Nomination for Leavitt-Hovey House

From the form

The catalogue entry the section above was filed under.

NPS Form 10-900 (3-82) 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 NOV 2 | 1983 date entered historic Leavitt-Hovey House (preferred) and/or common 2. Location Greenfield Public Library street & number 402 Main Street N/A - not for publication city, town Greenfield N/A vicinity of Massachusetts 025 state 3.

Classification Category _district Ownership public X building(s) private _ structure both site Public Acquisition object N/A in process being considered code county - Franklin code 011 Status - occupied unoccupied 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 Trustees of the Greenfield Public Library street & number 402 Main Street city, town Greenfield N/A vicinity of 5. Location of Legal Description state Massachusetts courthouse, registry of deeds, etc. Franklin County Registry of Deeds street & number 425 Main Street Greenfield city, town state Massachusetts 6.

Representation in Existing Surveys Inventorv of the Historic Assets title of the Conmonwealth #39 HABS 1959 has this property been determined eligible? - yes 1979 date _ federal X - state . county _ local depository for survey records Massachusetts Historical Commission city, town Boston state Massachusetts 7. Description Leavitt-Hovey House, Greenfield, MA Condition X excellent -good fair _ deteriorated ruins .unexposed Check one X unaltered altered Check one X original site date Describe the present and original (if known) physical appearance

Description of the property

N/A The Leavitt-Hovey House, now the Greentield Public Library (Asher Benjamin 1igr et seq), occupies a rectangular lot on the north side of Main street in downtown Greentield. Surrounding buiidings are typically commercial and institutional structures of three and four stories set close to the street. While the area's terrain is generally level, the Leavitt-Hovey House sits on a small knoll (highest elevation near Main Street), set back approximately 50 feet fran Main Street. Current landscaping consists mainly of large trees, a well-maintained lawn and plantings as well as portions of the original red sandstone retaining wall which remain to either side of the north addition. Originally, the property boasted an elaborate formal garden also designed by Asher Benjamin (signed drawings in SPNEA collection).

The main portion of the Leavitt-Hovey House, attributed to Asher Benjamin, and clasely ressembing Plate 32 in The Country Builders Assistant, Boston 1798, (see "attached copy), exhibits an elaborate five-part plan consisting of a two-story central hip roofed block with double interior'chimneys (1797) and lateral one-story gable roofed pavilion wings linked by arcaded hyphens (1817). The design of the hyphens is repeated in a 1908 addition to the eastern pavilion. To the rear (north) of the building are four additions (1940 and 1955)which are noncontributing elements, although they are relatively retirirg and unobtrusive and do not impinge on the architect- ural character of the primary elevation. Also noncontributing is the portion of a modern fire station which extends into the rear of the lot.

Of wood frame construction sheathed in clapboards (duplicate replacement of original), the original portions (1797 and 1817) rest, on a high foundation of red sandstone (cut above grade; rubble below grade) containing a full basement. Roof material is currently asphalt shingles, except for the entry porch roofs which are covered in standing seam sheet metal. The Leavitt-Hovey House is most notable for the classical symmetry of its high style Federal period design expressed in its plan and applied decoration. The central block (2 stories) is five-bays (facade) by four bays trimmed on all elevations with plain corner- boards and water table and carries a moulded string course between the first and second stories. The roof line features a pulvinated frieze and over hanging cornice with mutules.

Fenestration treatment is typically 6/6 double hung sash set in moulded surrounds framed with louvered shutters. On the primary facade, the side lighted center entry is raised on a brick porch and set under a doric portico with paired columns and pilasters supporting a full pediment. The cubic proportions of the center block are relieved by the variegated roof line and delicate embelishment of the flanking hyphens and pavilions The gable roofed, flank to street, hyphens are three bays wide; each contains a round head window with tracery separated by simple pilasters with fluted capitals. Presenting gable end to street, the end pavillions are dominated by a raised entry porch with doric piers and modillioned cornice at the low hipped roof surmounted by a large elliptical window with lead fanlight tracery.

Above, the gable field of the pediment contains a small ocular window while cornice treatment consists of a shallow modillioned overhang. NPS Form 10-900-a (3-82) 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 For NPS use only received date entered Continuation sheet Leavitt-Hovey House Item number? 1 Page The interior plan of the Leavitt-Hovey House originally followed a center hall config- uration, however,during the 1908 remodelling for library use it was completely altered. Decorative details of this remodelling tend to reflect the Neo-Classical legacy of the building's design, as do echoes of the original floor plan. As noted above, additions were erected at the rear of the building in 1940 and 1950 to meet institutional needs (please refer to sketch map).

The 1940 additions are: small entrance vestibule behind the west pavilion, a brick Colonial Revival garage behind the east 1908 addition and a large brick library stack extension to the rear of the central 1797 block. Designed by local architect James Britton (see Ezra Wood-Levi Warner House, Westminister, MA NR 1983), the latter extension features tall, narrow windows spaced to reflect the interior stack arrangement. In 1955 the garage was remodelled and connected both to the central block and the 1940 Britton addition by further new con- struction. All additions are painted to match the original portion and represent fairly successful efforts in historically harmonious modern design.

From the form

The catalogue entry the section above was filed under.

Significance Leavitt-Hovey House, Greenfield, MA Period prehistoric 1400-1499 1500-1599 1600-1699 X 1700-1799 -X 1800-1899 X 1900 Areas of Significance - Check and justify below x archeology-prehistoric community planning _ archeology-historic conservation - agriculture architecture X economics education art engineering 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 1797;1817; & 1908 Statement of Significance

Statement of significance

(in one paragraph) Builder/Architect Asher Benjamin The Leavitt-Hovey House retains integrity of location, exterior design, setting, materials, workmanship, and association. As a rare and early commission, both house and gardens (gone), attributed to the notable New England architect and building guide author, Asher Benjamin, the house attains national significance. It stands as an outstanding example of the Neo-Classical architectural style popularized by Benjamin, who resided in Greenfield in his early career. In addition, the house possesses local historical significance for its association with two prominent families, the Leavitts, and the Hoveys, represent ing the commercial and political prosperity of the Town Center which peaked during the Federal Period and continued throughout the 19th century.

Converted fram residential to public library use in 1908, the building remains a pivotal architectural landmark and educational institution in the community. Thus, the Leavitt-Hovey House meets criteria A, B and C of the National Register of Historic Places. The town of Greenfield, originally included as part of Deerfield (1673), :incorporated in 1675, and was settled following King Philip's War (1675-1676) by Colonists from the parent community. Agriculture remained the mainstay of the town's economy during the commercial center due to its location at the junction between Northampton and Vermont, the Berkshires and Boston.

The area around Court Square and Main Street, settled since the 1680s, soon emerged as the cammercial and civie focus of the town, evident in the number of lawyers, judges, and other officials located here following the establishment of Franklin County (1811) and Greenfield as a shiretown. Consequently, Greenfield saw its greatest era of prosperity during the Federal period, meriting attempts to locate the county seat here. Among the lawmakers to be located here was Jonathan Leavitt who purchased five acres on Main Street and apparently commissioned local architect Asher Benjamin to design the most elegant, up-to-date house and garden environs his skills could provide. Leavitt was an eminent lawyer as well as serving as state senator and judge (both Franklin and Hampshire Counties); he was also an incorporator and first president of the First National Bank of Greenfield.

His wife, Emelia, was equally well distinguished being the daughter of Ezra Stiles, an early president of Yale College. Opulently designed, centrally located and owned by one of the town's most prominent and erudite citizens, the new Leavitt House embodied the formative development of the Town center, serving as a social and intellectual gathering spot: A recent Historian remarks, "Leavitt was given to throwing sumptuous parties at his new residence flanked by well- trimmed gardens, and the house came to be known as the Social Villa (Jenkins 1982:55). Research also indicates that rivalry may have played a factor in the construction of the house which occurred slightly later than the Coleman-Hollister House on Bank Row nearby also designed by Benjamin for a lawyer.

The rest of the file

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

Major Bibliographical References Benjamin, Asher; The Country Builder's Assistant; 1797; Greenfield & Boston; Plate #32. Asher, Benjamin; Plans of the Leavitt House at the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities, Boston, MA. Cummings, Abbott Lowell. An Investigation of the Sources, Stylistic Evaluation, and Inf'luence of Asher Benianin's "Builder's Guide" Ph.D. dissertation at Ohio State 10. Geographical Data Acreage of nominated property approximately one Quadrangle name Greentiela, MA Quadrangle scale . 1:25000 UT M References A18 Ld9d9izd Zone 14717640 Easting Northing Zone eLrü LliLi Easting Northing LuLu LLLLL -WI llu] Lliul blullilu HL abed uraLu Verbal boundary description and justification The nomination includes the house, sited on an approximately one care lot which is a portion of the original five acres (altered) associated with the property.

Please refer to Assessor's Map. 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/tite Virginia A. Fitch, Preservation Planner (MHC) with Margo P. Jones, A.I.A. organization Massachusetts Historical Commission date September 1983 street & number 294 Washington Street telephone (617). 727-8470 city or town Boston state Massachusetts .25. 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 forthby the National Park Service.

