Nomination for Grove Hill Mansion

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 Dimock Estate and/or common 2. Location Grove Hill Mansion (preferred) street & number city, town Florence Read. and Front Stfeet Northampton N/A vicinity of i MA state 3. Classification Category Ownership - district Xbuilding(s) public X private structure both .site Public Acquisition - object NA in process being considered code 025 county congressional district Hampshire Status -* occupied unoccupied work in progress Accessible -X yes: restricted - yes: unrestricted no Present Use agriculture commercial educational entertainment government industrial military 4.

Owner of Property name Alan Verson street & number 16 Center Street city, town Northampton N/A vicinity of 5. Location of Legal Description state MA courthouse, registry of deeds, etc. Hampshire Registry of Deeds street & number 33 King Street city, town Northampton state MA 6. Representation in Existing Surveys inventory of the Historic Assets of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts #22 has this property been determined elegible? date 1975 _ federal X state depository for survey records Boston city, town Massachusetts Historical Commission MA state For HCRS use only received JUL 6 1982 date entered N/A not for publication 1 code 015 _ museum -park X private residence _ religious _ scientific - transportation other: _ county -yes X _ no _ local 7.

Description Dimock Estate, Northampton Condition _excellent X good d fair deteriorated ruins unexposed Check one _ unaltered X altered Check one Xoriginal site _moved date N. A Describe the present and original (if known) physical appearance

Description of the property

Grove Hill Mansion, a High Victorian mansion, is set on a hilltop overlooking the Mill River in the village of Leeds in Northampton. The house stands about 75 feet back from Front Street, surrounded by residential structures, a few of which are contemporary and the rest are later infill. The property contains 3z acres of land, and includes at the front a stand of large pine trees which formed a distinctive part of the land- scape when the house was built. Highly eclectic and idiosyncratic in design, the brick mansion (built in 1880) incorporates elements of both Queen Anne and Eastlake styles. The building is generally 23 stories high, with a T-shape floor plan embellished by numerous Eastlakian porches and a 4} story tower at the front.

Intersecting gable and hip roofs of the various building segments are broken by decorative chimneys (one of which enframes a window); all roof surfaces are covered with slate tiles. Decorative brick and stone stringcourses enliven the walls, while the irregularly placed windows are articulated by granite sills and rusticated lintels. Brick relieving arches cap the second story windows. Wooden ornament of particular note includes the first floor porches on each side, featuring bulbous posts and a geo- metrically formed balustrade; stickwork and decorative shingling on the gable ends of the south wing; a covered balcony and open arcade on the tower; and a bracketed entablature with loosely interpreted triglyphs. The exterior remains essentially in its original condition. On the interior, Grove Hill Mansion retains its grand period woodwork.

The entrance vestibule is distinguishedby double doors with etched and bevelled glass, oak panelling and strapwork, and a coffered ceiling. A central stairway opening onto all three floors has panelled wainscoting and unusually carved newels and balustrade in the Eastlake manner. Rooms on the first and second floors contain handsome fireplaces, some with set-in tiles, some with built-inshelves and cabinets above. These' rooms have additional built-in cabinetry, wood trim, and hardwood floors; one contains concealed drawers in its panelled walls. On the third floor, rooms are generally furnished more simply. The third floor billiard room, however, has highly decorative beams and a cathedral-like ceiling, and the central area of this floor has a large handsome skylight with etched glass. Fifty feet northeast of the house stands an original greenhouse.

Approximately 10 feet wide by 30 feet long and 6 feet high,the structure has 14 inch thick brick bearing walls and a peaked roof of glass.

From the form

The catalogue entry the section above was filed under.

Significance Dimock Estate, Northampton Period prehistoric 1400-1499 1500-1599 1600-1699 1700-1799 X 1800-1899 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 X industry _ invention Builder/Architect landscape architecture law literature military music - philosophy .politics/government religion science - sculpture social/ humanitarian _ theater transportation other (specify) Specific dates 1880 Statement of Significance

Statement of significance

(in one paragraph) E.C. Gardner Grove Hill Mansion retains integrity of design, materials, setting, and location. The building is significant for its associations (1) with the development of Leeds Village and(2) with alocally prominentmanufacturer and a regionally known architect, and as an excellent and unusual example of its style in the area. The property thus meets criteria A, B, and C of the National Register. Grove Hill Mansion was built in 1879-80 for Lucius Dimock, an incorporator and director of the Nonotuck Silk Company. The companymanufactured silk threads and yarns from 1855 until 1921, when it passed out of local hands. The Nonotuck Silk Mill in Leeds was established in 1879 and is significant for its role in revitalizing the town after a disastrous flooding of the Mill River. Both the mill and mansion were objects of local pride.

