BlockThe nomination, in full
Bibliography, boundary description, and the people who prepared and reviewed the nomination.
FORM B - BUILDING 80000541 MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Office of the Secretary, State House, Boston - - In Area no. Form no. 143-C 1. Town Address Name Worcester 132-142 Green Street Crompton Loom Works Present use industrial/warehouse 2. Photo (3x3" or 3x5") Staple to left side of form Photo number - 4. Map. Draw sketch of building location in relation to nearest cross streets and other buildings. Indicate north. HARRISON ST. GREEN 3) Present owner Worcester Green Realty Co. 142 Green St. 3. Description: Date 1860; later additions -- secondary sources--see Source Bibliography Style Italianate with alterations Architect unknown Exterior wall fabric brick none sighificant Outbuildings (describe) visible from street Other features arched second storey win- dows along most of the facade, brick quoining, 3rd floor added Altered seerreverse #9:1 Date Moved no Date 5.
Lot size-Agt 13--19,890k Lt 1i 23,000 sq. One acre or less Over one acre ft. Approximate frontage 250' Approximate distance of building from street (over) 6. Reçorded byS. Lee, ed. 3. R. Pfeiffer Organization Worc. Heritage Pres. Soc. November 1977 Date UTM: 19/269190/4681840 M-7-77 7. Original owner (if known) crompton Loon herks Original use factori for the manufacture of power looms Subsequent uses (it any) and dates_ general industrial after 1915 8. Themes (check as many as applicable) Aboriginal Agricultural Architectural The Arts Commerce Communication Community development Conservation Education Exploration/ settlement Industry Military Political Recreation Religion Science/ invention Social/ humanitarian Transportation X 9.
Historical significance (include explanation of themes checked above) With sections dating from 1860, the former Crompton Loom Works is among the oldest factory buildings in Worcester and has important historical Although the company was not founded until 1051, the invention of the first power loom capable of weaving fancy goods (upon which its initial success was based) was patented by William Crompton in 1836, the same year in which he first came to the United States. William Crompton, a native of Lancashire, England, returned to England in 1637 and was successful in introducing his loons into English cotton manufacturing. By 1040, Crompton had returned to Worcester where he manufactured 1ooms fire destrojed his factory in 1845. Between 1845 and 1848, Crompton lived in Millbury, Mass.
and Hartford, Conn; by 1849 he had "mentally incapacitated for business" and never again was active in manufacturing. Crompton's sor, George, sought and was granted an extension of his father's patent rights until 1050 As a result of this extension, George Crompton - formed a partnership with Merrill Furbush in 1851 and, together, the two manufactured looms at the Merrifield building until it was destrojed by fire in 1854. Shortly after this the firm rented space at the "Red Mills" which Crompton bought in 1860 and demolished to make waj for the center section of the present structure. (cont.) 10. Bibliography and/or references (such as local histories, deeds, assessor's records, early maps, etc.) Worcester Historical Society. Local Industry File. Worcester Commercial. Vol 1. no. 11, March 1093, pp. 400-410. Crompton, George. The Crompton Hyde, A.W. Worcester, Its Past and Present, p.
131 (illustration) Nutt, Charles. History of Worcester and Its People, vol. III, pp. 857- 360. Rice, Franklin P. Worcester in 1890, pp. 460-467. Washburn, Charles.Industrial Worcester, pp. 87-89. 9. MASSACHUSETTS HISTORI CAL COMMISSION Worcester 143-0 Office of the Secretary, Boston 2. crompton Loom Property Name: works Indicate each item on inventory form which is being continued below. In 1859, Furbush withdrew from the business which then remained under crompton's direction until his death in 1886. During this period the business expanded rapidly, resulting in major additions to the Green Street factory (see below). Among the firm's most famous inventions was a broad loom, designed by George Crompton in 1857, which quadrupled the productivity of his father's earlier power loom and which caused manufacturers in favor of the more productive broad looms..
Crompton was awarded the only medal given for textile machinery at the Paris Exposition of 1867 for this loom. In the 1870s, Crompton obtained patents on improvements to the design of the Keighley dobby loom which he introduced into the United States; Crompton also invented the Crompton gingham loom during this period. Although Crompton also held patents on machinery urrelated to looms, only looms were manufactured at the Green Street factory, with the exception of machinery for the man- ufacture of gunstocks, which Crompton made between 1861 and 1865 for fire-arms manuiacturers. After 1886, the businees was incorporated with Crompton's widow as president of the firm, a position occupied by her son Charles aîter the firm had merged with its chief competitor to form the Crompton and Knowles Loom Works. In 1900, the Cromptons soldtheir interest in the company.
