Nomination for Spaulding Block

From the form

The catalogue entry the section above was filed under.

FHR-8-300 (11-78) United States Department of the Interior Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form See instructions in How to Complete National Register Forms Type all entries-complete applicable sections 1. Name For HCRS use only received NOV 3 date entered 1980 DEC 3 19° historic Spaulding Block and/or common Same 2. Location street & number 141-143 Main Street not for publication city, town Webster vicinity of congressional district Second state Massachusetts 3.

Classification Category Ownership district - public x building(s) X private - structure _ both site Public Acquisition object _ in process being considered code 025 county Worcester code 027 Status X occupied _ unoccupied _ work in progress Accessible x yes: restricted - yes: unrestricted no Present Use -agriculture X commercial educational entertainment -government industrial military _museum park - private residence _ religious - scientific transportatior other: 4. Owner of Property name Guy Laverdiere street & number Upper Gore Road city, town Webster, vicinity of 5. Location of Legal Description state Massachusetts 01570 courthouse, registry of deeds, etc. Worcester County Registry of Deeds street & number 2 Main Street city, town Worcester, 6. Representation in Existing Surveys state Massachusetts title Inventory of the Historic Assets of has this property been determined elegible?

date the Commonwealth 1979 federal _ state - yes x no .county -local depository for survey records Massachusetts Historical Commission city, town 294 Washington Street, Boston, state Massachusetts 02108 7. Description Condition _ excellent good _ fair _ deteriorated _ ruins unexposed Check one _ unaltered -altered Check one X original site moved date Describe the present and original (if known) physical appearance

Description of the property

Located on the north side of Main Street, one lot east of Davis Street, in Webster's central business district, the Spaulding Block is a rectangular plan commercial block which covers most of its narrow lot. The block's facade (south elevation) is built out to the sidewalk, the west elevation faces a narrow alley, the north ele- vation has an attached one-and-one half story wooden shed facing a rear court, and the east elevation is concealed by a closely built (but not connected) wood-frame structure. The Spaulding Block is a three-story brick building, the rear portion of which (90% of the structure) was built in 1866, while the facade was added in 1897.

The facade is symmetrical, having two store fronts with paired center entries at the first story; although now covered with modern materials these store fronts are framed at the facade's corners by two iron piers which rise to a metal cornice. The facade's upper stories are faced with a Flemish bond of red brick stretchers and blackened headers; trimmings are of dressed limestone. Fenestration of the second and third stories is identical, each containing a central window of paired 6/1 sash set in a quoined surround with an arched head; each central window is flanked by two sereghnad hads eaca recessed bay windows, each of which is made up of three sets of 9/1 sash. A steep gable with a limestone coping rises above the third story; centered on the gable is a window made up of four eight-pane casements. The west elevation rises from a base of rock-faced granite above which the wall is.

faced with common red brick, except for the elevation's southernmost bay where the brickwork matches that of the facade. Fenestration is asymmetrical; all windows (except as noted) consist of 6/6 sash set in an undecorated brick surrround with a granite sill and a low-arched head. At the first story, near the building's north- west corner are three windows separated by a doorway and by a six-pane light, both of which have rectangular granite lintels. Moving from north to south at the second story, there are four windows, a three-sided oriel window (9/1 sash) and two more windows; at the third story there are seven unevenly spaced windows. At the roof is a projecting brick cornice.

The rear (north) elevation is symmetrically arranged and contains a shingle-covered iddition with a shed roof at the basement and first story; above, the second story contains five windows, the third story four windows and the gable two windows, all identical to the windows of the west elevation. The gable is trimmed with a projecting brick cornice. Ihe east elevation is not fully visibie; former windows have been bricked over, but retain their arches and sills. Alterations to the block since its 1897 enlargement have been minimal and are confined to modern materials applied to the building's store fronts.

From the form

The catalogue entry the section above was filed under.

Significance Period - prehistoric 1400-1499 1500-1599 1600-1699 1700-1799 X 1800-1899 1900 Areas of SignificanceCheck and justify below _ archeology-prehistoric community planning archeology-historic conservation agriculture economics architecture education art engineering X commerce exploration/settlement communications industry invention landscape architecture law literature military music philosophy politics/government religion science sculpture social/ humanitarian theater transportation other (specify) Specific dates 1866, 1897 Statement of Significance

Statement of significance

(in one paragraph) Builder/Architect Unknown The Spaulding Block possesses integrity of design, location and materials as wel! as historical associations with several local businesses and fraternal organizations. Now the oldest brick commercial building extant in Webster, the Spaulding Block is building was constructed, a three-and-one halt story biock of simple italianate/ utilitarian design with low-arched window heads, rock-taced granite trim and, pernaps, a facade of pressed red brick. In 1897, the original facade was removed, an addi- tion of approximately 10' depth was made, and the current late Queen Anne/Tudor facade was constructed.

Faced with a Flemish bond of red and blackened bricks, this facade retains recessed bay windows, quoined window surrounds and a high central gable with a stone coping; the only significant alterations to the building's 1897 design are the covering of original store fronts with modern materials. Built for Cyrus Spaulding, the Spaulding Block originally housed Spaulding's hardware store, a business which had been founded by Spaulding's father, Erastus, in 1834. Ihe block also housed the jeweler's shop of John Hinds until 1894 (ground floor), the printing office of the Webster Times after 1867 (second story), the Webster Masonic Lodge (third story) and the Webster Sigel Lodge, a late nineteenth century German-American fraternal organization.

