Nomination for Front Street Block

From the form

The catalogue entry the section above was filed under.

NI un Form 10-300 (Rev.

6-72) PHOCO6190 34 47/8840 74006369 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR STATE: NATIONAL PARK SERVICE Massachusetts COUNTY: NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY - NOMINATION FORM Essex FOR NPS USE ONLY ENTRY DATE (Type all entries complete applicable sections) MAY 8 1974 NAME COMMON: West End Buildings AND/OR HISTORIC: Front Street Block LOCATION STREET AND NUMBER: West End, 55 - 71 Main Street CITY OR TOWN: Gloucester STATE Massachusetts CLASSIFICATION CATEGORY (Check One) X District Site Building Structure Object Public Private Both (to be used for publication) CODE 025 CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT: Sixth COUNTY: Essex CODE 009 OWNERSHIP STATUS Public Acquisition: In Process Being Considered Occupied Unoccupied X Preservation work in progresr ACCESSIBLE TO THE PUBLIC Yes: Restricted Unrestricted No PRESENT USE (Check One or More as Appropriate) Agricultural Government X Commercial Industrial X Educational Military Entertainment Museum OWNER OF PROPERTY OWNER'S NAME: Harold Bell STREET AND NUMBER: Brier Road ( no number ) CITY OR TOWN: Gloucester LOCATION OF LEGAL DESCRIPTION COURTHOUSE, REGISTRY OF DEEDS, ETC: Essex County Registry of Deeds STREET AND NUMBER: 32 Federal Street CITY OR TOWN: Park Private Residence Religious Scientific - Transportation X Other (Specify) residential - Comments ISTATE: Massachusetts 01930 CODE L025 STATE CODE Salem REPRESENTATION IN EXISTING SURVEYS TITLE OF SURVEY: Inventory of Historic Assets of the Commonwealth Federal Massachusetts 025 DATE OF SURVEY: 1974 DEPOSITORY FOR SURVEY RECORDS: X State APR 1 6 1974 - County O LOCATTIONZ REGISTES Massachusetts Historical Commission STREET AND NUMBER: 40 Beacon Street CITY OR TOWN: 617-727-8470 ISTATE: Massachusetts 02108 CODE 025 Boston STATE COUNTY: ENTRY NUMBER FOR NPS USE ONLY DATE 7 DESCRIPTION XX Excellent CONDITION -Good (Check One) Fair (Check One) - Deteriorated Ruins - Unexposed xXAltered (Check One) - Unaltered Moved XX Original Site DESCRIBE THE PRESENT AND ORIGINAL (if known) PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

Description of the property

The Front Street Block is a group of four buildings that were constructed soon after Gloucester's first Great Fire which, on September 16, 1830, destroyed all of the structures between Front Street and the harbor, an area containing many of the busi- ness establishments of the town. Work is believed to have started on them in 1831.

Assessors records show increases of between 60% and 90% in the valuations of these four properties from 1831 to 1833, and one assessor's entry of 1833 specifically mentions "Brick Building, Front Street" under the real estate holdings of Henry Smith, then owner of the present #55-59 Main ES25267 Since none of the common party walls between the buildings could ever have been used as an exterior wall (due to the unpointed and unsealed mortar between the bricks) and con- sidering the simultaneous increase in assessed valuations of all four parcels /of land, it appears that all of the buildings were built by 183ß. In any case, a map of Gloucester's waterfront that all four brick buildings were completed by 1845- The four buildings were designed in a smoothly coordinated Federalist style, though one was later substantially altered.

Brick is the principal building material, with granite framing the entryways and separating the street level from the apper floors, creating a pleasing contrast. One pair of buildings is three stories high, and the remaining pair was two stories -- though one of this pair was updated in 1890 with a Victorian facade, becoming three stories high -- with individual hip roofs now covering three of the buildings and party walls extending beyond the moderately pitched roof line. Accenting the clean lines of the roof are four massive brick chimneys 'and four smal- ler ones necessary to accommodate the many fireplaces of the four buildings. One end building uses a granite gutter, while the others rely on wood. A slightly projecting brick cornice with a déntil motif formed by alternately projecting "headers" crowns the exterior walls.

