Nomination for Allen Hotel

From the form

The catalogue entry the section above was filed under.

NPS Form 10-900 (7-81) OMB NO. 1024-0018 EXP. 10/31/84 United States Department of the Interior National Park 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 NPS use only received AUG - | 1983 date entered historic -The Allen Hotel (preferred) and/or common 2. Location The Park Hotel street & number Wende1l AvenuelExcensierf N/A - not for publication city, town Pittsfield N/A vicinity of state MassachusettScode 025 3.

Classification Category Ownership - district - public X building(s) X private .structure both site Public Acquisition object N/A in process being considered county Berkshire code 003 Status - occupied _unoccupied X work in progress Accessible X yes: restricted - yes: unrestricted =:no Present Use agriculture commercial educational entertainment government industrial military museum park private residence religious .scientific transportation -other: 4. Owner of Property name Edward Sottile, "Allen Hotel Corporation" and Restaurant street & number Wendell Avenue Extension city, town Pittsfield N/A vicinity of 5. Location of Legal Description state Massachusetts courthouse, registry of deeds, etc. Middle Berkshire Registry of Deeds street & number Bank Row city, town Pittsfield 6.

Representation in Existing Surveys Inventory of the Historical Assets title of the Commonwealth PFD.01-2023 has this property been determined eligible? state Massachusetts - yesx no date 1982 federal X state - - county - local depository for survey records Massachusetts Historical Commission city, town Boston state Massachusetts 7. Description Allen Hotel, Pittsfield, Massachusetts Condition X excellent .deteriorated Check one X unaltered Check one X original site _moved date N/A unexposed Describe the present and original (if known) physical appearance

Description of the property

The Allen Hotel is located on a small urban lot in downtown Pittsfield. Surrounded by a turn-of-the-century civic district, the property abuts the Park Square Historic District (NR, 1975) on its westerly side and the Central Fire Station (NR, 1977) on the northwest. Oriented on a small 50 by 81' lot, facing easterly, the Allen Hotel was the first new building to be erected on the parcel of land on the north side of Park Square. The site had previously contained a succession of two homes belonging to the family of Pittsfield's first minister, Rev. Thomas Allen. The second Allen residence was removed in 1913, and the present hotel edifice was constructed on the site in 1914-1915. Louis Larouche and the Park Realty Company acted as developers, employing a design by Pittsfield architect Joseph McArthur Vance.

The five-story buff brick structure is rectangular in shape, with its facade located on the shorter end, and has a flat roof with widely over- hanging eaves. Brick rustication defines the basement and first floor. Regular fenestration typically consists of single rectangular windows with marble sills and lintels. Major deviations occur on the facade, where a central bay of paired windows is flanked by single bays of tri- On the fifth floor, the grouped windows are separated by wood pilasters and framed by brick soldier courses. Large, segmentally arched openings on the first floor - including the recessed center entrance of the facade - are topped by brick voussoirs. Marble belt courses run above the basement, first, and fourth floors. The block is crowned by a wide metal entablature which features a wide frieze, dentils, and modillion blocks.

At the time of construction, the building was noted for having the most elaborate cornice in the city. Mr. Larouche acted as contractor and purchasing agent. The following subcontractors were involved: "Nolan & Hilbert completed the plumbing and steam fitting; L. Parrott of Adams did the tile work and plastering; the Bay State Elevator Company of Springfield installed the automatic elevator; F. D. Retallick & Co. of Pittsfield did the wiring; Turner & Co. of Springfield installed the interior telephones and switchboard; Brown and Gates of Springfield installed the light fixtures. The furniture, bedding and curtains were supplied by the Wallace Company of Pittsfield. The Blakeslee Lumber Co. furnished all the lumber. Daniel Hood of the Berkshire Sheet Metal Co. did all the flashing, skylights and the cornice. The Lee Marble Co.

provided the marble trim and the buff brick came from the Perry Brick Company of Boston. George H. Walsh had charge of the roofing." The interior woodwork and trim is mahogany and oak, the oak being finished in both fumed and mission styles. The lobby and lounge are panelled in oak to eye level and the support columns are cased in similar oak. A brick fireplace and mantel is located on the south side of the lounge. Only a few changes have occurred in the interior, all above the first floor level. An iron and brass stair- case provides egress to the lobby and the restaurant below street level from the street.