After 1915, the company ceased production at the Green Street factory, although it remains a major local industry. The Crompton Loom Works Factory is a complex building, the result of many additions built by the Crompton Loom Works and by the crompton Knowles Loom Works. The earliest section of the building (#1 on map) stands south of the present tower and was built in 1860. This structure was two stories high with a deep gabled pavilion at its center and smaller flanking end pavilions with arched gables. Between 1881 and 1886, the foof of the south end pavilion was removed while that of the north end pavilion was replaced ay an extra storey and a nigh hip roof, creating the tower on the Green street lacade- At tne same time the building was extended northward (Section #2 on map) it ended in a three-storey pavilion with hip roof.
Some time after 1888, probably around the turn of the century, a third storey was added to the entire replacing the original gabled roof and bringing the building to its present appearance. At the rear of the factory (east) is a boiler room (Section #3 on map) which may date from 1860. Other sections of the building (#4 and #5 on map) postdate 1911 and 1922 respectively. Staple to Inventory form at bottom property Warceoter Mltple Resoure Ava Kparteal Iaventary) State MA (Warcester Working Number 8. 30. 79.2060 TECHNICAL CONTROL Photos 38 3 +13 Maps 2,63 suclent multyle resource nomeratin for the extrie cily HISTORIAN of worceoter. Both the general descrytion 4 sratesent g ail /Acapt endwridual enverton sheet ar Lightne 10-30-79 4 reasons Orenya thio fime (1-3-3. deckus) Downe ARCHITECTURAL HISTORIAN appersition is higtited an actached sheets.
Wind probleme wah some propertes are coman w/h Bmiés ummento m 102-L-3 NC-CBD-", "7-E, and 130-CBD-50 and 44. Intanty and /o bondaries veed to be addussed speahcully on indurdual ARCHEOLOGIST 130-CBs-44-pamnof snened thes has cost intenthins need to b 102-L-3 - Percod o descussed with senficanee and categorizatim .See attaches be WINH 3 EXCERTONS AU PROPERTICS APPEAN TO ME TO MEET HE CRITERIA AND THE FORMS ARE ADEQUATE RED BOTH TECHNLALLT AND TO DETERMINE SICNIFLANCE, ALMOLEH SOMLE EE TE FORME DID NOT CONTAN SIRONK STATEMENE IF SIGNIFICANKE THE THEREFORE SIGNIFICANCE MAS ESTABLSHED. HBDS WERE NOT NECESSARY BELNSE Of MHE SCHLE MAPSAND CLENRLY DELNEATER BOUNDARICS. HLRENDE WAS PLSING OTHER ACLEDT 2/2888 HAER TIU SACE PROPENTES BUT BIS NOW INCLIDED AFTER THE 2/11/ CORRELRONS. THE ONLY BROPENTIES TKET I DO NOT RECOMMEND LISTING ARE - 1/6-CBD-/3-DESAOYCOBYSIRE MO - 16 CBD-!
Inventory - Review 130-CBO-44- DOES. NOT RETAN INTEGRITY FOR INDI VIDUKLAGLGIBILTY v102-L-3 IPERSAA BOT CONVINLER ABOUT BOUNDNE REVIEW UNIT CHIEF BUT BELLEVE THEY BOUCH BE OK. W AASED Recommal ON ADDITONAL DOCUMLENTATONN SUBMITTED - / DETER JUDGEMENT. Listine all prospertres sexcept these 3. Return 116-CBD-11 to Stute not etégible); a to desouss futha w/NR +state. DUBIE fetum 102-L-3 to State fer curectem; 315 & BRANCH CHIEF 3/3/8 HOLD 130-CBD -44 for info from stute DUBLE Staff confernu 3/5/80-agued to action as soted belrru: 116-CISD-11 (official notfrati of - State fu. ales u sfote) KEEPER National Register Write-up Federal Register Entry 2.3.8 Send-back Re-submit Entered soldhe 3/5/80 MAR 5 1980 United States Department of the Interior - Heritaqe Conservation and Recreation Service JUN 1979. 80 AUG 143-C AUG 1979 132-142211n St. Gramptor boam Works.
West Elevation warcestor MRA, Ma by Berkey ints JUN 1979 Please refer to the map in the Multiple Property Cover Sheet for this property Multiple Property Cover Sheet Reference Number: 64000304