A contemporary newspaper account described the mill as a "model" factory, 'massive, solid, neat and attractive," and the nearby owner's residence as "one of the finest houses in the Connecticut Valley." The mansion was designed in 1879 by E.C. Gardner. " A native of Ashfield, Gardner (1836-1915) began to practice architecture in Northampton at the age of 22. Gardner settled in Springfield after the Civil War and maintained a practice there until 1911. Although he designed numerous conmercial buildings in Northampton prior to his move to Springfield, the Dimock house and one, Elm Street residence, also of brick and designed in 1879, are his only residential designs yet identified in Northampton. The Dimock house remains a unique example of its style in the Northampton area.

As originally conceived, the Dimock estate was once considerable: about 20 acres of land including the mansion, greenhouse, barns and stables (the two latter since demolished), and many fine trees which graced the hill. Grove Hill Mansion was a product of themarriage of Dimock's wealth and late Victorian imagination, as well as Gardner's architectural skills. This local showpiece has recently been allowed to deteriorate, but plans are currently underway for the rehabilitation and re-use of the property.

The rest of the file

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

Major Bibliographical References Daily Hampshire Gazette, Northampton, MA Sept. 21, 1880 and July 3, 1946. 10. Geographical Data Acreage of nominated property 3.5 acres Quadrangle name Easthampton UMT References Quadrangle scale . 1:24000 A Zone 5BP78P Easting 14,69,1|3,3,0 Northing LILLL EL1 GL1 LLLL LLLL Northing DLILLILILLILILILI FLU LLILLLI LILIL HLUJLLILLL LILILLLI Verbal boundary description and justification See attached deed description. List all states and counties for properties overlapping state or county boundaries state code N/A county code state code county 11. Form Prepared By Wendy Frontiero, Preservation Planner, with name/title Alan Verson code organization Massachusetts Historical Conmission date May 7, 1982 street & number 294 Washington Street telephone (617) 727-8470 city or town Boston state MA 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 setforth by the Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service. Astate Historic Preservation Oflicer signature Valeuie Ann Talmage title Executive Director, Massachusetts Historical Commission dete fune 28,1Sz For HCRS use only I hereby certily that this property is included in the Mattered Tis the Mlou National Register Keeper of the National Register date 8/1/52 Attest: Chief of Registration date GPO 938 835 NORTHAMPTON, MASS.

Grove Hill Mansion Item 10: Verbal Boundary Description Deed Description, Hampshire Registry of Deeds, Book 2118, Page 49 Beginning at an iron pin set in the easterly line of Old Florence Street, so-called in the Village of Leeds, City of Northampton, Hampshire County, Massachusetts, thence N. 17° 38' 20" W. a distance of 147.13 feet, more or less, along the easterly line of said Old Florence Street to a point; thence N. 7 56' 10" E. a distance of 12.66 feet, more or less, along the easterly line of said Old Florence Street to a point; thence N. 7° 36' 40" E. a distance of 242.38 feet, more or less, along the easterly line of said Old Florence Street to an iron pin set at the intersection of said Old Florence Street and Front Street, so-called; thence N. 82° 01' 10" E.

along the southerly line of said Front Street a distance of 299.14 feet, more or less, to an iron pin at land shown as Lot 1 on a plan hereinafter mentioned; S. 9 28' 59" E. a distance of 195.97 Ieet, more or less, along said Lot 1 to a point; N. NGe 27' 22" E. a distance of 103.00 feet, more or less, by Land of said Lot 1 to an iron pin; thence s. 10' 01' 50" E. a distance of 222.69 feet, more or less, to an iron pin at land shown as Tract 3 on the plan herein after mentioned; thence S. 85° O1' 30" W. a distance of 329.49 feet, more or less, by land of said Tract 3 and Lot 4 on said plan to an Lron gin; thence 22' 10" W. a distance of 131.41 feet, more or less, to the iron pin set at the beginning and being comprised of Parcels 2, 3 and 5 on a plan entitled "Land in Northamptno, Mass. Surveyed for Samuel Goldman", as revised April 17, 1978 by Gordon E.

Ainsworth & Associates, Inc., recorded with Hampshire County Registry of Deeds at Plan Book 108, Page 38 to which description; plan reference is hereby made for a complete and accurate being a portion of the premises described in deed of James C. O'Donnell, Special Master, dated June 15, 1973 and recorded with Hampshire County Registry of Deeds at Book 1710, Page 121; Lot 2 contains approximately 20,559 square feet of land, Lot 3 contains approximately 21, 195 square feet of land and Lot 5 contains approximately 2.86 acres of land with the buildings and other improvements thereon. NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES United States Department of the Interior National Park Service EVALUATION / RETURN SHEET Grove Hill Mansion (Dimock Estate), Hampshire County, MASSACHUSETTS, Working No. 7/6/82-1930 Fed. Reg.