From the form

The catalogue entry the section above was filed under.

Significance Allen Hotel, Pittsfield, Massachusetts Period - prehistoric 1400-1499 1500-1599 1600-1699 1700-1799 1800-1899 X 1900- Areas of SignificanceCheck and justify below - archeology-prehistoric - community planning _ archeology-historic _ conservation agriculture _ economics X architecture .education art engineering X commerce _ exploration/settlement communications - industry _ invention landscape architecture law literature military music philosophy politics/government _ religion _ science - sculpture social/ humanitarian - theater - transportation - other (specify) Specific dates 1914-1915 Statement of Significance

Statement of significance

(in one paragraph) Builder/Architect Louis Larouche, Contractor/Developer Joseph McArthur Vance, Architect The Allen Hotel possesses integrity of location, design, setting, materials and workmanship. Constructed in 1915, it is the oldest remaining hotel in Berkshire County's largest city, and reflects that city sromonentinotal aachitecthanen terealsnditiononal handig si Additionally, it was designed the Georgian Revival style. Thus, the Allen Hotel meets criteria A and C of the National Register of Historic Places. Prior to the building of the Allen Hotel, this site contained the home of Pittsfield's first minister, the Rev. Thomas Allen (1733-1810). Allen, who gained the title of the "Fighting Parson" as a result of his Revo- lutionary War service at the Battle of Bennington, served in Pittsfield from 1764 to 1810.

Three generations of the Allen family occupied the 18th century house before it was replaced by an Italianate villa in 1857; the latter house succumbed in 1913 to intensified pressures for civic and commercial redevelopment in the downtown area. In its place was built the Park Hotel (as the building was originally called), a $100,000 project developed by Park Realty Company and contractor Louis Larouche to cater to both tourists and local patrons. Mr. Larouche stated that "he was planning to conduct a first class American hotel." Specifically, the establishment was intended to compete with the already famous Wendell Hotel (1898), also designed by Joseph McArthur Vance. The Wendell, larger and more opulent, was demolished in 1965. The opening of the Park Hotel was celebrated on April 1, 1915, by guests from Springfield, Boston, Worcester, and Webster, Massachusetts.

The Berkshire Glee Club provided music for the day-long event, while a bus from the hotel greeted every train coming to Pittsfield. In 1935, after a bank foreclosure on the property (due to general economic decline), Raymond, Frank and John Smith purchased the controlling stock and maintained the building as a residential hotel. The new owners also renamed the building as the Allen Hotel to reflect its nostalgic associations with the site. Joseph McArthur Vance (1868-1948) was a well-known architect in Berkshire County, practicing out of Pittsfield for fifty years. M.I.T. in 18l, Vance became prominent through his designs for several public buildings in Pittsfield (including the Registry of Deeds, a theater, and two churches), the fashionable Aspinwall Hotel in Lenox, Massachusetts, and the Lodge on top of Mount Greylock. While modest in concept, the (Continued) 9.

The rest of the file

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

Major Bibliographical References The Berkshire Eagle, March 29, 1915. The Berkshire The Berkshire Eagle, March . 22, 1936. Eagle, March 15, 1939. The Berkshire Eagle, April 16, 1962. The Berkshire Eagle, December 8, 1962. 10. Geographical Data Acreage of nominated property 4050 square feet Quadrangle name - Pittsfield, west. Mass.-N.Y. Quadrangle scale - 1:25,000 UMT References AL118/ L6|413/711,0 L417/010|81610/ Zone Easting Northing Northing LULL LLLL D F E G Easting LLu LLL HbJ beduLlu Verbal boundary description and justification Transfer Certificate of Title No. 167, Page 655, April 23, 1914. Plan No. 2, Park Square Realty:Co., Pittsfiela, Aug. 1913, Scale 1"=40'. Parce1 4050, City of Pittsfield Assessor's Map, H9, Avis Air Map, List all states and counties for properties overlapping state or county boundaries state code county code N/A state code county code 11.