State Historic Preservation Officer signature auwa(Wesloak State Historic Preservation Officer 11/15/83 title Massachusetts Historical Commission date For NPS use only hereby certify that this property is included in the National Register* Ulac Entered in the yeu Nationa1 Registes Reeper of the National Register date 12/22/83 Attest: Chief of Registration date NPS Form 10-900-a (3-82) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form Continuation sheet Leavitt-Hovey House Item number 8 OMB No. 1024-0018 Exp. 10-31-84 For NPS use only received date entered 1 Page The property remained in the Leavitt family until 1867 when it was sold to George Hovey, a wealthy local merchant and landowner, who continued the social traditions associated with the house.

Following Hovey's death in 1891, his wife, in 1907-1908, sold the house to the town of Greenfield for use as a public library. The institution had out grown its original High Victorian Gothic building, now the Franklin County Arts Association (1878, J.R. Richards, NR eligible); substantial remodelling of the Leavitt-Hovey House interior provided a larger facility which continues to house this important educational locus to the present day. Architecturally, the Leavitt-Hovey House is highly significant for its attribution to Asher Benjamin, although no signed drawings or other direct evidence exist. A resident of Greenfield, Asher Benjamin (6/5/1771-6/25/1845), is nationally reknowned for his profound influence on the seminal development of American architecture both in his designs and his treatises on building form and style.

The latter - "The Country Builders' Assistant," 'The American Builders' Companion, " "The Rudiments of Architecture" and ''The Practical Home Carpenter" - provided numerous building plans and details which were widely studied and which popularized the English Palladian movement in the United States. Benjamin was thus centrally instrumental in the birth and dissemination of a uniquely American version of Neo-Classicism, expressed in lighter and freer detail than its European counterpart. Benjamin spent the early years of his career in Vermont, appears to have been living in Greenfield in 1797, and by 1803 had established an office in Boston. Approximately five churches and ten residences in Boston and the Connecticut River Valley are known to have been executed after his designs; a number are no longer extant.

As an excellent example of Benjamin's early work, the Leavitt-Hovey House represents an attempt to translate an English country mansion to the American landscape and building materials (wood).. The ho 4ne Anerticay andeeagt extended plan of the Leavitt-Hovey House on its original park-like site in contrast to the contemporary Coleman-Hollister House, a frame, two-story residence with monumental lonic pilasters and hipped roof, located in a denser area of downtown Greenfield indicate the variety and sensitivity of Benjamin's design. The only other known use of this type of design with central block and connected out buildings associated with Benjamin is the Luke Baldwin House in Brookfield, MA (ca. 1797, demolished).

Although no signed drawings for the house plan nor other direct evidence are known to exist, most scholars agree that the design of the Leavitt-Hovey House was the work of Benjamin. Stylistically and conceptually, it resembles Plate 32 in the 1798 Boston edition of "The Country Builders' Assistant" (see attached). The first edition (1797) did not contain this plate due perhaps to its unfinished design or to the technical inability of the Green- field press to reproduce it. Circumstantial evidence also exists in that Benjamin is known to have spent the early years of his career in the Connecticut River Valley, when he designed buildings in both Vermont and Massachusetts; he appears to have been living in Greenfield in 1797. Furthermore, as noted above, signed drawings for the rear formal gardens of the Leavitt-Hovey House exist in the SPNEA collections.

NPS Form 10-900-a (3-82) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form OMB No. 1024-0018 Exp. 10-31-84 For NPS use anly received date entered Continuation sheet Leavitt-Hovey House Item number 8&9 2 Page Although nothing appears to remain physically of the gardens, archaeological investiga- tions in the vicinity of the house which remains undisturbed has a strong potential to reveal elements of this historic landscape as it was executed. In addition, the immediate area should be considered sensitive for the presence of subsurface remains of artifacts and structural features important to our understanding of affluent lifeways during the 19th century. 9.

Major Bibliographical Reference (Continued) University; Oberlin, Ohio, 1950 Greenfield Currier & Gazette, 1881, 1883, 1891, and 3/21/08, 3/14/08 Greenfield Recorder, 200th Anniversary Edition; June 1953. Greenfield Town Reports, 1907, 1908, 1920, 1968, 1973. Hosley, William Newell, Jr. Asher Benjamin: Builder's Guides and the Country Building, A Survey. Historic Deerfield Fellowship Program Thesis, August 10,1976. Jenkins, Paul, The Conservation Rebel, A Social History of Greenfield, Massachusetts, Greenfield, Massachusetts, 1982. Kellogg, Lucy C. Hearth Stone Tales, Greenfield, 1936, pp. 121. Historic Building American Survey - HABS #Mass. 056. Massachusetts Historical Commission - Reconnaissance Survey Report: Greenfield, MA 1982, On file at MHC. Quinan, Jack. "Asher Benjamin and American Architecture" in the Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians, Vol. 38:3, pp. 244-270.

