BlockFrom the form
The catalogue entry the section above was filed under.
Form 10-300 (Rev.
6-72) PH0015946 14000370 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR ESTATE: NATIONAL PARK SERVICE Massachusetts COUNTY: NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY - NOMINATION FORM Hampden FOR NPS USE ONLY ENTRY DATE (Type all entries - complete applicable sections) MAY 2 NAME COMMON: Court Square Historic District ( use for publication) AND/OR HISTORIC: Court Square LOCATION STREET AND NUMBER: Bounded by Main, State, Broadway, Pynchon Streets and City Hall Place CITY OR TOWN: CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT: Springfield STATE Second CODE 025 COUNTY: Hampden CODE 013 Massachusetts CLASSIFICATION CATEGORY (Check One) District Site OWNERSHIP STATUS Building Structure - Obiect Public Private Both Public Acquisition: In Process Being Considered * Occupied Unoccupied - Preservation work in progress ACCESSIBLE TO THE PUBLIC Yes: Restricted Unrestricted No PRESENT USE (Check One or More as Appropriate) Agricultural Government Commercial Industrial Educational Military Entertainment Museum X Park Private Residence Religious Scientific OWNER OF PROPERTY OWNER'S NAME: Multiple STREET AND NÜMBER: Multiple CITY OR TOWN: Springfield LOCATION OF LEGAL DESCRIPTION COURTHOUSE, REGISTRY OF DEEDS, ETC: Hampden County Registry of Deeds STREET AND NUMBER: 55 Elm Street CITY OR TOWN: Springfield - Transportation - Comments -Other (Specity) CÊNVED 2 1974 NATIONA REGISTER EIETE STATE: Massachusetts CODE 025 Massachusetts Hampden STATE Massachusetts CODE 025 REPRESENTATION IN EXISTING SURVEYS TITLE OF SURVEY: Inventory of Historic Assets of the Commonwealth DATE OF SURVEY: 1972 and 1973 - Federal X State DEPOSITORY FOR SURVEY RECORDS: Massachusetts Historical Commission STREET AND NUMBER: 40 Beacon Street CITY OR TOWN: STATE: Boston County - Local MAY Massachusetts CODE 025 1974 STATE COUNTY: ENTRY NUMBER FOR NPS USE ONLY 7.
DESCRIPTION CONDITION Excellent - Unexposed Original Site DESCRIBETHE PRESENT AND ORIGINAL(if known) PHYSICAL APPEARANCE The Court Square Historic District _ is at the southern end of Springfield's central business district and is the focus of the city's government center. The central design element in the district is Court Square Park itself. It is rectangülar with sidewalks running along its edges, crossing it diagonally and north-south through the center. It is planted with symmetrically spaced mature elms; young maple trees and shrubs define the intersection of walks. Four monuments adorn the park: a statue of pioneer Miles Morgan at the northwest corner, a monument honoring Civil War heroes at the Main Street edge, a monument honoring U.S.Marines at the Court Square Avenue edge and a marker noting the site of Parson's Tavern at the southeast corner.
A nineteenth century drinking fountain in the shape of a lion's head is placed at the northeast Main Street In the nineteenth century, the park was surrounded by a low wrought iron fence. Four buildings enclose the Square on the south side, with the Chicopee Bank Building defining the southeast corner. The bank, c. 1888, is four floors high and has four recessed bays on Elm Street, five on Main Street, and a pavillion at the corner, topped by a weathered copper turret. Construction is of red brick with finely detailed brownstone trim between floors and at the cornice level. The ground floor frontage has been covered with a glossy ceramic material that is not compatible with the rest of the building. The architect is believed to have been Frederick S. Newman, who also designed the Court Square Building.
Just west of the bank is the Byer's Block, an 1835 three-floor, six-bay Federal' commercial building. It is of red brick with granite lintels. The gable roof is now black asphalt shingle and has two chimneys, one on the east side and the other just right of center on the facade. ground floor frontage has two shop fronts and a door to the upper floors, none of which is original. A new owner is planning to restore the ground floor to its original appearance. Next door to the Byer's Block is the Court Square Building, a six floor buff brick office and commercial building. The original structure of 1892 was a five-story,six-bay block fronting on Elm Street. The entrance to the Court Square Theater was located to the rear but is now demolished. Granite posts and lintels support the building at the ground level; the window trim and detailing above are all of brownstone.
The plate glass windows at the ground level are unaltered. In 1900 a large addition was added to include a Court Square Hotel, raising the height of the building to six floors, increasing the Elm Street facade to eight bays, and creating a Court House Place facade of sixteen bays and a State Street elevation of three bays. Court House Place became a pedestrian-only passage with shops at the ground level. The surface treatment is similar to that of the Elm Street facade. The exterior is Romanesque with round headed windows. Large ariel windows are located at the end bays on the fifth and sixth floors. A tower is placed at the east end of the building to house the elevator machinery.
(cont'a) un 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 Hampden FOR NPS USE ONLY ENTRY NUMBER (Continuation Sheet) (Number all entries) BAY 1974 COURT SQUARE HISTORIC DISTRICT, SPRINGFIEID DA TE 7. Description (cont'd) Next to the Court Square Building is the Hampden County Courthouse_ran H.H. Richardsonian Romanesque building of rough hewn granite, already listed on the National Register. North of the Courthouse, framing the west side of the park, is another previously listed building, Isaac Damon's Old First Church. It has a Greek Revival portico with an English Baroque bell tower protruding into the porch. The northernmost element of this Court Square area is the Municipal Group.
A fine example of Classical Revival composition, it was designed in 1920 by the firm of F.Livingston Pell and Harvey Corbett. siting, an observer standing in Court Square is afforded an impressive vista of the Group. Three buildings make up the Municipal Group: the Administra- tion Building to the east, the identically-facaded Auditorium Building to the west, and a 300' high three are set back a good distance from Court Street and face a raised esplanade. A'large flight of stairs fronts each building. structures are composed of limestone, and the two flanking structures have entrance porticoes of ten Corinthian columns topped by an ornate pediment.
The Administration Building contains a beautiful and elegant interior with a semi-circular grand staircase of marble with cast bronze and mahogany railings, marble wainscotting throughout the corridors, and mahogany panelling and frescoed ceilings in the formal chambers. A 300' bell tower contains an unusual hydraulic elevator which extends 2/3 of its full height. Most important of the three structures is the acoustically perfect Auditorium Building. Presenting a facade identical to the Administration Building, the Auditorium contains a two-balcony concert hall which seats 4,000 people. A large formal "Mahogany Room" is located above the first floor lobby. The bronze formal entrance doors of all three structures carry reliefs illustrating the "History of Springfield", and were the work of Gail Sherman Corbett, the architect's wife.
APR 2 1974 NATIONAL REGISTER GPO 921-724 U SIGNIFICANCE PERIOD (Check One or More as Appropriate) Pre-Columbian! 15th Century 16th Century 17th Century LX 18th Century 19th Century - 20th Century SPECIFIC DATE(S) (If Applicable and Known) AREAS OF SIGNIFICANCE (Check One or More as Appropriate) Abor iginal Education Prehistoric Engineering Historic Industry Agriculture Invention. Architecture Landscape Art Architecture Commerce Literature Communications Military Conservation Music IX Political X Religion/Phi- losophy - Science - Sculpture Social/Human- itarian - Theater - Transportation } Urban Planning Other (Specify) STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE