Nomination for Armory 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 receivedAR 3 1982 date entered APR 1 1982 historic ArmoryBlock Tri-S Building (current) and/or common 2. Location street & number 39-45 Park Street N/Ac not for publication city, town Adams NAs vicinity of congressional district First state Massachusetts 3.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 Berkshire code 003 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 _ transportation _ other: 4. Owner of Property name Tri-S Realty Company, Richard Shea, Trustee street & number 45 Park Street city, town Adams NA vicinity of 5. Location of Legal Description state Massachusetts 01220 courthouse, registry of deeds, etc. Berkshire County North Registry of Deeds 65 Park Street street & number Adams Massachusetts 01220 city, town state 6.

Representation in Existing Surveys title Inventory of the Historic Assets of the Commonwealth has this property been determined elegible? - yes * no date January 1979 _federalX state - - county _ local depository for survey records Boston Massachusetts Historical Commission Massachusetts 02108 city, town state 7. Description ADAMS: Armory Block, 36-45 Park Street Condition excellent A good fair deteriorated ruins unexposed Check one _ unaltered _ altered Check one - original site _moved date Describe the present and original (if known) physical appearance

Description of the property

The Armory Block is located on the east side of Park Street south of School Street in Adams Center. The building is a three-story brick structure with an "L" shaped floorplan, part of which extends behind the neighboring Adams Center Firehouse (#47 Park Street). The building's facade (west elevation) and westernmost bay of its north and south elevations are faced with yellow brick laid up in stretcher bond, while all other elevations are of red brick laid up in six rows of stretchers to one row of alternating stretchers and headers. The facade (west elevation) is asymmetrically arranged, consisting at the first story of an entry located south of center, a wide (double) store front north of the entry and a narrower storefront south of the entry.

Trimmings at the first story are made of dressed granite, including the arched surround of the entry and a continuous cornice above the storefronts. Although present storefronts are replacements faced with corrugated aluminum and plastic panels, they apper merely to conceal original cast-iron posts. The facade's upper two stories 'are identical in their fenestration, although windows of the third story are taller than those of the second, reflecting the presence of an auditorium. Dividing the upper floors into two unequal recessed wall panels is a slightly projecting bay which rises directly above the entry. South of the bay at each story is a group of three windows with intersecting arched heads; in the central bay at each story is a pair of windows with intersecting arched heads; north of the bay at each story are two sets of paired windows.

Each window has 1/1 sash with a semi-circular transom set in brick surround; each window sill is part of a continous course of yellow terra cotta; each window head is made up of radiating brick voussoirs finished with a moulded terra cotta archivolt which rises up from decorated springer blocks. Above the third story is an ornate yellow terra cotta cornice which consists of frieze of grape vines rendered in a running dog pattern, a dentil course, an acanthus modillions. Above the cornice is a parapet. The south elevation is only one foot distant from a neighboring structure and is mostly blank. Its westernmost bay contains the same decorative details as the facade. Elsewhere windows openings are asymmetrically placed. The rear (east) elevation is 3 1/2 stories high and is asymmetrically arranged.

All window openings have granite sills and undecorated arched heads made up of two rows of headers. its basement are eight window openings (some blocked) which originally contained 9-pane lights. Alternating with these openings are three wood-frame bulkheads. Most first story windows are short, containing 2/2 sash with rectangular 2-pane transoms except in the northernmost and next-to-southernmost bays where small windows set out of story alignment reflect interior stairways. The north elevation is attached to a neighboring structure at its east and is concealed by (but not attached to) the Adams Central Firehouse at its west end. In between two bays face the court which is formed by the building's "L" plan and the neighboring firehouse. Windows in this court are asymmetrically placed and are of the same time as at the second and third stories of the block's east elevation.

On the west elevation of the building's "L", facing this court, is a loading bay which contains double wood doors and a small one-story brick addition (ca. 1930-40). Alterations to the Armory Block are relatively minor, consisting of the encasing of original store fronts in modern materials, the blocking of some transoms, and some minor changes of fenestration at the building's rear (east) elevation. In its major architectural features, the Armory Block remains essentially intact.

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 1900 Areas of Significance - Check and justify below . archeology-prehistoric - community planning archeology-historic conservation agriculture economics X .architecture education art engineering commerce exploration/settlement communications industry invention _ landscape architecture -__ religion . law literature military .music - philosophy politics/government - science - sculpture - social/ humanitarian _theater .transportation other (specify) Specific dates 1894-95 Builder

Statement of significance

/Architect UNKNOWN Statement of Significance (in one paragraph) The Armory Block possesses integrity of location, design, materials, and setting, as well as historical associations with several local orginaizations which originally occupied the Btock. Thus the building meets criteria B and C of the National Register of Historic Places. Built in 1894-1895 by Arthur Daniels, a prominent local businessman, the Armory Block was the largest commercial block of its period in Adams; in addition, the building's ornate Renaissance Revival style trim, particularly its terra cotta ornmament and dressed granite entryway, mark it as the town's most finely finished commercial building. As further evidence of its high architectural quality, the block is built of fire proof masonry and steel construction.

Upon completion, the Armory Block was occupied by the town library and post office (first story) and office at the second story. The third story contains a hall (66' x 100') which originally served as the armory for the military company, M.V.M. of Adams of which the building's owner Arthur Daniels, was an active member. In addition to his development of this block, Daniels's involvement in local businesses including serving as the treasurer and managing superintendent of the L.L. Born Paper (Manufacturing) Company; the organizer of the Adams Marble Company, and a director of both the Adams Gas Light Company and the Adams Co-operative Daniels was also active in civic organizations as a director of the Adams Fire District and a member of various fraternal societies, including the G.A.R.