Date: 1.83 Date Due: 8-4-841 8-20-82 Action: ACCEPT_ resubmission Intered in the - RETURN_ nomination by person or local government National Register - REJECT_ owner objection Federal Agency: appeal Substantive Review: - sample - request - appeal - NR decision Reviewer's comments: -Nomination returned for: Recom. / Criteria Reviewer _ Discipline Date see continuation sheet technical corrections cited below . substantive reasons discussed below Name 2. Location 3. Category 4. Classification Ownership Public Acquisition Owner of Property Status Accessible Present Use 5. Location of Legal Description 6. Representation in Existing Surveys has this property been determined eligibie? - yes - no 7. Description Condition excellent good fair deteriorated ruins unexposed Check one .

unaltered altered Check one original site moved date - Describe the present and orlginal (i known) physical appearance, summary paragraph completeness clarity alterations/integrity dates boundary selection 8. Significance Peried Areas of Significance Check and justify below Specific dates Bullder/Architect Statement of Significance (in one paragraph) summary paragraph completeness clarity applicable criteria justification of areas checked relating significance to the resource context relationship of integrity to significance justification of excepticn other 9. Major Bibliographical References 10. Geographical Data Acreage of nominated property Quadrangle name UMT References Verbal boundary description and justification 11. Form Prepared By 12.

State Historic Preservation Officer Certification The evaluated significance of this property within the state is: national - state _ local State Historic Preservation Officer signature date 13. Other Maps Photographs Other Questions concerning this nomination may be directed to_ Signed - Date - Phone: 202 272 -3504 Comments for any item may be continued on an attached sheet NORTHAMPTON, MASS. Grove Hill Mansion View from southwest Photograph by Alan Verson, 1980 Negative filed with photographer, 16 Center Street, Northampton Photo 1 of 3 Grove Hill M Northampton, 1 view from NORTHAMPTON, MASS. Grove Hill Mansion View from north Photograph by Alan Verson, 1980 Negative filed with photographer, 16 Center Street, Northampton Photo 2 of 3 Grove Hill Northampton , view from NORTHAMPTON, MASS.

Grove Hill Mansion Interior: Entrance and stair hall (frstfloor) Photograph by Alan 1980 Negative filed with photographer, 16 Center St, Northampton Photo 3 of 3 Grove Hill Nonthampten,. at floor, hal front deors ALAN VERSON ATTORNEY AT LAW February 11, 1982 16 CENTER STREET, SUITE 812 NORTHAMPTON, MASSACHUSETTS 01060 TELEPHONE (418) 586-1848 REO ED FEB 171982 MASS. HIST. COMM. Ms. Candy Jenkins Massachusetts Historical Commission Office of the Secretary of State 294 Washington Street Boston, Massachusetts -2108 Dear Ms. Jenkins: Enclosed is an application for registration of a building on the National Historic Register, along with photographs. Ms. Ann Tomasik is quite familiar with the building and has assisted in preparation of the application form that I am now submitting. I have also submitted to Mr. Orfant an application for certification of a rehabilitation project on the building.

The timing of this project requires that construction begin on May 1, and it will therefore be necessary, of course, that the registration bur bard aet on tlid apitcod on for roditrdlo within this time frame. I would be very appreciative if yoü would give me a phone call to discuss this matter after you have had an opportunity to review the application. Thank you for your cooperation. Enclosures Verytruly yours, Mautbran MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION 6/28/02 Ms. Carol Shull, Acting Keeper National Register of Historic Places National Park Service Department of the Interior Washington, D.C. 20243 Dear Ms.

Shull: Enclosed you will find the following nomination forms: Becket : Becket Center Historic District (local) Billerica: Manning Manse (local) Lowell: Allen House (local) COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS Office of the Secretary of State 294 Washington Street Boston, Massachusetts 02108 617-727-8470 MICHAEL JOSEPH CONNOLLY Secretary of State STIE RECEIVED JU 6 1982 NATIONAL REGISTER Lowell: South Common Historic District (local) Lowell: Washington Square Historic District (local) Lowell: Wamesit Canal and Whipple Mill Complex (local) Northampton: Dimock Estate (local) Westfield: Landlord Fowler Tavern (local - DOE: 11/79) All have been voted eligible by the State Review Board and have been signed by the State Historic Preservation Officer. Owners were notified of pending State Review Board consideration 30 - 75 days before the meeting and were afforded the opportunity to comment.

Comments received to date are attached to the nomintion forms. Sincerely, Candace fenkins Candace Jenkins Registration Director Massachusetts Historical Commission CJ/sac