Whithey, Henry F. A.I.A. Bibliographical Dictionary of American Architects (Deceased). Los Angeles: Hennessy and Ingalls Inc., 1970. Plate 32. Plate 31. 22! Diamdter 21 T22 by s/ 20 lizft Laddaa Asher Benjamin The Country Builders' Assistant Boston 1798. Plates 31 & 32 (Leavitt-Hovey House, Greenfield, Mas's.) 22/!biameter nt Library FIRE. STATION 170' 1940 1955 1a40 1955 190' 1940 1817 1797 1817 1908? - REMOYED (XDED 1920?

18813 POST OFFIC BANK 192' MAIN STREET LEAVITT- HOVEY HOUSE GREENFIELD PUBLIC LIBRARY SITE PLAN 1=50'-0l UNITARIAN CHURCH COUNTY COURTHOUSE WASO Form - 177 ("R" June 1984) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES EVALUATION/RETURN SHEET Leavitt-Hovey House Franklin County MASSACHUSETTS resubmission nomination by person or local government owner objection appeal Substantive Review: Reviewer's comments: - sample Lrequest Intered National Working No._ NOV 2 1 1983 Fed. Reg. Date: ,85 Date Due: _ 12/22/83 - Action: LACCEPT /2/22/83 In the -RETURN Register _ REJECT. Federal Agency:. 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 ublic Acquisition 4. Owner of Property 5. Location of Legal Description 6. Representation in Existing Surveys Has this property been determined eligible? 7. Description Condition - excellent good fair deteriorated ruins unexposed yes no 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 Statement of Significance (in one paragraph) Builder/Architect 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 e30O! 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 date title 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 FROPERTY NAME: Leavitt-Hovey House Greenfield Public Library STREET ADDRESS: 402 Main Street COMMUNITY: Greenfield, Massachusetts PHOTOGRAPHER & DATE: M.

Soviecke, 1982 LUCATION OF NEGATIVE: Office of Plan- ning & Development, Town Hall Greenfield, MA PHOTO NUMBER; 1 of 4 DESCRIPTION OF VIEW: South Elevation BOOK RETURN PROPERTY NAME: Leavitt-Hovey House Greenfield Public Library STREET ADDRESS: 402 Main Street COMMUNITY: Greenfield, Massachusetts PHOTOGRAPHER & DATE: M. Soviecke, 1982 LOCATION OF NEGATIVE: Office of Plan- ning & Development, Town Hall Greenfield, MA PHOTO NUMBER: 2 of 4 DESCRIPTION OF VIEW: Certral Section PROPERTY NAME: Leavitt-Hovey House Greenfield Public Library STREET ADDRESS: 402 Main Street COMMUNITY: Greenfield, Massachusetts PHOTOGRAPHER & DATE: M.

Soviecke, 1982 _UCAIIUN Or NEGATIVE: Office of Plan- l1ng Development, Town Hall Greenfield, MA PHOTO NUMBER: 3 of 4 DESCRIPTION OF VIEW: West Pavilion PROPERTY NAME: Leavitt-Hovey House Greenfield Public Library STREET ADDRESS: 402 Main Street COMMUNITY: Greenfield, Massachusetts PHOTOGRAPHER & DATE: M. Soviecke, 1982 LOCATION OF NEGATIVE: Office of Plan- ning and Development, Town Hall, Greenfield, MA PHOTO NUMBER: 4 of 4 DESCRIPTION OF VIEW: East Pavilion OFFICE OF BOARD OF SELECTMEN TOWN HALL 14 COURT SQUARE 01301 Telephone 413-774-4840 GR E SENFIE Town of GREENFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS KASSACHUSES February 10, 1983 RECEMED Ms. Candy Jenkins Registration Director Massachusetts Historical Commission FE10903 294 Washington Street Boston, MA 02108 MASS. KiST. COMM Dear Ms.

Jenkins: Enclosed is our application for Individual Nomination to the National Register of Historic Places for the Leavitt-Hovey House. This house is presently the home of the Greenfield Public Library. The application, prepared by Margo P. Jones, AIA, discusses the probability that Asher Banjamin designed the Leavitt-Hovey House in 1797. Its significance as an example of his early work, as well as its connection with two prominent Greenfield families, accentuates its importance to local history. The Town of Greenfield is obviously fond of this fine public building and has, over the years, provided considerable investment in its maintenance and the preservation of its significant archi- tectural detail.

While modifications and additions have been made, including the most recent addition of an elevator to provide handicapped access, considerable care has been taken to minimize any adverse impact. It is, therefore, with particular pleasure that we submit this application to you. If you require any additional information or have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Janet Gezork (413-774-2884). Sincerely, huchttunstore Ann L. Hamilton Chairman ALH:JHD cc: Board of Selectmen Margo P. Jones Board of Library Trustees Peter Miller, Greenfield Historic Commission