Nomination for Wellington Piano Case Company Building

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 MAY 3_1984 date entered historic Wellington Piano Case Company Building and/or common 2. Location Same street & number 54 Green Street N/A not for publication Leominster city, town N/A vicinity of Massachusetts 025 Worcester state code county code 027 Classification Category district X building(s) structure site object Ownership - public private both Public Acquisition N/A _ in process .

being considered Status _ occupied - unoccupied - work in progress Accessible - yes: restricted - yes: unrestricted no Present Use - agriculture _ commercial educational entertainment - government _industrial - military .museum park private residence religious scientific transportation Xother: Vacant 4. Owner of Property name Wellington Trust street & number 25 Mohawk Drive city, town Leominster N/Avicinity of 5. Location of Legal Description state Massachusetts courthouse, registry of deeds, etc. Worcester County Registry of Deeds street & number 84 Elm Street city, town Fitchburg state Massachusetts 6. Representation in Existing Surveys Inventory of the Historic Assets title of the Commonwealth #233 has this property been determined eligible?

- yes -X no date 1983 _federal X - state county - _ local depository for survey records Massachusetts Historical Commission city, town Boston state Massachusetts 7. Description Condition . excellent - good fair - deteriorated ruins .unexposed Wellington Piano Case Company Building, Leominster, MA Check one _ unaltered _ altered Check one * original site moved date_ N/A Describe the present and original (if known) physical appearance

Description of the property

The Wellington Piano Case Company Building is located on a 1.5 acre irregularly-shaped parcel on the west side of Green Street, approximately 2/3 mile north of Leominster's central business district. The property is bounded on the north, east, and south by modest late 19th-early 20th century frame housing and on the west by the tracks of the Old Colony Railroad which separates the property from North Main Street, and an open shopping center. The brick factory building consists of three attached major sections ranging from two to four stories. The original building, erected in 1895, forms the middle and north sections (see attached site plan).

The middle section, which is the principle edifice, asstoostotos ees trantyflattedostand toasereroocreeiatedootae ee cete., urally the structure is typical of the functionalism of late 19th century mill buildings the walls are enlivened with full length recessed window bays which terminate in four rows of corbelling and a cornice of' alterating recessed brick. Fenestration is regularly spaced, with 6/6 rectangular sash set within segmentally arched window openings with granite sills. The upper sash has been replaced with plywood panels. At the ground level of the tower's east wall is the main entrance: a replacement door beneath a four-light transom on the left, and ca. 1920s paired wood-paneled loading doors resting on a granite sill on the right. A granite lintel with painted lettering spans the two openings.

Remaining doors, located at the southeast and northwest corners of this section, are mid- late 20th century. On the west (rear) elevation is an attached one-story frame shed, added ca. 1940. At the north end of the original four-story section is a two-story, flat-roofed wing, extending approximately 150' The south end, built of brick, was constructed as a dry house contemporaneously. winih te prnnnl bedng. Windows are small and widely spaced, with segmentally arched heads, granite sills and fixed four-light sasn. The north end of the wing was originally frame; sometime in the 1940s it was rebuilt of concrete block and faced with brick. It was used for lumber storage. Window openings are rectangular with brick sills; most of the twelve-light sash exists behind plywood panels.

The west elevation contains a later loading door,and the north elevation two windows and an exposed patch of concrete block. A number of the ground story windows of the east elevation have been bricked-up. Spanning the middle and north sections on the east elevation is a single-story, five-bay boiler room, also part of the original structure. Like the rest of the building, it has segmentally arched window heads, granite sills and 6/6 sash. The single window on the south elevation has lost its arched head. A door with granite lintel east end is a 90' brick chimney. Attached perpendicularly to the south end of the main building is a five-story brick addi- tion. Constructed in 1901, it measures, six bays wide by twelve bays deep. A sixth story was removed following extensive damage caused by the 1938 hurricane; only a single bay on the west elevation was left.

