Modern Period (1900- 1930) By 1900, Springfield's population had reached 62,059. The city boasted a diverse industrial and commercial base with more than 500 manufacturing plants, twelve banks, three insurance companies, a prosperous central business district, more than 30 schools and churches, three daily and eight weekly newspapers (Bauer 1975, p. 8).
Trolley lines crisscrossed the city, allowing suburban commuters easy access to downtown jobs. While developers built single- and two-family homes in suburban neighborhoods, the density of residential development in the center of the city increased rapidly (D'Amato 1985, pp. 138-139). From 1900 to 1910, building activity climbed in Springfield. In its annual building reports, the Springfield Republican noted that building activity had increased by $1 million or more each year from 1904 to 1910 (Springfield Republican, Jan 1, 1911, p. 6-7). Factories were expanding and downtown businesses prospered, creating new jobs. The Republican touted 1906 as a "banner year" for construction (Springfield Republican, Dec 31, 1906, p. 9). In 1908, development continued to hold steady, in spite of a (continued) 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 8 Page7 OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Verona Apartments Springfield (Hampden), MA brief business depression (Springfield Republican, Dec 28, 1908, p. 6). Even though rents rose, vacancy rates remained low. The grocery stores, retailers, and service businesses crowding the North End catered to the neighborhood's varied ethnic groups. Many new apartment buildings included first-floor retail space, and a number of homeowners converted their first floors or added street-level shops to the fronts of their buildings.
In 1913, the Springfield Republican tried to capture the flavor of the North End's shops: It is hard to speak of this section of the city without constant reference to its picturesque element, for it is upon this quality that its reputation has been chiefly built in the past. It comprises a city within a city in its customs, its religion, its people and its business, and its thorough fares are as widely separated from the ordinary shopping streets as are the ends of the earth. Few people will forget the sight of crowds of women shopping, shawls over heads and perhaps a canvas sack in hand to take home the chicken and vegetables which are to form the evening's meal (Cited by Schatz, Jewish Community, p. 18). In 1909, the Republican reported $5,303,435 in new construction citywide. The newspaper attributed this to the adoption of a new building code, which was to go into effect in 1910.
Builders hoped to beat new fire codes, which they expected would increase construction costs. The newspaper noted rapid industrial growth accompanied by population increases of 2,000 a year over the past ten years. In 1910, the city's population reached 88,926. In 1909, many Springfield industries enlarged their plants - U.S. Envelope and Powers Paper Company, Hendee Manufacturing, and the Knox automobile plant were a few of the firms that expanded. The electric, gas, and telephone companies also made additions to their plants in response to the increased demands on utility services made by growing industries and new residents (Springfield Republican, 2 Jan 1910, p. 10-11). To accommodate the new workers, developers constructed 97 apartment blocks of four or more units in 1909--double the number built in 1908.
The newspaper noted, "The class of tenants that prefers this sort of habitation [i.e., the new apartment blocks] is not the one that has many children" (Springfield Republican, Jan 2, 1910, p. 10-11). Census records confirm this trend: many of the households who rented new apartments in the North End were small -- usually two or three individuals. The new tenants tended to be factory workers and retail and clerical workers employed in downtown shops and offices. Growth continued through 1910, with many downtown improvements and factory expansions. From 1907 to 1910, there had been over $15,000,000 in new construction, making up one-sixth of the assessors' valuation for the city. Growth continued steady from 1911 through 1916, with low vacancy rates and high (continued) 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 8 Page 8 OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Verona Apartments Springfield (Hampden), MA wages (Springfield Republican, Dec 31, 1911, p. 17; Dec 29, 1912, p. 17-20; Dec 31, 1916, p. 2-3). With little open land available in the city's center, new apartment blocks replaced older, smaller homes that had been built in the 19* century. In the North End, vacant lots were quickly snatched up for new development. Four-story brick apartment blocks were becoming the most popular new multi family structures, enabling builders to increase the density of developments by building up and maximizing lot coverage.
The Springfield newspapers endorsed the replacement of "out-of-date" buildings with new modern apartments as a sign of much-needed progress, but also noted that new development was drastically altering the nature of Springfield's neighborhoods. In 1914, new construction in Springfield nearly surpassed the 1912 record. The Springfield Sunday Republican reported: "If War had not entered as an influencing factor all past records might have been eclipsed." Total construction exceeded $5 million, with "an amazing boom in the building of apartment and tenement houses." Although industrial and commercial construction had been sluggish, $1,5 million was spent on the construction of new apartment blocks. In anticipation of a revised building code, which was expected to pass the next year, builders concentrated on masonry apartment blocks.
Building Commissioner Fred Lumis was credited with setting high standards for new construction. Sixty-three apartment blocks and fourteen combination retail/residential buildings were completed that year. Seventy-seven permits were issued for buildings of six or more units. Springfield led all other western New England cities in construction activity for the year, including Hartford, New Haven, and Bridgeport, CT. The newspaper paid particular attention to developments on North (Dwight) Street: "North St....is becoming a tenement-house street, and almost every side street in the North End has its share of tenement-houses" (Springfield Sunday Republican, Dec 27, 1914, p. 14). In 1915, a new building code was adopted in an attempt to improve fire safety. The new code prohibited the construction of wood-frame triple deckers.
The four-story brick tenements that had become popular during the first decade of the century were seen as providing better natural light and ventilation and more fireproof construction than their wooden predecessors. Blocks like the Verona became the norm for new multi family construction. City efforts to control and guide new development culminated in the creation of a 1922 zoning ordinance, which was followed the next year by a master plan that set guidelines and goals for future growth. "Springfield is growing faster than any other city in Massachusetts," the report noted. "Several hundred subdivision plats have been laid out during the last fifty years mostly with streets that do not connect, streets of all widths and kinds, and blocks and lots of the greatest variety."Public garages and factories (continued) 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 8 Page 9 OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Verona Apartments Springfield (Hampden), MA were located in residential neighborhoods and multi family tenements grew up side-by-side with single- and two-family houses - a situation typified by North (Dwight) Street. "Large buildings have been springing up amongst groups of low buildings, cutting off their light and air," the report lamented. Planners recommended widening several streets and extending Dwight Street north to connect with North Street (Springfield Planning Board, A City Plan for Springfield, 1923, pp. 14-15). In 1926, the extension of Dwight Street was completed, and North Street officially became part of Dwight. Properties were renumbered to reflect the change.