Remaining essentially unaltered,the Armory Block preserves associations of ownership, original use, and design which are characteristics of the highest level of commerical aeve lopment in Adams during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

The rest of the file

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

Major Bibliographical References Biographical Review: Berkshire County, Vo. XXXI, Boston Biographical Review Publishing Co, 1899, pp. 85-86. 10. Geographical Data Acreage of nominated property .47 acres Quadrangle name Windsor, MA Quadrangle scale 1:24000 UMT References A LI8/ 6 | 5| 4|1141d Zone Easting L417/21031610 Northing B LLL Zone Easting Northing cLuLu LULL ELU ALLLL FLIJ LLILLL LULL LILu LLL HLI LLUEELALL Verbal boundary description and justification The nominated property includes the "L" shaped lot on which the structure stands; the exact bounds of this lot are described in the Berkshire County North Registry of Deeds, Record Book 593, page 1. List all states and counties for properties overlapping state or county boundaries state N/A code county code state code : county code 11.

Form Prepared By name/title Candace Jenkins, Registration Director with Brian Pfeiffer, ACT for Massachusetts organization Massachusetts Historical Commission date January 1981 street & number 294 Washington Street telephone (617), 727-8470 city or town Boston state Massachusetts 02108 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 aleuni h Weslowski title Executive Director, Massachusetts Historical Commission date 2/17/82 For HCRS use only I hereby certify that this property is included in the National Register intered delorer Dyers the Mationa1 ,Keeper of the National Register Register date 4|1/82 Attest: Chief of Registration date GPO 938 835 RPS NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC- PLACES EVALUATION / RETURN SHEET Property: Armou Blork State, County:LnA Berkshire Federal Agency: United States Department of the Interior National Park Service 82004944 WorkingNo. 3/3/82-603 Fed. Reg. Date; 2.1,83 Date Due:- 182 1/82 Action: K ACCEPT_ 4/1/52 resubmission Entered in tha -RETURN- nomination by person or local government National Register - REJECT_ owner objection photos.

1 appeal maps L 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 1. Kame 2. Location >3. Classification Catopony Ounorship /Public Acouisition 4. Owner of Property Siatus Accossibie Presont Use 5. Location of Legal Description 6. Representation in Existing Surveys hes this property been determined oligibie? - no 7. Description Condition exceivert good tair detenorated ruins unexposed Chack ene -unstered ahered Check one - original site _ moved dare - sertbo the prosent and eriginal (lt loum) pirgaicai appoerence summary paragraph completeness clarity alterations/integrity dates boundary selection C.

Significance Ported Arose ef Significance-Chock and Justity pocific dates Puetomert af Significance (in eue peragraat) Bulider Architeet summary paragraph completeness clarity applicable criteria justification of areas checked relating significance to the resource context relation ship of integrity to significance justification of exception other 9. Major Bibliographical References 10. Ceographical Data kcreage of nomineted property Quedranpie neme - UMT Raterences YVerbai boundary description and justification 11. Form Prepared By 12. State Kistoric Preservation Officer Certification The evaiuatec signiticance of this property withen the state is: - national - stae - loca Saste Hstonc Prepervation Ofticer signeture sitle 13. Other Maps Photographs Other Questions concerning this nomination may be directed to Signed - - Date.

Phone: 202 272-3504 Comments for eny item may be continued on an ettached sheet CE smith bros. mcandrews INSURANCE SANTH STUDDO SCHIFF CLOTHING Armory Block Adams Berkshire County Massachusetts Photo Credit: Brian Pfeiffer Negative Filed: ACT for Massachusetts Identification: West Elevation Date: July 1980 3 1982 MAR MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS Office of the Secretary of State 294 Washington Street Boston, Massachusetts 02108 617-727-8470 MICHAEL JOSEPH CONNOLLY Secretary of State February 17, 1982 Ms. Carol Shull Acting Keeper National Register Division National Park Service U.S. Dept. of the Interior Washington, D.C. 20240 Dear Ms.

Shull: Enclosed you will find the following National Register nomination forms: Adams: Armory Block (local) Adams: Barrett Block (local) Adams: Berkshire Mill #1 (local - DOE 6/81) Adams: JonesBlock(local) Adams: Mausert Block (local) Adams: Pittsfield & North Adams Passenger Station and Baggage and Express House (local) Adams: Simmons Block (local) Lawrence: American Woolen Mill Housing District (local) Melrose: Town Center Historic District (local) Milton: Belcher-Rowe House (local) Needham: Davis-Mills House (local) Needham: Joshua Lewis House (local) Needham: Townsend House (local) Peabody: Nathaniel Felton Houses (local) Stockbridge: Glendale Power Station (local) Stockbridge: Wheatleigh (state) Webster: Main Street Historic District (local-DOE) Westfield: Octagon House (local) Weymouth: Old South Union Church (local) All were voted eligible by the State Review Board at their meeting on 2/10/82 and have been signed by the State Historic Preservation Officer.

Commentsby owners and other interested parties are attached. Owners and chief elected officials were notified of pending Review Board consideration on December 23; 1981. Sincerely, andaceenken ndace Jenki Registration Director MAR 3 1982 Name ENTRIES IN THE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES STATEMASSACHUSETTS Date Entered APRIL 1, 1982 Location Mausert Block Adams Berkshire County Armory Block Adams Berkshire County Simmons Block Adams Berkshire County Octagon House Westfield Hampden County Notified Honorable Edward M. Kennedy Honorable Paul E. Isongas Honorable Silvio 0. Conte Mid-Atlantic Regional Office, NPS North Atlantic Regional Office, NPS State Historic Preservation Officer Mrs. Patricia L.

Weslowski Executive Director, Massachusetts Historical Commission 294 Washington Street Boston, Massachusetts 02108 For further information, please call the NationalRegister at (202) 272-3504