Nomination for Polish National Home

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 historic Polish National Home and/or common 2. Location street & number 136-144 Cabot Street Chicopee city, town vicinity of Massachusetts 025 code congressional district Hampden state 3. Classification Category Ownership _ district X building(s) xpublic - private structure _ both site Public Acquisition object _ in process being considered county Status X occupied _ unoccupied - work in progress Accessible X yes: restricted - yes: unrestricted -no Present Use x agriculture . commercial _ educational _ entertainment - government _ industrial - military 4.

Owner of Property name MB Group street & number One McKinley Square Boston courthouse, registry of deeds, etc. Hamden County Registry of Deeds street & number 50 State Street city, town Springfield 6. Representation in Existing Surveys Historic Resource Inventory title of the Commonwealth date 3/29/78 state MA city, town - vicinity of 5. Location of Legal Description state MA has this property been determined elegible? X rederal _ state Massachusetts Historical Commission depository for survey records Boston MA city, town state For HCRS use only received SEP / 0 1980 date entered NOV | 4 1980 - not for publication 2nd 013 code museum park private residence religious scientific transportation other: - yesX no county - _ local 7. Description Condition excellent X good fair .

deteriorated Check one X unaltered altered X original site moved unexposed Describe the present and original (if known) physical appearance

Description of the property

Bom Narodowy Polski, the Polish National Home, is a five-story masonry building with steel I-beam framing members. It was constructed in 1912-14 in the Georgian Colonial Revival style, and has been changed little since then. A brick annex was added in 1922 to accommodate athletic facilities. The main building faces Cabot Street. Its facade is in original condition with the exception of the first floor storefronts. Until 1941, there were four separate stores on the first floor, and access to the second floor meeting hall was by two narrow staircases from the south and north ends of the building. In 1949, a larger staircase to the meeting hall replaced the southern-most storefront. The three re- maining storefronts incorporate a band of translucent leaded glass approximately two feet wide in a grid pattern above the display windows.

The storefronts are separated by masonry piers faced with white limestone, except for the bottom four feet of the piers, which are faced with a polished granite veneer. The building's original copper and glass canopy shelters the center doorway. The piers rise to support a sign band which is a stuccoed steel I-beam. Above this is a white limestone architrave, the base of the Colonial Revival facade. facade is organized symmetrically with a slightly projecting center pavilion four bays wide. The main block extends two bays out on either side of the pavilion. These bays are distinguished by their limestone quoins and quoin-like patterns fram- ing the paired, double-hung sash. The windows have limestone sills and architraves. Red brick fills the spandrels and separates the bays, contrasting with the white limestone trim.

The center pavilion's four bays are separated by paired pilasters of white brick rising from the second to the fourth floors. The second story windows have pedi- mented limestone lintels, above which is a red brick spandrel. The spandrel above the third story windows 1s paneled wood, and the fourth story windows are round- arched inside of limestone arches with keystones. A terneplate architrave separates the fourth and fifth stories. The fifth story window architraves are part of a continuous band of white limestone across the entire facade, which supports a terneplate modillion cornice. A brick fascia above the center pavilion carries the "Dom Narodowy Polski." The building's one renovation occured in 1941, when the meeting hall occupying nearly all of the second and third floors was altered.

Access was provided from the front of the building as mentioned above, and the stage and balcony were re- versed. The balcony, originally located at the northern end of the building, was moved to the southern end, while the stage was changed from the southern to northern end. In the process, the interior of the meeting hall was completely updated. In 1922 an annex was constructed to provide more space for athletics. The front building on Cabot Street had two bowling alleys in the cellar, but more were needed. The annex is a three-story structure of brick over a steel frame.

It - Continued - FHR-8-300A (11/78) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR HERITAGE CONSERVATION AND RECREATION SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY -- NOMINATION FORM FOR HCRS USE ONLY RECEIVED SEP 1 0 1980 NOV 14,1900 DATE ENTERED CONTINUATION SHEET ITEM NUMBER 7 PAGE 2 had shower facilities in its cellar, four bowling alleys on the first floor, and a gymnasium on the second and third floors. The gym still has its balcony, which extends completely around the room and is supported by large iron brackets. Several more bowling alleys were built on the gym floor in the early 1950s, but have since been dismantled. The annex has no formal facade, having been intended as a purely utilitarian building.

From the form

The catalogue entry the section above was filed under.