The Verona Apartments The Verona was one of the new apartment blocks constructed during the "banner year" of 1906. Henry W. Pearl's mortgage on the property was acquired by John J. Prew, Maurice F. Sullivan, Thomas J. Carmody, and Casper Ranger, all of whom were builders and contractors in nearby Holyoke. The Holyoke mortgagors foreclosed on Pearl in 1906 and sold the property to Herbert Sherman Clark (b. 1865) of Holyoke. Clark mortgaged the property back to the above contractors, along with Ely Lumber Company of Holyoke, and he and the mortgagers developed a new four-story apartment block on the site. Because of the connection of the mortgagors with the construction industry, it is likely that Casper Ranger (1850-1912), who was the most prominent building contractor in Holyoke, did the construction work on the Verona.
An immigrant from Alsace, Ranger came to Holyoke with his family around 1854. He was educated in the Holyoke and South Hadley Falls public schools and began his career in carpentry, apprenticing to Allen Higgenbottom. Ranger then worked for Holyoke builder Watson Ely. As foreman for Ely, Ranger oversaw the construction of Holyoke's Windsor Hotel, renovations of the Holyoke House, and the completion of Holyoke's City Hall and Opera House. Ranger left Ely's employ in 1877 to start his own business on Appleton Street in Holyoke. He founded both a construction company and a lumber yard. Ranger specialized in industrial construction; his company built mills in Holyoke for Skinner Mills, Whiting Paper Company, American Writing Paper Company, Farr Alpaca Company, Lyman Mills, White & Wyckoff, National Blank Book, Whitmore Manufacturing Company, Deane Steam Pump, and B. F. Perkins.
Portions of most of these complexes survive today, including buildings constructed by Ranger. Encyclopedia of Massachusetts credits Casper Ranger Construction with building nearly 70% of all the mills in Holyoke. Ranger's projects were not confined to western Massachusetts; he took on contracts throughout New England and New York state. Outside of Holyoke, Casper Ranger Construction built a paper mill in Haverhill, and a cotton mill for Hathaway Manufacturing Company in New Bedford, West Boylston (continued) 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 8 Page 10 OMB Approval No.
1024-0018 Verona Apartments Springfield (Hampden), MA Mills in Easthampton, Dwight Manufacturing Company mills in Chicopee, and United Metallic Cartridge ompany factories in Bridgeport, Connecticut. In Springfield, the company was responsible for th pringfield Institution for Savings Building, United Electric Company, and the United States Envelop Company. Many of the buildings at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley were built by Casper Ranger Construction, including Skinner Recital Hall and the Alumni Building. Other educational institutions with buildings constructed by Ranger or his sons include Smith College and the Massachusetts Agricultural College (later the University of Massachusetts). Ranger also did residential construction, including his own elaborate turreted Queen Anne-style home (now the Holy Cross Church rectory, 507 Appleton Street, Holyoke, 1890), the William H.
Whiting House (127 Lincoln St, Holyoke, 1894, Queen Anne), and the William H. Brooks House (171 Pine Street, Holyoke, 1890, Romanesque Revival, designed by Fuller and Wheeler). According to the Encyclopedia of Massachusetts, "The operations of the Ranger Company...cover structures devoted to every purpose, the range of material being equally wide - wood, stone, brick, steel or concrete - in fact, every known material being used in their building. In order to meet the demands of the business, an enormous plant is maintained in Holyoke, under the name of the Casper Ranger Lumber Company; this includes a woodworking mill equipped with the latest and most improved machinery, which covers an entire block; a vast lumber yard, construction yards, and storehouses for their equipment; and the Hampshire brickyards, of which the company are owners, burn millions of bricks annually for their use" (Vol.
11, p. 243). The biographical sketch of Ranger in the Encyclopedia of Massachusetts praised him for "[h]is absolute honesty, strict observance of the terms of a contract, and his own thorough knowledge of his business, which constituted him his own most capable superintendent" (Vol. 11, p. 241). Ranger took on his sons as partners, teaching them every aspect of the business. After Ranger's death in 1912, his sons continued the business, which survived well into the 20th century. By the 1890s, Ranger's construction company employed 175 builders during the busy season. Ranger appears to have done both construction work and real estate development in partnership with the Ely Company (Picturesque thanugh h: Engyclopedia of Massachusetts, Vol 11, pp 241-243). The company continued to expand century. By the company's peak in the 1920s, Ranger's sons were employing nearly 2,000 builders.
The other builders mentioned in the deed were John Prew of Prew & Co., brick manufacturers, building contractors, and real estate brokers, and Maurice F. Sullivan and Thomas J. Carmody of Sullivan & Carmody, stove dealers, plumbers, and galvanized iron workers. It is likely that these two companies also contributed to the construction of the Verona. (continued) 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 8 Page 11 OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Verona Apartments Springfield (Hampden), MA John Prew (ca. 1846-1917) was a French-Canadian immigrant whose family moved to the United States when he was a child. Prew lived in Springfield for a while before settling in Holyoke, where he became a contractor and brick manufacturer. Maurice F.