In 1902, the Spaulding Block was sold to Rosebrooks & Cummings who maintained Spaulding's hardware business until 1928, after which it was operated by Waite's Hardware Company until 1978, when the business closed permanently. The Spaulding Block is one of the few remaining structures which reflect the late nineteenth century commercial character of Railroad Square.

The rest of the file

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

Major Bibliographical References Leavens, Charles. Notes on the History of Webster, Vol. II. at Webster Public Library The Webster Times. October 1866; July 6, 1873. Assessor's Records. Webster Town Hall. 10. Geographical Data ACREAGE NOT VERIFIED Acreage of nominated property 6,000 square feet Quadrangle name - Webster UIM NUT VERFIED 1:25000 Quadrangle scale UMT References AL19| 12/611|21619 Zone Easting 1416/519|0130 Northing E GLLLHLLL Zone Easting -L LLILL Northing LLILL FLU LLILLL HL La Ld LlLu Verbal boundary description and justitication nominated property includes only that land and building shown on Webster Assessor's Map #1, Block F, Lot 8. List all states and counties for properties overlapping state or county boundaries state code county code state code county 11. Form Prepared By Richard W. R. Dery & B.R.

Pfeiffer, Webster Community Development name/title for Candace Jenkins, Evaluation Director code organization Massachusetts Historical Commission date July 1980 street & number 294 Washington Street telephone (617)727-8470 city or town Boston state Massachusetts 12. State Historic Preservation Officer Certification The evaluated significance of this property within the state is: _ national state local As the designated State Historic Preservation Officer for the National 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 criteria and proceduresset forth by the Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service.

State Historic Preservation Officer signature/ Iatuahlestouski 10/20/80 title Executive Director, Massachusetts Historical Commission date For HCRS use only piter Keeper of the National Register ify that this property is included O. kullregser date 12-3-80 Attest: Chief of Registration date GPO 938 835 '2i. 100 FRENCH 80 3g NGTON. 33 601 3, 8g 5 7 36.06 20.2 35 33. 142 6 121.75 > 61.65 STREE OXFORD / 196.94 61.39 53 35.5 STREET 80 50 2 40,28D 49.21 9 134.30/ 50.05 ASANT 50 95.3 So -3310 -- 9.2T= 90.06 |32.67 215 86.44 176.7 179.55 7 HARTFORD 24.78 / 130.61 DAVIS 20.8 60.5 74.4 71 -2/ 30 -152 19753- / 152.98 "!?) 103.14 67.15 3 8 38.5 9 50.35 60.28 / 60 2 40 103 53.18 71.5(D)| EXEMPT 136.43 65 TOWN OF 18.25 84.56 WEBSTER} ?5 63.6 131.15 / 00 102.22 19.33M 39.8 80.08 EXEMPT TOWN_ WEBSTER 32 86.92 78 Ly 68.2 39.3 106.92 14 102.3 1513 83 9g. SPAULDING BLOCK IVEBSTER, MASS.

- 174- TOWN TOWN 60.98 X RAILROAD 188.54 3 28 120.75. 54.95 64.36 5 10 63.74 16 03 > 5 45. 10 10 78.9 130 F 53.7 47.56 137. 200.42 12 /35.33|46.23 MAIN 95.21 113 54.2 81.65 81.59 22 80.6 -180 EXEMPT TOWN OF WEBSTEF 259.7 10.93/ 86(D) 99.45(P) 19 80.65 10.5 45 56.Si 14 68 115 11 57.75 42.26 2 40 3 18 88.5 17 50 171g 58 78.3 117 16 67.14 51 .42 12 123 40(S) 2 40 3 198 Property Spauling Bleck state MA 3Ucceater Working Number ///3:80, 2237 TECHNICAL Photos - Maps DUE 1/3/81 CONTROL HISTORIAN ARCHITECTURAL HISTORIAN ARCHEOLOGIST OTHER HAER Inventory - Review REVIEW UNIT CHIEF Oldest Commercial bldgin.

BRANCH CHIEF webster i one of few kemaing Accept Soruyunake es sigaheen Peeiond's lis Sgonu, KEEPER DEC 3 1980 National Register Write-up Federal Register Entry Send-back 2.2.82 Re-submit Entered United States Department of the Interior - Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service HOUSE oF BARGAINSINc. Photograph: Webster, Massachusetts (Spaulding Block 141-143 Main Street taken: February 1980 negative on file: B. R.

Pfeiffer 91 Westland Avenue Box 82 Boston, Massachusetts 02115 view: south elevation (facade) taken from a position facing east E AON 086L 9IH ENTRIES IN THE NATIONAL REGISTER STÂTE MASSACHUSETTS DEC 31980 Date Entered Name Holyoke Canal Systen Tack Factory, The Eddy Block - Water Shops Arnory Gunn and Hubbard Blocks (Spauling Block Shumway Block Location Holyoke Hampden County Norwell vicinity Plymouth County Webster Worcester County Springfleld Hampden County Springfield Hampden County Webster Worcester County Webster Worcester County Also Notified Honorable Paul Isongas Honorable Edward M. Kennedy Honorable S11vio O. Conte Honorable Gerry E. Studds Honorable Edward P. Boland State Historic Preservation Off1cer Mrs. Patricia L.

Weslowsk1 Executive Director Massachusetts #istorical Counission 294 Washington Street Bosten, Massachusetts 02108 /NR Byers/bjr/1/6/81 For further information, please call the National Register at (202)343-6401.