Significance Period prehistoric 1400-1499 1500-1599 1600-1699 1700-1799 1800-1899 X 1900- Areas of Significance - Check and justify below archeology-prehistoric community planning archeology-historic conservation agriculture _ economics architecture _ education art engineering commerce exploration/settlement _ communications industry .invention landscape architecture. law literature military - music - philosophy - politics/government _ religion - science - sculpture X social/ humanitarian _ theater _ transportation Xother (specify) Immigration Specific dates 1912-14 Builder

Statement of significance

/Architect Unknown Statement of Significance (in one paragraph) The Polish National Home possesses integrity of location, design, setting, materials and workmanship and was significant as a focus of social life for Chicopee's Polish population for many years, and also as a strong symbol of acculturation, because the edifice bespoke the Polish immigrants' social and economic advancement in their new land. This news item appeared in the local press three months after the Polish National Home (PNH) opened on September 21, 1914. It is both laudatory and critical of the Polish community but clearly expresses the idea that the PNH was a public symbol of the Poles' successful acculturation: A matter in which the entire population is concerned, and which is more to the discredit of the Poles than their division among themselves, is the use of the club license at the new Polish home.

There is no doubt that it is popular. There is a con- stant stream of "club members" into the barroom at the close of every working day. Fabulous tales have been told of the amount of beer consumed every Sunday. The boxing matches in the hall above, in connection with the license, are giving the new build- ing a rapidly growing reputation, which is no credit to the Polish citizens or to the city. The Poles have made a place for themselves in Chicopee. In the main they are industrious and honest. There are many examples among them of the ability to assimilate American ways and to win success that may be envied by many of old American stock. Their new hall was an evidence of their growing importance in the commnity.1 In addition to its symbolic significance, the PNH served as a social club.

"The purpose of the (Polish National Home Association) is to bring the members closer together and to give them a home that includes an assembly hall, society, read- ing rooms, and a llbrary. The PNH also contained two bowling alleys in its cel- lar, a barroom mentioned above, and small apartments on the fourth and fifth floors. The rooms were rented for modest fees by recent immigrants or members of the Polish community in need of nonpermanent housing. The annex was constructed in 1922 to provide expanded athletic facilities. George P. Dion, a self-trained local architect, designed the annex, and many other Chicopee buildings. Plans and specifications for the annex have survived. - Continued - 9.

The rest of the file

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

Major Bibliographical References Shlakman, Vera, Economic History of a Factory Town: A Study of Chicopee, Massachusetts, Smith College, Northampton, MA, 1935. Springfield and Suburban Directory, Price, Lee & Co., 1926. "Springfield Union," Springfield, MA, 9/21/14. ACREAGE NOT VERIFIED 10. Geographical Data Acreage of nominated property less than one acre Quadrangle name Springfield North UIM NOT VERIPIED Quadrangle scale. 1:25000 UMT References A Zone 16/9,7/5,2,0 Easting 14,6 68 4,00 Northing B Zone Easting E D F LILILLL Northing LILu G L1 1L Verbal boundary description and justification Please refer to the attached map. List all states and counties for properties overlapping state or county boundaries state code county code state code county code 11. Form Prepared By name/title Charles T.

Lennon for Candace Jenkins, National Register Coordinator organization Massachusetts Historical Commission date June 1980 street & number 294 Washington Street 617-727-8470 telephone Boston MA 02108 city or town state 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 procedures set forth by the Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service.

State Historic Preservation Officer signature Patuni {.Weslowski 8/19/80 title Executive Director, Massachusetts Historical Commission For HCRS use only I hereby certify that this property is included in the National Register ha Donzal Ow Keeper of the National Register Attest: ndu Chief of Registration date date 11/14/50 dato /12/80 GPO 938 835 FHR-8-300A (11/78) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR HERITAGE CONSERVATION AND RECREATION SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY -- NOMINATION FORM FOR HCRS USE ONLY RECEIVED SEP 1 0 1980 DATE ENTERED 14 1980 8 2 CONTINUATION SHEET ITEM NUMBER PAGE Dion began in the building trades as a carpenter, and was listed as such in the city directory for several years until 1911,when he was listed as an architect for the first time.

Dion's first advertisement appeared in the 1926 directory, bill- ing him as an "Architect, Notary Public, Specializing in Churches and Schools. "3 He was active until 1947. Unfortunately, research to date has not revealed the architect who deserves credit for the main building. Chicopee's Polish population grew rapidly in the early 20th century. In 1885, the city's population was 11,516 and included 205 Poles. By 1895, the city had grown to 16,420, of which 1,445 were Poles. In 1914, the year the PNH was completed, the city of about 25,000 had 9,000 Polish-born residents.4 Chicopee's textile industry employed most of the Polish immigrants.