Sullivan (1859-1926) was born in Chicopee, the son of Irish immigrants. His family moved to Virginia when he was an infant. Just after the Civil War, he, his mother, and his siblings had moved to Holyoke and Maurice was working in a cotton mill, following that job with a stint at the Massachusetts Screw Company. He learned tinsmithing while working for Tower Brothers. Soon afterward, he took up the plumbing trade as well and partnered with Thomas J. Carmody and H. P. Weseley in the firm of Sullivan, Carmody & Weseley to sell stoves and iron and take on plumbing and metalwork contracts. When Weseley died, the company became Sullivan & Carmody (Sullivan obituary, Springfield Daily Republican, May 1926, p. 16). Thomas J. Carmody (1856-1937) was born in County Kerry, Ireland. His family emigrated when Carmody was four years old.
After attending Holyoke schools, he became involved in the plumbing business. After completing his apprenticeship, he partnered with Maurice F. Sullivan. He served on the Holyoke Common Council and Board of Aldermen and School Board (Carmody obituary, Springfield Daily Republican, Aug 9, 1937, p 1). The partnership that constructed the Verona selected a simplified Classical Revival style for the building's design. Like many four-story apartment blocks constructed in Springfield, the brownstone- trimmed white brick Verona was given a graceful bowfront design, improving both light and ventilation to the units. Metal canopies decorated with rosettes shaded the entranceways, and an attached one-story block (no longer extant) with recessed entrance provided retail space for a series of shops and services.
The store's broad metal cornice was decorated with rosettes that echoed those in the Verona's canopies, visually tying the two parts of the building together. A round arch in relief at the Verona's northwest corner provided access to the rear of the building. The Verona was completed in 1907. The list of tenants during its first year includes both Irish and Yankee names. Clerical workers, factory workers, and laborers made up most of its residents. Only one new immigrant family (of Russian Jewish origin) was listed on the 1910 Census; native Yankees and second- generation Irish families made up the rest of the tenants. Household sizes in the building ranged from one to five members. Herbert S. Clark, whose name was on the deed as owner of the Verona, worked for Casper Ranger Construction. Born in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Clark went to school in Cummington and Holyoke.
When he was thirteen, he went to work for the Hadley Thread Company, then the Crocker Manufacturing (continued) 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 8 Page 12 OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Verona Apartments Springfield (Hampden), MA Company, as a "cutter boy." At fifteen, he started doing office work at the Holyoke Machine Company, where he was employed for seven years. He went to California, then came back to Holyoke in 1889, becoming clerk at the Casper Ranger Company. In 1911, Clark became director and manager of the company (Encyclopedia of Massachusetts, Vol. 7, pp. 52-54). In 1916, Ely Lumber and the other mortgagors (including Casper Ranger's heirs) foreclosed on Herbert S. Clark, using Harriet C.
Loomis as an intermediary to transfer the property to Eli Cohen. Clark continued to work for Casper Ranger Construction, so it is possible that the foreclosure was the result of some sort of business arrangement rather than due to any financial troubles on Clark's part. Eli Cohen (ca. 1869-1928), who owned the Verona during the 1920s, was one of Springfield's most prominent businessmen and was a leader in the city's Jewish community. Born in Vilna, Russia, Cohen immigrated at the age of eighteen, first to Boston, then moving to Manchester, New Hampshire, where he found work in the wholesale shoe business. In 1898, he moved to Springfield where he became involved with the Hampden Shoe Company, eventually becoming its president. A successful businessman, Cohen began to deal in real estate, and was at one time the second largest taxpayer in the city.
Known locally as a Talmudic scholar, he was active in both the Kodimoh and Beth Israel congregations, and was president of Beth Israel. He made his home on Jefferson Avenue, just a few blocks away from the Verona ("Eli Cohen, Jewish Leader Here, Dies," Oct 9, 1928 newspaper article, Springfield Scrapbook, Vol. 8). By 1920, the population of the Verona had changed, reflecting the continuing influx of Russian and German Jews into Springfield, and perhaps also its new ownership. All of the households but one were headed by Russians who had immigrated between 1890 and 1919. The one exception was an Austrian Jewish family. Household sizes had increased, with as many as five to eight residents; only one apartment had fewer than four occupants. The age range had broadened, with many families including young children. Occupations were a mix of clerical and retail workers.
Eli Cohen held the Verona for ten years, until Orange Savings Bank foreclosed on his mortgage in 1929. Ida Tarshis, a resident of the building, bought the property for $36,000. She appears to have been the only owner-occupant of the building. In 1929, Ms. Tarshis was a machine operator, sharing her apartment with Eli A. Tarshis, a student, Hyman Tarshis, a Hebrew teacher, and Freida Tarshis. By 1933, Ida is no longer listed as living in the Verona in city directories. Late Modern Period (1930 - 1958) With the Great Depression, construction stalled throughout the city and many industries cut back their workforce. The city's population, which had increased throughout its history, saw its first decline, (continued) 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 8 Page13 OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Verona Apartments Springfield (Hampden), MA slipping to 149,554 by 1940. By the 1930s, the North End's identity had been well established as a mixed ethnic neighborhood. or as old singte kamly fomes condered no accommodate mutiple iveling unly desiened for apartments, When World War II military production revived Springfield's manufacturers, the city began to pull out of the Depression. The Armory went into round-the-clock production, as did many of the city's other manufacturers. Companies that geared up or converted their facilities for wartime production included Indian Motocycle, Smith & Wesson, Van Norman Machine & Tool, American Bosch, Westinghouse, Monsanto, and Chapman Valve.
After World War II, Springfield's population shifted toward new suburban developments in the eastern sections of the city. As in many cities during the 1950s and 1960s, Springfield's industrial base was declining, with established manufacturing firms leaving town or shutting down altogether. The closing of the Armory in 1968 took away Springfield's third largest employer, leaving more than 3,000 workers unemployed The Jewish, Irish, French-Canadian, and Polish residents in the North End gradually dispersed to more suburban neighborhoods, leaving the North End's tenements and duplexes for a new generation of immigrants. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, a new wave of immigrants began arriving in Springfield. Puerto Ricans seeking manufacturing jobs in Springfield businesses and agricultural jobs in surrounding towns began moving to the city.