Each of the street level store fronts is accompanied by an entryway to the upper floors. The graceful straight facade of the buildings is given an interesting twist when the last building angles away slightly from the first three due to a bend in the street, providing an unusual nonparallel arrangement of the interior walls of the last building- Upper floor windows hold double hung, six light sashes, second story lights being considerably larger than third story ones; window lintels vary from granite, to sandstone, to brick. Floor areas vary from 600 and 700 square feet in the smaller buildings, to 900 square feet in the Victorian-fronted building, and to 1300 square feet in the largest building- Exact details of the original appearance are hard to docu- ment, but one major alteration and other minor ones are known.

The #61-#63 building was substantially remodeled about 1890, its Federalist front being updated in favor of a Victorian facade. The two story structure was enlarged to three with the top floor windows displaying arching brick lentils and the window sashes M - Form 10-300a UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR (July 1969) NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY - NOMINATION FORM STATE Massachusetts COUNTY (Continuation Sheet) Essex FOR NPS USE ONLY ENTRY NUMBER MAY 8 1974 DATE (Number all entries) Description (continued) changed to the much smaller lights -- three rows of six or eight -- in the upper sash and one solid plate of glass in the lower. The Victorian-style trim of cut, turned, and shaped wood was added to the window openings and a band of,wooden trim separated the first floor from the second.

At the same time an addition was added to the rear of the building, increasing the size of each floor by about one third. Another alteration was the elimination of basement entryways in the exterior fronts of the buildings. It isn't known exactly what the street level store fronts looked like, but these base- ment entrances were done away with. Very little appears to have been changed in the upper floors, with the exception, of course, of the Victorian building. The setting today is basically the same in character as it was in 1831. Main Street (then Front Street) is still the prin- cipal commercial artery of the town; the town landing and the harbor are nearby; the local fishing fleet still docks within view, and the Sargent-Murray-Gilman-Hough House, built in 1768, overlooks all from the hill across the street.

The architectural coherence of the Front Street Block is accentuated by its loca- tion, separated from other structures by Main Street, a parking lot, and a public way. ntortor mon 1s Finsgd sosone o Having nearly completed extensive extérior rénovation, the buildings will have commercial and residential occupants once interior work is finished. Present tenánts include the Isabel Babson Memorial Library, a privately endowed lending library specializing in the prenatal care of mothers and their children, and The White Rainbow, a small gourmet restaurant. Office and retail space, as well remainder of the as apartment space, is planned for the buildings. (*": BL1O RECÊIVED APR 1 6 1974 NATIONAL REGISTER GPO 921.724 -

From the form

The catalogue entry the section above was filed under.

SIGNIFICANCE PERIOD (Check One or More as Appropriate) Pre-Columbian! 15th Century 16th Century 17th Century SPECIFIC DATE(S) (If Applicable and Known) C. 1831 AREAS OF SIGNIFICANCE (Check One or More as Appropriate) Abor iginal Education Prehistoric Engineering Historic Industry Agriculture Invention X Architecture Landscape Art Architecture Commerce Literature Communications Military Conservation Music - 18th Century XX 19th Century - 20th Century Political Religion/Phi- losophy Science Sculpture Social/Human- itarian Theater Transportation * Urban Planning Other (Specify) STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE

Statement of significance

The significance of the buildings of the Front Street Block lies in two areas. First, from a purely afchitestural view- point, they represent outstanding examples ofaFederalist Archi- tecture. Their innate simplicity produces a fluidity of style when viewed both individually and as a group. The distinctive characteristics of Federalist Architecture blend harmoniously to effect an architectural unity in the smooth streetscape even though the four abutting buildings have separately styled fronts and roofs. The insertion of a potentially discordant Victorian facade into this Federalist grouping does not lessen the overall effect, but rather its contrast and proximity serve to heighten the appreciation of the qualities of each style. The second and possibly greater area of significance lies with these buildings and their development within the historic context of the city of Gloucester.

After the devastating Great Fire of 1830 destroyed many of the town's stores and shops, particularly in the West End, major changes occurred in the city's building styles and materials when reconstruction began. With the memory of the fire still fresh in mind, brick and granite were chosen over less expensive and more popular wood construction. The strong will of the people to recover from adversity and to continue to grow with the prospering town are symbolized by this brick and granite construction. Urban devel- opment showed a measurable advance when the individual land owners cooperated in constructing abutting buildings using com- mon party walls.