In the 1910s and 1920s, the PNH was used for events heavily imbued with Polish culture, such as Polish language classes, theater and musical presentations fea- turing prominent Polish performers who toured the nation, and athletic contests between touring Polish boxers and wrestlers. However, in the 1930s, '40s and '50s, as the process of acculturation continued and the Polish became Polish- Americans, interest in Polish culture waned, and the PNH became a gathering place for social intercourse with a more multi-national emphasis. In the 1960s and '70s, the PNH received much less use and generated less revenue for the Association. Maintenance was deferred and the conditions of the build- ings declined. In 1979 the MB Group of Boston bought the main building and the annex from the Association with the intention of rehabilitating them for elderly housing.

The Polish National Home Association will retain a meeting room and its Polish language library in the cellar of the main building after the rehab- ilitation project. I''Springfield Sunday Republican, " Springfield, Mass., December 27, 1914. 2"Springfield Union," Springfield, Mass., September 21, 1914. 3Springfield and Suburban Directory, Price, Lee, & Co., 1926. 4Economic History of a Factory Town: A Study of Chicopee, Massachusetts, Vera Shlakman, Smith College, Northampton, Mass., 1935. Property Dolish Dational Home DUG "110/80 stateMA. Hamplen Working Number 9/10/30/2248 TECHNÍCAL CONTROL Photos _ Maps This building is locally signfuant as uflecting the develapment HISTORIAN fthe ethnic population &f chicopee. Built in 1912-14 this five story brick sorqian Revurl style building has served as the forus of soral life for the towris Patuck Ardus imniegrant Polish population.

Lts construction, growthandeventnal decline 11/12/80 quse uflect the rapid growth of the immigrant ARCHITECTURAL HISTORIAN population in the late rthlearlgaoth century and the eventual acculturation o the Polish conmenita. ARCHEOLOGIST OTHER HAER Inventory - Review - REVIEW UNIT CHIEF BRANCH CHIEF KEEPER NOV I 4 1980 National Register Write-up Federal Register Entry 2-2-82 Send-back Re-submit Entered United States Department of the Interior -Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service BOM-NARODOWY, POLSAD POLISH HO CENTER NEWS STAND Polish National Home 136-44 Cabot Street Chicopee, Mass. Hampden Co- Otto Dvorak 1979 Steffian-Bradley Associates 66 Canal Street, Boston Photo #1 of 2 Front elevation from Cabot Street, facing east SEP 1 O 1980 NOV | 4 1980 Polish National Home 136-44 ca bot stxeet Hampden Co. chikopee, Mass.

1979 Otto Dvorak steffian-bradley Associates 66 canal street, Boston Photo #2 of 2 Side elevation and front of addition from Cabot Street SEP 1 0 1980 NOV | 4 1980 S8'911 06'82| '52 56.65 148 20 Polish National Home 136-44 Cabot Street Chicopee, Mass. Assessor's Map NOV | 4 1980 0299 60.0 46.53 65381 92.78 46.25 550 1192l 5080 OS'tS 56.0 22032 POLISH NATIONAL HOME ASSOC + N 1020 1° 60.27 5030 299 TANLEY FÜRTEK ET.UX. 5.2.05 59 76. 120.0 95.54 086L01 235 22038 HADL EY FALES TRUST GO. 126.20 126.0 146-144-142-140* CABO ST. CENTER -So 124 CITY OF CHICOPEE BULLEN PARK 6 1° ST 161.60 17250 8' 6 ENTRIES IN THE NATIONAL REGISTER MASSACHUSETTS STATE NUV | 4 1980 Date Entered Name Location Polish National Home Chicopee Hampden County Also Notified Honorable Paul Tsongas Honorable Edward M. Kennedy Honorable Edward P. Boland State Historic Preservation Officer Mrs. Patricia L.

Weslowski Executive Director Massachusetts Historical Commission 294 Washington Street Boston, Massachusetts 02108 NR Byers/bjr/11/19/80 For further information, please call the National Register at (202)343-6401. NAME Polish National Hese NAME DATE OF REQUEST 8/20/79 DATE OF DOCUMENTATION REQUEST CITY Cafcopee STATE ADDRESS 136-144 Cabot Street FEDERAL AGENCY/REQUESTER HUD/Bdvard Pellack DATE DETERMINED ELIGIBLE REMARKS 9/27/79 COUNTY Hampden DATE DOCUMENTATION RECEIVED SHPO OPINION DYES ONO DATE REQUESTED_ DATE RECEIVED_ FHR.8-264.(2/79) NATIONAL REGISTER DETERMINATION OF ELIGIBILITY CONTROL