Like many other immigrants, a large number found their first homes in Springfield's North End. In 1950, about six percent of the North End's population was Hispanic (Urban Renewal Progress Report). This figure was to increase rapidly over the next few decades, so that by 1980, the number of Hispanic residents in the city overall had surpassed all other ethnic groups. As early as 1947, the North End had become the target of proposals for clearance and rebuilding. A May 13, 1947, Springfield Union article spoke of clearing the North End between Liberty Street and Morgan Street down to Columbus Avenue "of its present accumulation of old time, passé buildings of all types and substituting modern multiple housing." Planners at first hoped to keep new development concentrated near the city center, especially with the need for inexpensive new homes for returning GIs.
Suburban subdivision development was criticized as being an expensive and inefficient use of city services. "The housing problem is now being met largely by erection of clusters of small cottages in more or less isolated areas of the city which will entail sometimes very heavy expenditures upon the city to lay the necessary water and sewer mains." (continued) 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 8 Page 14 OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Verona Apartments Springfield (Hampden), MA The Verona Apartments peddlers, clerical workers, and small business proprietors, including a grocer and a shoe repair shop owner. One dentist kept his office in the building as well as his home.
Polish immigrants Charles and Mary Biskup operated a grocery store in the one-story building attached to the Verona. In 1946, Summit Realty sold the Verona to Samuel and Sarah Berman. The Bermans were Polish Jewish immigrants who ran a cleaning and dyeing business and operated a rooming house out of their home on Chestnut Street. The Bermans held the Verona for only a year before selling it to Raphael and Marie Ann Boucher in 1947. In 1950, after Raphael Boucher's death, his wife Marie Ann sold the Verona to family members Onias and Lena Boucher. They held the property for two years before transferring it to Piea Realty Company, which was presided over by Luigi Fresia (1895-1979), an Italian immigrant. Fresia held the property for only a few months before selling it to Nicholas H. and Mary M. Albano.
Nicholas Albano (1908-1993) was born in Bracigliano, Salerno, Italy in 1908 and made his living as a printer, first at Diamond Match Company, and later at the Springfield Newspapers ("Nicholas H. Albano, 85; was printer at newspaper," Springfield Union-News, Nov 16, 1993). The Albanos had the longest tenure as property owners, keeping the Verona for twenty years. In 1972, they sold it to Elisha A. and Arlover Colgram. Recent History (since 1958) Springfield developed a new Master Plan in 1955, partly in response to the Federal Housing Act of 1949, and partly in anticipation of the passage of the highway legislation and construction of the Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90) and Interstates 91 and 291.
Planners saw an opportunity to "eliminate deteriorating conditions, improve neighborhoods, produce new tax ratables and provide opportunities for new housing, commercial and industrial development" (Cited in Bauer, p. 133). Planners accepted the inevitability of suburban growth and noted deteriorating housing conditions in the city's older neighborhoods. Because the North End had the largest concentration of substandard housing, the plan set priorities for overhauling the neighborhood. Property surveys conducted for the urban renewal project found that most of the housing in the neighborhood consisted of two- and three-story wood-frame homes. Ninety-one residential buildings were four-story masonry structures of a type similar to the Verona; about a quarter of those had more than (continued) 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 8 Page 15 OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Verona Apartments Springfield (Hampden), MA twelve units. Businesses of various kinds were intermixed throughout the neighborhood. The survey found 172 retail businesses, 52 service businesses, 77 wholesale businesses, and 72 industrial concerns. A survey of residential properties in the North End found that more than half of the structures were "substandard." According to a 1958 Urban Renewal Progress Report, housing "lacks basic heating and sanitary facilities. Schools are ancient and obsolete. Streets are narrow and congested. Business and industry cause noise, odor, unsightliness and congestion in and near residential sections.
Private capital is unwilling or unable to risk investment in the area." The mixture of residential and business use throughout the neighborhood was seen as a "major blighting factor." The urban renewal plan also recommended replacement of all the schools in the area and creation of more parks (Urban Renewal Progress Report, pp. 4-7). Springfield's economic base continued to erode, and the city lost business and population to surrounding suburban towns. From a peak of 174,463 in 1960, the city's population declined steadily over the next two decades, to 163,905 in 1970 and 152,319 in 1980. Since 1980, population has stabilized somewhat, fluctuating between 151,000 and 157,000. During the 1970s, a growing historic preservation movement caused Springfield civic and business leaders to recognize the importance of the city's architectural history.
In the North End, historic preservation was less of a concern than overcoming the devastating effects of highway construction and urban renewal. In spite of urban renewal's promises of a revitalized city, by the 1970s, neglect, vandalism, and arson had caused serious damage to many urban neighborhoods, including the North End. Because promised improvements were slow to take place, neighborhood residents began to view urban renewal as a plan to systematically destroy Springfield's Hispanic community. Racial and ethnic tensions complicated matters, setting neighborhood residents against Springfield police and government officials. Two shootings of North End residents by police in 1975 sparked a series of riots that resulted in the firebombing of a number of buildings between Jefferson Avenue and Hebron Street.
The Verona was one of the few buildings on that section of Dwight Street to escape destruction. In 1974, the Jefferson-Brookline urban renewal plan and a 1976 amendment to that plan targeted the area bounded by Jefferson and Brookline Avenues and Chestnut and Dwight Streets for the construction of new two-family homes. Nearly all of Allendale Street and the north side of Hebron Street were developed as the Bel-Air Homes project. The 1983-1984 Dwight Street plan involved construction of twelve new homes between Church and Bancroft Streets. Some new construction projects, such as the building of modular ranch-style homes, were not always visually compatible with the neighborhood's historic housing (Springfield Planning Department, Memorial Square Neighborhood Statistics). Perhaps because it had survived the 1975 fires and remained occupied, the Verona was spared demolition.