Form Prepared By Wendy Frontiero, Preservation Planner, with James N. Parrish, name/title Berkshire County Regional Planning Commission organization - Massachusetts Historical Commissiodate June 3, 1983 street & number 294 Washington' Street telephone (617) 727-8470 city or town Boston -ra state - Massachusetts 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 pytthe National Park Service.

State Historic Preservation Officer signature aleu LWeslonski State Historic Preservation Officer, title Massachusetts Historical Commission date 7/20/83 For NPS use only I hereby certify that this property is included in the National Register delorByen Entered in the AReeper of the National Register Nattomat Register date 9/1/83 Attest: Chief of Registration date NPS Form 10-900-#. 5-62 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form The Allen Hotel, Continuation sheet Pittsfield, Massachusettstem number 8 and 10 OMB No.1024-0018 Exp. 10-31-84 FaR NPS uaa only recaived date entered Page 1 design of the Allen Hotel is representative of its period and type in Pittsfield. No significant alterations have occurred on its exterior or within the interior public spaces.

The Allen Hotel is presently being recycled for use as residential apartments, awaiting final approval under the Investment Tax Credits 10. Verbal Boundary Description and Justification (Continued) Lots 11 & 12, bounded northerly by lot thirteen,13, on a plan No. 2, Park Square Realty Company, August 1913 (Book 369, Page 630), 80.60 feet. Easterly by Wendell Avenue 50 feet, southerly by Allen Way twelve feet wide running westerly from Wendell Avenue 81 feet, and westerly by the Old Central Fire Station on said plan 50 feet. WASO Form - 177 ("R" June 1984) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES EVALUATION/RETURN SHEET Allen Hotel Berkshire County MASSA CHUSETTS resubmission nomination by person or local government owner objection appeal Substantive Review: Reviewer's comments: -sample request Working No.AUG 1983 Fed. Reg.

Date: . 3-7-84 Date Due: _ /83 InteredTAction LACCEPT Nations1 Regteter _RETURN _ REJECT. Federal Agency: _ 9115/83 9/1183 Lappeal NR decision Recom./Criteria Reviewer Discipline Date _see continuation sheet Nomination returned for: technical corrections cited below substantive reasons discussed below 1. Name 2. Location 3. Classification Category Ownership Public Acquisition 4. Owner of Property 5. Location of Legal Description 6. Representation in Existing Surveys Has this property been determined eligible? yes no 7. Description Condition excellent good fair deteriorated ruins unexposed Check one unaltered altered Describe the present and original (if known) physical appearance summary paragraph completeness clarity alterations/integrity dates boundary selection Status Accessible Present Use Check one - original site moved date 8.

Significance Period Areas of Significance-Check and justify below Specific dates Builder/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 exception other 9. Major Bibliographical References 10. Geographical Data Acreage of nominated property Quadrangle name_ UTM 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 title date 13.

Other Maps Photographs Other Questions concerning this nomination may be directed to - Signed - Date - Phone: Comments for any item may be continued on an attached sheet ALLEN IOFWJ THE ALLEN HOTEL 1915 Wendell Avenue Extension Pittsfield, MA. 01201 View west of front facade. James N. Parrish, BCRPC 9/1/82 Photo 1 f 2 #105-1 The Champagne of Bars Tiffany Dub THE ALLEN HOTEL 1915 Wendell Avenue Extension Pittsfield, MA. 01201 View north, northwest of southeast corner, east and south facades. James N. Parrish, BCRPC 9/1/82 #105-2 Photo 2 of 2 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 July 20, 1983 Ms. Carol Shull, Chief National Register of Historic Places National Park Service Department of the Interior 18th and C Streets, N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20240 Dear Ms. Shull: Enclosed you will find the following nomination forms: Boston - Charles Street African Methodist Episcopal Church (local) Boston - Harrison Loring House (local) Chicopee - Valentine School (local) Gardner - Heywood-Wakefield Complex (local) Greenfield - Garden Theater Block (local) Monterey - Rock Ridge (local) Pittsfield - Allen Hotel (local) Williamstown - Col. Benjamin Simond House (local) 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 corment. Corments received to date are attached to the nomination forms. Sincerely, Candace lenkins Candace Jenkins Registration Director Massachusette Historical Commission ric AUG - | 1983 CJ/hi Enclosure