Efficiency was gained, but not at the cost of individuality; separately styled fronts, roofs, cornices, lentils and gutters testified to the individuality of each owner- The completion of the construction represented a signif- icant addition to the town; this can be seen by the repeated reference to "brick buildings" in the land deeds, assessors records, and maps, from 1831 to 1851. As time passed, these buildings have provided sturdy examples of New England urban society; human in scale and modest in expression, these nine- teenth century buildings compare favorably with the eighteenth century homes of the area, such as the Sargent-Murray-Gilman- Hough House. The contrast between the two periods, with the added Flavor of the nearby dock area, combine to accentuate the New England seaport character of Gloucester.: : (cont.) 9.

The rest of the file

Bibliography, boundary description, and the people who prepared and reviewed the nomination.

MAJOR BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES "White Houses and Gardens Once Distinguished the West End" by Alfred Mansfield Brooks Gloucester Daily Times, April 8, 1954 American Building James Marston Fitch, Boston, 1948. "The Domestic Architecture of Beacon Hill 1800 - 1850" by Carl J. Weinhardt, Jr. The Proceedings of the Bostonian Society, Annual Meeting, 1958 10. GEOGRAPHICAL DATA LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE COORDINATES DEFINING A RECTANGLE LOCATING THE PROPERTY LATITUDE AND LONGITJDE COORDINATES DEFINING THE CENTER POINT OF A PKOPERTY CORNER LATITUDE Degrees Minutes Seconds LONGITUDE Degrees Minutes Seconds R -OFLESS THAN TEN ACRES LATITUDE LONGITUDE NW Degres Minutes Seconds Degrees Minutes Seconds 45.

70 - 39 55" NE " SE SW - APPROXIMATE ACREAGE OF NOMINATED PROPERTY: 1/3 acre ILIST ALL STATES AND COUNTIES FOR PROPERTIES OVERLAPPING STATE OR COUNTY BOUNDARIES STATE: CODE COUNTY CODE STATE: CODE COUNTY: STATE: CODE COUNTY: CODE APR 1 6 1974 NATTONAL REGISTE CODE CODE STATE: COUNTY: CODE FORMPREPARED BY NAME AND TITLE: Elizabeth Amadon, State Survey Director, By Mindy Arbo ORGANIZATION Massachusetts Historical Commission STREET AND NUMBER: 40 Beacon Street DATE 4/9/74 CITY OR TOWN: Boston 617-727-8470 STATE LIAISON OFFICER CERTIFICATION STATE Massachusetts 02108 NATIONAL REGISTER VERIFICATION CODE 025 As the designated State Liaison Officer for the Na- tional Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (Public Law 89-665), I hereby nominate this property for inclusion in the National Register and certify that it has been evaluated according to the c-iteria and procedures set forth by the National Park Service.

The recommended lefel of significance of this nomination is: Natiopal State Name +X.0 Local Honorable John F.X.Davoren Secretary of the Commonwealth TitleChairman,Massachusetts Historical Commission Date 4/10/74 I hereby certify that this property is included in the National Register. Ahmorteeare Director, Office of Archeology and Historic Preservation Date 518/74 ATTEST: Date Keeper of apruls 5.>.>4 GPO 931-894 S N I Form 10-300a UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR (July 1969) NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY - NOMINATION FORM STATE Massachusetts COUNTY Essex FOR NPS USE ONLY ENTRY NUMBER (Continuation Sheet) (Number all entries) MAY 8 1974 Front Street Block, Gloucester 8.

Significance (continued) DATE Equally significant, the Front Street Block provides a vivid example of the feasibility for preservation of all the many worth- while historic buildings found throughout the West End portion of Gloucester. APR 6 1974 NATIONAL REGISTE GPO 921.724 Form 10-300a (July 1969) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY - NOMINATION FORM STATE Massachusetts COUNTY Essex FOR NPS USE ONLY ENTRY NUMBER (Continuation Sheet) (Number all entries) MAY 8 1974 Front Street Block,Gloucester 9. cont. History of the Town of Gloucester, by John J. Babson, Gloucester, 1860 "Map of Gloucester Waterfront - 1845" located at Cape Ann Historical Society, Gloucester Land Deeds for these buildings from 1830 to 1860 located at Essex County Registry of Deeds, Salem, Mass.