(continued) 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 8 Page16 OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Verona Apartments Springfield (Hampden), MA Springfield's Hispanic community currently accounts for the majority of the North End's population. According to the 1990 census, 81% of the Memorial Square neighborhood's population was Hispanic, the largest percentage in the city. The median income for the neighborhood was the lowest in the city, with high unemployment continuing to be a problem. Homeownership was low, and 72% of the residential properties had absentee landlords; more than half of those were subsidized developers like BDC or the multifamily buildings containing 156 units, or 15% of the neighborhood's dwelling units (Springfield Planning Department.
Memorial Square Neighborhood Statistics). While promotion of new commercial development is seen as key to the city's economic success, the need for affordable housing has also been identified as a critical issue for Springfield. The ongoing crisis in affordable housing has created a critical need for new rental units for low-and moderate-income tenants, particularly in poorer neighborhoods like Memorial Square. The Verona Apartments Elisha A. and Arlover Colgram managed the Verona until 1983, when they sold it to Housing Rehab Inc. for $80,000. That year, the Verona became part of a North End redevelopment project, along with the Calhoun (NR pending), a similar tenement located down the street at 1391 Dwight. Housing Rehab, Inc.
(later renamed Brightwood Housing Trust), planned to renovate the building in accordance with an urban renewal plan developed for the Brookline-Jefferson Avenue Project. F. Austin Miller, president of the Brightwood Housing Trust, was also president of Brightwood Development Corporation. The renovations by Housing Rehab were not done with an eye to historic preservation. The project gutted the interiors of both buildings, replacing any surviving original finishes with new sheetrock walls and ceilings and new floors. Some of the buildings' original wood trim was left in the stairways and on the entry surrounds of some of the apartment doorways. In 1985, Brightwood Housing Trust transferred the Calhoun and the Verona to Dwight Manor Associates, a for-profit limited partnership consisting of the same board members as the Brightwood Housing Trust for $160,000.
A fiscal crisis in the city of Springfield resulted in the creation of a state-appointed Control Board to oversee city management in 2004. The Board set up a $1.8 million demolition fund to take down abandoned deteriorating buildings, particularly in the North End, South End, and Old Hill neighborhoods. In an effort to increase revenues, the city also stepped up efforts to confiscate and sell tax-delinquent properties. The Calhoun and Verona were two such properties. (continued) 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 8 Page 17 OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Verona Apartments Springfield (Hampden), MA When Dwight Manor Associates fell delinquent on its tax obligations in 1997, the city placed a tax lien on the Calhoun and Verona.
In 2004, the city formally foreclosed on the properties and took possession. By that time the buildings had been vacant for several years. In 2006, the city conveyed both the Calhoun and the Verona to the Jefferson Park Limited Partnership for rehabilitation into low- and moderate-income housing. The tax-advantaged rehabilitation of the Verona in 2007 preserves a building with links to Springfield's vibrant immigrant history while providing much-needed affordable housing in the city. Archaeological Significance Historic archaeological resources described above may contribute important information related to Springfield's early 19* century settlement, agricultural economy, and ethnic heritage.
Structural evidence of buildings associated with the Allen farmstead may contribute important information related to Springfield's early 19"* century settlement during a period when large farms characterized the North End locale where the Verona Apartments are located. Identification and mapping of barns and outbuildings associated with the Allen farm may contribute important information related to the type of agriculture and husbandry that was practiced and its role in the local economy. Detailed analysis of the contents of occupational-related features may contribute additional information related to the agricultural economy of the Allen Farm and Springfield in the early 19" century and the social, cultural, and economic characteristics of the farm's occupants.
Structural analysis of outbuildings and detailed analysis of the contents of occupational-related features associated with the tenants of the Verona Apartments may contribute important information related to Springfield's ethnic heritage and changing social history. Archaeological resources may contribute information related to Springfield and the North End's change from single-family farms and estates to multi family housing and tenements in the center of the city. In the North End, ethnic groups that changed through time occupied tenements like the Verona Apartments. Archaeological information from outbuildings and occupational-related features may contribute information that indicates ways different ethnic groups adapted to change. possibly by supplementing their wage earnings and subsistence with scaled down attempts at husbandry and agriculture.
(end) VPS Form 1 10-900-2 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Section number 9 Verona Apartments Page_ _ Springfield, Hampden County, MA BIBLIOGRAPHY Maps and Views Atlas of Springfield City, Massachusetts. Boston, MA: George H. Walker & Co., 1882. Beers, F.W.., surveyor. Map of the City of Springfield, Massachusetts. New York: Beers, Ellis & Soule, 1870. Bowles, Samuel. Springfield Map, 1827. Colton, George. Plan of Springfield, 1835. Insurance Maps of Springfield, Massachusetts. New York: Sanborn Map Co., 1886, 1896, 1911, 1931, 1951. Map of the City of Springfield. Springfield, MA: Samuel Bowles & Co., 1868. Richards Map of the City of Springfield. Springfield, MA: L.J. Richards Map Co., 1899, 1910, 1920. Smith & VanZandt, surveyors.
Map of the City of Springfield, Massachusetts. Philadelphia: McKinney & Smith, 1860. Smith, Marcus, and Jones, H.A. Map of Springfield, Massachusetts. New York: M. Dripps, 1851. View of Springfield, Massachusetts. Springfield, MA: Whitney & Adams, 1875. Walling, Henry F., surveyor. Map of Hampden County. Boston, MA: H.A. Haley, 1855. Publications & manuscript materials Bauer, Frank. At the Crossroads: Springfield, Massachusetts, 1636 - 1975. Springfield, MA: USA Bicentennial Committee of Springfield, Inc., 1975. Burns, Kathryne A. Springfield's Ethnic Heritage: The Irish Community. Springfield, MA: USA Bicentennial Committee of Springfield, Inc., 1976. Burt, Ralph E., Associates, compiler. Springfield 1852 - 1952. Springfield, MA: Springfield Centennial Committee, 1952. NPS Form 110-900-2 8-86) OMB Approval No.
