BlockThe nomination, in full
Bibliography, boundary description, and the people who prepared and reviewed the nomination.
FORM B - BUILDING re no 80000554 MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Office of the Secretary, State House, Boston - - - - - In Area no. Form no. 103-L 1. Town Address Name Present use Worcester 22 Oak Avenue D. Wheeler Swift House interns' residence 2. Photo (3x3" or 3x5") Staple to left side of form Photo number Ro1l 21 - 4. Map. Draw sketch of building location in relation to nearest cross streets and other buildings. Indicate north. Present ownerMemorial Hospital 119 Belmont St. 3. Description: Date Worcester, MA 1879-1880 - Source building notice & Directorie Style Victorian Gothic Stephen Earle Architect Exterior wall fabric clapboard Outbuildings (describe)_none Other featuresbracketed porch with or- iginal railing, corner entry, gables with decorative aprons, window hoods Altered no Date Moved no Date Assessor's Book 1, p.18 : UTM: 5. Lot size:Lot A, 12,487 sq.It.
19/26962514683680 One acre or less Over one acre Approximate frontage 70° Approximate distance of building from street 20- 6. Recorded bys .Lee, ed. B.R.Pfeiffer Organization Worc. Heritage Pres. Soc. Date January 1978 (over) 30M-5-77 7. Original owner (if known)_ Original use D. Wheeler Swift residence interns' residence (present) Subsequent uses (if any) and dates 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 9. Historical significance (include explanation of themes checked above) Built in 1879-1880, the Swift House is an unaltered example of its period, bearing elements of Victorian Gothic and Stick Style design.
Iwo and one-half stories high, the house's facade (west) is dominated by a steep gable with decorative bargeboards and apron, elements which are repeated on a smaller gable on the house's north elevation. An unusual detail of the design, is the house's entry which is set at a 45 degree angle to the buildings north and west elevations. Oneither side of the entry is an or- iginal porch with open braces and geometric railing. Other orig- inal details include window caps, granite stoop, and a low re- taining wall of rock-faced granite along the property's Oak Avenue and Kendall Street fronts. D. Wheeler Swift (1840-1910) was a native of West Falmouth, Massachusetts, who came to Worcester in 1864 to operate envelope- making machinery at the newly formed Bay State Envelope Company. Together with his brother, Henry D. Swift, D.
Wheeler Swift in- vented various envelope-making machines upon which the success oI the whitcomD Envelope Company and, later, the Logan, Swift and Brigham Envelope Company was based. In 1871, while employed by the Whitcomb Company, the Swift brothers invented machinery capable of producing 3,500 envelopes hourly, amount far greater than that produced by existing equipment. Additional machinery invented by the brothers for automatically gumming envelopes (1876) and for automatic printing of envelopes, rapid- ly lowered production costs and led to the growth of the Whit- 10. BGOnog Gpny and/oMeclenees (Sucnas todalhitories, dets, assessors reporated early maps, etc.) AABN, Vol. VI, 11/1/1879, p. VIII (bldg. notice) Plumber & Sanitary Engineer, Vol. II, 11/1/1879, p. 397 (bldg. notice). Rice, F. Worcester of 1898. pp. 481-483. Washburn, C. Industrial Worcester. pp. 198-201.
INVENTORY FORM CONTINUATION SHEET MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Office of the Secretary, Boston Commni ty: Worcester Form No: 103-L Property Name:D.Wheeler Swift Indicate each item on inventory form which is being continued below. 9. Historical significance to Scotland, England and Germany. In 1884, the Swift brothers withdrew from the Whitcomb Company to form the partnership of Logan, Swift and Brigham Envelope Company. By 1889, the new firm had constructed a factory on Grove Street, which was en- larged in 1897. In 1898, Logan, Swift and Brigham Company, along with nine other envelope manufacturers was merged into the newly formed United States Envelope Company of which D. Wheeler Swift was a director. Staple to Inventory form at bottom -Property Warceoter Miltple Resome Aua (Partial danentan) State MA (Warcester Working Number8. 30.