Valuation Tax Books 1831 - 1837 located at Assessors Office, City Hall, Gloucester, Mass. DATE RECSiVED APR 1 6 1974 NATIONAL REGISTER GPO 921.724 pRom Heat End Bultings. - Front Street Block STATE Mass. WORKING NUMBER 4.16.74.60/ TECH REVIEW PHO TOS MAPS 2 Essex 74000369 CONTROL REVIEW Cm 4.18 74 OK HISTORIAN scupt 4/30/24 ARCHITECTURAL, HISTORIAN / Lave serions reservations about this as a "diotrict"- if should be nominated as "Guildinq," Ho? Will talk to Maos Hist. Comm, about this. ovlj accept. H03422/74 ARCHEOLOGIST REVIEW UNIT CHIEF Acesrt 5/3,74 BRANCH CHIEF KEEPER NOT A DISTRICT National Register Write-up Jeae 12.924 Federal Register entry Juna 4,1924 Send-back Re-submit_ Entered MAY 8 1974 INT: 1538-73 Betty Amaston agrees thio is a bldg.

nomin- ation, not adistuct.: - 4/25/74 The store, fonts, stome, hintkls & posts, are original to block, according to Betty Amadon, not later altesations. 512/38 H48 ASECA TS' Front Street Block #55-71 Main St Gloucester , MASS Photo b MAr FORM 10-301 A (6/72) AtlA G lou otreetsi UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES PROPERTY PHOTOGRAPH FORM (Type all entries - attach to or en close with photogtaph) 1. NAME COMMON West End Buildings 2. LOCATION STATE Massachusetts STREET AND NUMBER 55 - 71 Main Street PHOTO REFERENCE PHOTO CREDIT Marietta Lynch 4. IDENTIFICATION DESCRIBE VIEW, DIRECTION, ETC. AND/OR HISTORIC Front Street Block COUNTY Essex RECEIVEU APR 1 6 1974 DATE NATIONA REGISTI March 10, 1974 NUMERIC CODE (Ass TOWN Glouceste NEGATIVE FILED AT Atlantic R Gloucester Streetscape view, looking southeast, of Front Street Block.

1af1 PROPERTY OF THE NATIONAL REGISTER Form 10-301 (July 1968) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES PROPERTY MAP FORM (Type all entries - attach to or enclose with map) AND/OR HISTORIC Front Street Block 1. NAME COMMON West End Buildings 2. LOCATION STATE Massachusetts STREET AND NUMBER COUNTY Essex 55 - 71 Main Street 3. MAP REFERENCE SOURCE DATE City of Gloucester Assessment Map #7 1973 REQUIREMENTS: PROPERTY BOUNDARIES, WHERE REQUIRED, AND NORTH ARROW: NUMERIC CODE (Assigned by NPS) MAY & 1974 TOWN Gloucester SCALE 1 inch=40 feet RECÉIVED APR 1 6 1974 NATIONAL REGISTER GPO 932-010 SHORT ST. MIDDLE ST. LEGEND: FRONT STREET BLOCK GLOUCESTER MASS SARGENT- MURRAY- GILMAN- HOUGH HOUSE MAIN STREET 55-59 6r-63 65-67 PUBLIE WA PARKING AREA ROGERS STREET RECEIV PORTER ST.

APR 1 6 1974 NATIONAL REGISTER Form 10-301 (July 1968) UNI TED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES PROPERTY MAP FORM (Type all entries -attach to or enclose with map) AND/OR HISTORIC Front Street Block 1. NAME COMMON West End Buildings 2. LOCATION STATE Massachusetts STREET AND NUMBER west End, 55-71 Main Street 3. MAP REFERENCE SOURCE U.S.G.S.Gloucester, Mass.

COUNTY Essex DATE 1960 REQUIREMENTS: PROPERTY BOUNDARIES, WHERE REQUIRED, AND NORTH ARROW: NUMERIC CODE (Assigned by NPS) PRAY 8 1974 TOWN Gloucester TSCALE 1:24,000 RECENVED APR 1 6 1974 NATIONAL REGISTER GP O 932.010 ENTRIES IN THE NATIONAL REGISTER STATE MASSACHUSETTS Date Entered MAY 8 1974 Name Location Quadrangle-Mattoon Street Historie Distriet Suffolk County Court House Front Street Block Springfteld Hampden County Boston Suffolk County Gloucester Essex County 5/13/74 MMott Also Notified Hon. Edward M. Kennedy Fon. Edward W. Brooke Hon. Edvard P. Boland Hon. John J. Moakley Hon. Michael J. Harrington Gontrot Shoet missing Regional Director, North Atlantie Federal Register entry Region g.6/974 State Historie Preservation Officer Fon. John F. X. Davoren Secretary of the Connonvealth Chairman, Massachusetts Historical Connission 40 Beacon Street Boston, Massachusetts 02108