1024-0018 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number 9 Verona Apartments Page_2_ Springfield, Hampden County, MA Clark, James Henry. "The Streets of Springfield" (scrapbook). Springfield, 1947. Commerce, Manufactures and Resources of Springfield, Massachusetts. Springfield: National Publishing Company, 1883. Connecticut Valley Historical Museum. Local History Vertical Files. Connecticut Valley Historical Museum. "Springfield Scrapbooks." D'Amato, Donald J. Springfield - 350 Years: A Pictorial History. Norfolk, VA: Donning Co., 1985. Directory of Public Schools, Springfield, Mass., 1940-1949. "Eli Cohen, Jewish Leader Here, Dies," October 9, 1928, newspaper article. Springfield Scrapbook, Vol. 8. Encyclopedia of Massachusetts. New York: The American Historical Society, Inc., n.d. Everts, Louis H.
History of the Connecticut Valley in Massachusetts, with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Some of its Prominent Men and Pioneers. Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott & Co., 1879. Frisch, Michael H. Town Into City: Springfield, Massachusetts and the Meaning of Community, 1840 - 1880. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1972. Gormally, Larry. "Springfield's North End Bridge - Over Peaceful Waters," Springfield Journal, Vol. 23, No. 10, 20 Nov 1997, pp. 1, 6-7. Green, Mason A. Springfield Memories. Springfield, MA: Whitney & Adams, 1876. Hampden County, Massachusetts, Registry of Deeds Records. Helms, Karl Conway. Ethnohistorical Research Methodology for Classroom Use: Development of a Social Portrait of Springfield, Massachusetts, 1850 - 1880. Dissertation. June, 1974. Hermenet, Argelia M. Buitrago.
The Puerto Rican Situation of Springfield, Massachusetts: A Report to Mayor William Sullivan, with Historical Perspectives and a Proposal. (Typescript), 1973. Inland Massachusetts Illustrated. Springfield, MA: The Elstner Publishing Company, 1890. NIPS 10m 1 10-200-1 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Section number 9 Verona Apartments Page_3_ Springfield, Hampden County, MA Johnson, Clifton. Hampden County, 1636 - 1936. New York: The American Historical Society, Inc., 1936. King, Moses, editor. King's Handbook of Springfield, Massachusetts. Springfield, MA: James D. Bill, Publisher, 1884. Konig, Michael, and Kaufman, Martin. Springfield, 1636 - 1986. Springfield, MA, 1987. Leading Manufacturers and Merchants of Central and Western Massachusetts.
Boston: International Publishing Company, 1886. Lonergan, Edmund; Mallory, Blaine; & Orfant, Joseph. Memorial Square National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form (typescript), 1977. Massachusetts Historical Commission MACRIS Database "Maurice F. Sullivan Dies at Hospital," Springfield Daily Republican, 28 May 1926, p 16 "Mrs. Mary W. Allen," Biographical Review. Boston: Biographical Review Publishing Company, 1895, ppp. 717-718. New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957 Pioneer Valley Planning Commission. A Demographic and Economic Analysis of the City of Springfield. West Springfield, MA: Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, Sep 2006. Rettig, Polly, and Shedd, Charles E. Armory Square National Historic Landmark National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. 1974. "Robert Parker Marr Ames," Biographical Review. Boston: Biographical Review Publishing Company, 1895, pp. 185-187.
Schatz, Barry. Springfield's Ethnic Heritage: The Jewish Community. Springfield, MA: USA Bicentennial Committee of Springfield, Inc., 1976. Schatz, Barry. Springfield's Ethnic Heritage: The Polish Community. Springfield, MA: USA Bicentennial Committee of Springfield, Inc., 1976. (VS 50rm 1 10-900-2 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number 2 Page_ Verona Apartments 4_ Springfield, Hampden County, MA Springfield City Directories, 1850-1988. Springfield Housing Authority. North End Project: Progress Report. Springfield, MA: Springfield Housing Authority, 1958. Springfield, Massachusetts, Assessors' Records. Springfield, Massachusetts, Building Department Records. Springfield, Massachusetts, Municipal Registers, 1852-1952 Springfield Planning Board.
The City of Springfield Master Plan 1955. Springfield, MA: Springfield Planning Board, 1955. Springliedd piagni Binding Cocipary, nfr Springreld, Massachusers. Springfield, MA: Springfield Springtisla ingfiein BamminnDept, he Cly Profile: Springield, Massachusetts. Springfield, MA; Springfield Planning Department. Memorial Square Neighborhood Statistics. Springfield, MA: Springfield Planning Department, 1994. Spring fieldhe Pass Spring ed,MA. mp. School Volunters. Springield Public Schols: Studenis Look Springfield Redevelopment Authority. Summary of the Final Plan: North End Urban Renewal Area. Springfield: Springfield Redevelopment Authority, n.d. (circa 1958). Springfield Republican (various articles on the North End), 1988-2007. Springfield Republican. Annual building reports, 1859 - 1916. Springfield's Ethnic Heritage: The French and French Canadian Community.
Springfield, MA: USA Bicentennial Committee of Springfield, Inc., 1976. Springfield's Ethnic Heritage: The Italian Community. Springfield, MA: USA Bicentennial Committee of Springfield, Inc., 1976. NPS Form 1 10-900-a (8-86) OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number_2 Verona Apartments Page_5_ Springfield, Hampden County, MA Stamas, Christopher, H. (Rev) et als. "The History of the St. George Community." From St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral web page: http://www.stgeorgecath.org/pages/stgeorge_church.html "Thomas Carmody, Holyoke Leader, Dies at Age of 77," Springfield Daily Republican, 9 Aug 1937, p 1. United States Census Records. Federal Census, 1850-1930 Wright, Harry Andrew. The Story of Western Massachusetts.