79.2060 TECHNICAL Photos 383, + 13 CONTROL Maps 2,63 Excltent multyle resource nomsatinn for the extire cily HISTORIAN * statemeat y Acupt Lightne 10.30-79 a reasons propeeties are "6 -CBD - ", "]-E, and 130 -CBD-50 and 1 me mue yr bndeus nest to be eolesel pctanlly on ndudue ARCHEOLOGIST H6- CBD- 17 - Destroyed, connot se listed. 130 - CBD- 44 - 1 am nst cenuinced tus has lost integnti 102 - L-3 - Peuod o descussed with Sepneicanee and cotegonzatenisee aeachto be WINt 3 EXCERTONS AL PROPERTIES APPEAN TO ME TO MEET AK CRITERI AND THE OTHER FORMS ARE ADEQUATE. RSO BOTH TECHNILALLY AND TO PETERMINE SICNIFCANCE, ACLERT ACMOULI SAUE OE TEFORS DID NOT CONTAN STRONA STATEMENS OF SIGNIFICANKE THE KESOURCE CATEGONES WERE TROROWGALY DISCUSIED IN THE BODY OF MHE NONINAYIONN; 2/2888 TUEREFORE SIGNIFICANCE MAS ESTABLSHED.
VBDS WERE NOT NECESSANY DELHSE OF THE SCHLE MAPSARD CLEANY DEMNEATES BOUNNANICS . AURENDE WES AISSING DIU SAE PROPENTTES DUT EIS MOW INCLUDED AFTER THE 2/11/ CORRELRONS. HAER THE ONLY PROPERTIES TKAE I DO NOT RECOMMENA LASTING ARE Inventory - - 116-CBD-/3 - DESMOYCOBYFIRE MO - HCBD-1 Review 130-CBO -44 - PDES. NOT RETZUN INNTEGRITY FOR NDI VIDUKA GLGIBILITY -v 102-L-3 / DORSAA WGOT CONVINLED ABOUT BOUNDANES REVIEW UNIT CHIEF BUT BELENE HEY BOUCD BE OK. # BASED Recommerd ON ADDLTONA DOCULUENTATON SUBMUTTED - I DEFER JUDLEMENT. Listine all propertres sexcep these 3. Return I16-CBD-1 to stute (not etegeble); Fe o to descuss futla NR Sto tate.
Retum 102-L-3 to state fir cumectem; 3/5 BRANCH CHIEF 3/3/81 HOLD 130-CBD -44 for info from stute DUBLE Staff conferenu 3/5/30 - agued to action as zuted beloro: hcat wna exeyrtink-strkusi - 313/80 REPOÚT Entered KEEPER Soldhe 3/5/80 MAR 5 1980 National Register Write-up Federal Register Entry 2.3.8 Send-back Re-submit United States Department of the Interior - Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service 103-2 AUG 1979 wurcester MRAMa 22 Oak Avenue Swift D. Wheelo, lese northt west elevations by Berkey restige Prints JUN 1979 Please refer to the map in the Multiple Property Cover Sheet for this property Multiple Property Cover Sheet Reference Number: 64000304 103-L The Memorial Hospital 119 Belmont Street Worcester Massachusetts 01605 (617) 793-6611 October 4, 1979 Mr. Charles A.
Herrington Acting Keeper of the National Register United States Department of the Interior Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service Washington, D.C. 20240 IN REPLY TO: 663 Dear Mr. Herrington: Thank you for your letter of September 27, 1979. We are flatter- ed that the "D. Wheeler Swift House" at 22 Oak Avenue has been nominated for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. Unfortunately, this building is located on the site of a proposed wing of our growing hospital complex. We have plans to do away with the building in the near future and therefore prefer not to have it listed in the National Register. We thank you for your interest. Sincerely yours, JohuMCach John M. Carlson Administrative Assistant /mjs A Major Affiliate of the University of Massachusetts Medical School THE NATION REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES DATE REC'D OCT | 0 1979 TACHED) DATE ACIIUN TAKEN INITIALS