New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company, Inc., 1949. (end of Section 9) VERONA APARTMENTS Name of Property HAMPDEN COUNTY, MA County and State 10. Geographical Data Acreage of Property less than one acre TM References See continuation shee lace additional UTM references on a continuation shee 1. Zone 18 Easting 698200 Northing 4665100 _ See continuation sheet 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.) see attached see attached 11.
Form Prepared By name/titleMichele Plourde-Barker & Gregory Farmer (consultants) with Betsy Friedberg, NR Director organization_Massachusetts Historical Commission date_September 2009 street & number 220 Morrissey Boulevard telephone 617-727-8470 city or town Boston _ stateMassachusetts _ zip code_02125-3314 Additional Documentation Submit the following items with the completed form: Continuation Sheets A USGS map (7.5 or 15 minute series) indicating the property's location. A sketch 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 Jeffrey P. Oldenburg, Jefferson Park LP street & number 69 Winter St..
_telephone 413-732-4111 city or townSpringfield _ state MA _ zip code 01105 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 10-900 (Rev. 10-90) 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 Verona Apartments Springfield (Hampden), MA Boundary Description Beginning at the point of intersection of the northerly line of Allendale Street with the easterly line of Dwight Street and thence running northerly in the easterly line of Dwight Street 100.59 feet; thence easterly along the southern property line of 1255 Dwight Street 98.74 feet; thence southerly along the western property line of 18 Allendale Street 99.18 feet to Allendale Street; thence in the northerly line of Allendale Street 115.5 feet to the point of beginning.
Boundary justification The boundary is the same as the property line for 1245 Dwight Street. (end) NPS Form 10-900 (Rev. 10-90) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Verona Apartments Springfield (Hampden), MA Section numberphotos Page _ 1 The Verona Apartments 1245-1255 Dwight St. & 6-10 Allendale St. Springfield, Hampden County, Mass. Photographer: Gregory Farmer Date: February 2008 Digital Files: Agricola Corporation Photo # 1. Exterior view of Verona Apartments, showing west and south elevations. 2. Exterior view of Verona Apartments, showing north and west elevations. 3. Exterior view of Verona Apartments, showing south and east elevations. 4. Exterior view of Verona Apartments, showing north (rear) elevation. 5.
Interior view of Verona Apartments showing typical stairhall details. Attachments a) Assessors Map, Parcel #042220269 (1245 Dwight St.), City of Springfield, Mass. (2003). b) Aerial photograph of 1245 Dwight St. and surrounding neighborhood (2003) courtesy of Springfield Planning Dept. c) Verona apartment block and surrounding neighborhood from Richards, Map of the City of Springfield, Mass. (1912), plate 18. d) Verona apartment block and surrounding neighborhood from Richards, Map of the City of Springfield, Mass. (1920). e) Verona apartment block and surrounding neighborhood from Sanborn Insurance Map of Springfield, Mass. (1931). f) Photographic views of the Verona Apartments from Springfield Code Enforcement Department files (1939).
(end) Massachusetts Historical Commission Photo Submission Form Please submit one form for each group of digital images NR nomination: The Verona Apts., 1245-1255 Dwight St. & 6-10 Allendale St., Springfield, MA About your digital files: Camera Used: Canon PowerShot A570 IS (Photos 1-4, 7 megapixels), Canon EOS Digital Rebel (Photo 5,10 megapixels) Resolution of original image capture (camera setting including resolution and file format): Photos 1-4: JPEG images 3072 x 2304 (2.3 MB); Photo 5: JPEG image 1536 x 2048 (1.3 MB) File name(s) (attach additional sheets if necessary) check here to refer to attached photo log: Verona01 .jog: Exterior view, W. & S. elev.. Verona02 .jpg: Exterior view: N. & W. elev. Verona03 .jpg: Exterior view: S & E. elev. Verona04.jpg: Exterior view: N. (rear) elev.
Verona05.jpg: Interior view: Common stairway_ About your prints: Printer make and model: Epson Stylus Photo R280 Paper brand & type: Epson Ultra Premium Presentation Paper - Matte Ink: Epson Claria High-Definition Ink, Cartridge 78 (six units: Cyan, Light Cyan, Magenta, Light Magenta, Yellow, Black) Signature: (By signing below you agree that the information provided here is true and accurate.) Signature: E.tarne - De 2/11/-8 BROOKLINE AV 47.85 110 87.51 DWIGHT ST 103.64 76.90 0g. 417.14 99.22 ALLENDALE ST 115.27 OSGOOD ST 139.60 75.67 100.45 100.0 Copyright Springfield, MassachuselLs Planning Deparlment, 2009 Assessors' map showing The Verona, 1245-1255 Duwight Street/6-10 Allendale Street VEFRRSON MRION BX REMING TON 3a C, E. ALLIS ANNIE J. MORSE H.Q. PEASE 56-8 '1MARTIN. HENRY MORGAN MORGAN 3) H.N.8A.F) GOWMgN ST. A/ LHOU N SQUARE W.I. STEARNS 53 ANDERSONTI ANNAFG. PERKKNS R.A.R?
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HALKORAN A.BEE THKRERG LAURA A RIPLEYI SAMZI COLOSTEN H.PSTONE GRINENT /.A.BA MÉDUEH TW MARYM ABBOTI 1. B. $LOVETD I HURLBUT GRGENBERG MEDONALD RINGGOCD ZARBER ELLA, H. MA. FOLSOM MINER EBLEY MOONEY M.A. SWEENEY TESN, MEAMEY 50 E APtior F.m JE. A NELLETL &zich ST. NELE ERSON Richards Map of the City of Springfield. Springfield, MA: L.J. Richards Map Co., 1910 Verona apartment building (1245 Dwight Street (then 99 North Street) outlined (1 MARY H.MAGUIRE HAMILTON MATILDA L ANDERSON C.P.NEWTONA! MONTMORENCI 86 PAULH. PITKIN _HAMILTON S.S HARRINGTON A.V.WEBB M. A. SCDELANE MARY ZSHEA -EA.WILDES 17LC.NVE nG TSQLIRESX 800 LEXINGTON N.XA GRONIN WOHN FENTON A.C.GLENN: PATA PIERCET THOS.,J. FLANAGAN!I NILESI E. G.SYMONDS TILTON NEBLA. $.E. FAIRBANKS PROSPECT- SYNÓ ST:Ivg.RO GRAMMAR SGHOOL Richards Map of the City of Springfield. Springfield, MA: L.J.
Richards Map Co., 1920 Verona Apartments (1245 Dwight Street/6-10 Allendale St) outlined. IN 37 56-3 IN 6Lx GIN sF CALHOUN SQUARE (PARK) 36LN AVE PL. 72TN 4 X -MÖNTMÖRENCiZ S7-S VÉFFERSON ÁVE ELEMENZAR SCHOO X LEXIN ETON S1000000008R 542 kapasaon E ALLEN ST ADATH YESHURU BGNIEEAYE PRAC 20 _PROSPECT- CHESTNUT $T. SCHOOL PROS 89 9/ 93.95 7323 12 D 12° 97-99 50 TH. DWIGHT lesHed! D D T.H 320 l 5-7 9-N D. VOYPLE D. Dei2g CWPIPE_- D|D. Ezerd 18 15 17 D.iD 22 L +) 2 D F. 262. Bozole 78 30-32 38 -D.H BROOKLINE AV 25 29 35 37- 39 D D. 20 3 FLE 30 F 23/8 3A 36 D 32 ODH 4446 ALLENDALE D 43 201=3 22 13-0 50 D 50 41 2121 D. 2,1,+ 56 Insurance Map of Springfield, Massachusetts.
New York: Sanborn Map Co., 1931, showing Verona Apartments at 124 PASSAGEWAY BANCROFT ST DWIGHT ST BROOKLINE AV OSGOOD ST Copyright Springfield, Massachusell Planning Deparlment, 2003 MORGAN ST Aerial view of the Verona, 1245 Dwight Stret/B-10 Allendale Street, Springfield, Hampden County, Iass. ALLENDALE ST PROSPECT ST -HEBRON ST CHESTNUT ST RINGGOLD ST GROSVENOR ST 1939 WPA photographs of Verona Apartme 1245 Dwight Street From the Springfield Code Enforcement, Department's files.
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE IATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACE VALUATION/RETURN SHEE' REQUESTED ACTION: NOMINATION PROPERTY NAME: Verona, Apartments, The MULTIPLE NAME: STATE & COUNTY: MASSACHUSETTS, Hampden DATE RECEIVED: DATE OF 16TH DAY: DATE OF WEEKLY LIST: 9/25/09 10/24/09 DATE OF 45TH DAY: DATE OF PSNH DALIST: 11/08/09 REFERENCE NUMBER: 09000882 REASONS FOR REVIEW: APPEAL: N DATA PROBLEM: N LANDSCAPE: N LESS THAN 50 YEARS: PERIOD: PROGRAM UNAPPROVED: REQUEST: N SAMPLE: N SLR DRAFT: N NATIONAL: COMMENT WAIVER: N VACCEPT RETURN _RBJECT 11-5-09DATE ABSTRACT/ SUMMARY COMMENTS: N Entered in The National Register of Historic Places RECOM./CRITERIA REVIEWER DISCIPLINE TELEPHONE - DATE 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.
100z MA_ HAMPENCOUNTY(SPRINGFIELD)- VERONA001. fff VERONA APARTMENTS SPRINGFIELD(HAMPDEN) GREG FARMER photograplu 2/2008 EXTERIOR VIEW, SHOWING W aud S ELEVATIONS PHOTO I 800z MA. HAMPDENCOUNTY(SPRINGFIELD)- VERONA 002. Iff VERONA APARTMENTS SPRINGFIELD (HAMPDEN) MA GREG FARMER photographu 2/2008 EXTERIOR VIELU, SHOWING N aud W ELEVATIONS PHUTO 2 Icome MA _ HAMPDENCOUNTY (SPRINGFIELD) - VERUNA 003. Aff VERONA APARTMENTI SPRINGFIELD (HAMPDEN) MA GREG FARMER Alwtographn EXTERIOR VIEIU, SHOWING Sand E ELEVATIONS PItOTO 3 MA_ HAMPDENCOUNTY(SPRINGFIELD) - VERONA 004.+ff VERUNA APARTMENTS SPRINGFIELD (HAMPDEN), MA GREG FARMER photographu EXTERIOR, REAR (N) ELEVATION PHUTO 4 200f Photo 04: Verone Apts, Springfied, Hampden Caunty, Mt.. MA-HAMPDENCOUNTI(SPRINGFIELD) - VERONA OUS.
tff VERONA APARTMENTS SPRINGFIELD (HAMPDEN) MA GREG FARMER plotograplur INTERIOR, TYPICAL STAIRHALL DETAILS PHOTO 5 Plota 05: Verona Arts, Apringfiel, Namples Cuunty, M September 18, 2009 PETITCPLACH JAKE LIBERTNID The Commonwealth of Massachusetts William Francis Galvin, Secretary of the Commonwealth Massachusetts Historical CommisiECEIVED 2280 Mr. J. Paul Loether National Register of Historic Places Department of the Interior National Park Service 1201 Eye Street, NW, 8th floor Washington, DC 20005 SEP 25 2009 NAT. REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES NATIONAL PARK SERVICE Dear Mr. Loether: Enclosed please find the following nomination form: Verona Apartments, 1245-1255 Dwight Street, Springfield (Hampden), 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 to comment. Sincerely, betsy trealeis Betsy Friedberg National Register Director Massachusetts Historical Commission enclosure CC: Gregory Farmer, Michele Plourde-Barker, consultants 220 Morrissey Boulevard, Boston, Massachusetts 02125 (617) 727-8470 - Fax: (617) 727-5128 www.state.ma.us/sec/mhc
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