Wall treatment and fenestration are identical to the original building. Metal spray booths, added ca. 1940, project from the south wall.

From the form

The catalogue entry the section above was filed under.

Significance Wellington Piano Case Company Building, Leominster, MA Period - prehistoric 1400-1499 1500-1599 1600-1699 1700-1799 X 1800-1899 - 1900- Areas of SignificanceCheck and justify below - archeology-prehistoric community planning - archeology-historic conservation .law . agriculture economics literature X architecture education military art engineering X _music commerce exploration/settlement - philosophy communications industry - politics/government invention .. .. - landscape architecture __ religion science sculpture social/ humanitarian _ theater - transportation - other (specity) Specific dates 1895 Statement of Significance

Statement of significance

(in one paragraph) Builder/Architect Unknown The Wellington Piano Case Company Building possesses integrity of location, design, setting materials, and workmanship. The building is associated with one of Leominster's major industries of the period, piano and piano case manufacturing, and is representative of the type and method of construction typical of late 19th century industrial structures in New England. The property thus meets Criteria A and C of the National Register of Historic Places. Piano and piano case manufacturing was introduced in Leominster in 1845 as a cottage industry. Within a few decades it had expanded into a haif-dozen major companies and had become a vital part of the industry of northern Worcester County; both relied on raw materials from northern New England and a good supply of skilled craftsmen.

Leominster was the leader in Worcester County in the manufacture of pianos and piano, cases. Other conmunitiesinvolvedintheindestryattheturecfedeeesearee ofrene wookda submerged under Quabbin Resevoir) but none approached the scale of the works minster. In 1875 pianos and piano forc cases accounted for about 6% of Leominster's total value of goods manufactured ($130,000 out of $2 million). In 1895 a total of six firms with an unknown value existed in the city. By the 1920s, production probably exceeded $1 million. The Wellington Piano Case Company Building is one of three surviving piano complexes in the city, and one of, two identified as eligible for the National Register in a recent citywide survey. Incorporated in 1895 by Frank E.

Wellington and capitalized at $500,000, the company was the last firm of that industry to be founded in Leominster, though its period of operation coincided with the height of piano manufacturing in Boston. company's factory building was considered locally to be the most modern, the best equipped and at 80,000 square feet, one of the largest in the world devoted to piano case manu- facturing; the same sources estimated that in 1915 over 65% of the nation's piano cases originated in Leominster. During its thirty-six years of operation, made cases for both upright and grand pianos. the Wellington factory The company employed 150 people and annually produced 12,000 cases, using 2,000,000 feet of lumber. The finished cases were shipped to New York City, the center of the piano industry, for installation of the action and final sale by the company's New York partners, Charles and C.

Albert Jacobs. Frank Wellington was born in 1853 in Rindge, New Hamsphire. Following a business start in wood and coal in Winchendon, Massachusetts, he arrived in Leominster in 1880. two years he worked for the Colbeigh Piano Case Factory before entering the employ of the F.C. Smith Piano Case Company as bookkeeper and assistant manager. ,In 1895 he founded the Wellington Piano Case Company. Following his death in 1920 his son, Curtis F., continued the business. "Leominster 175th Anniversary Souvenir Program," 1915. (Though this figure is undoubtedly expansive, it does indicate the volume of cases manufactured in the city.) 9.

The rest of the file

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

Major Bibliographical References Dolge, Alfred, Pianos and Their Makers, New York: Dover, 1972 (first published 1911) Emerson, William, Leominster Historical and Picturesque, Gardner (MA), 1888. Miller, J.D., "History of Leominster." In History of Worcester County by D.M. Hurd, Philadelphia: J.W. Lewis & Company, 1888 (continued) 10. Geographical Data Acreage of nominated property Quadrangle name Fitchburg, MA UTM References 1.5 acres Quadrangle scale - 1:25,000 Zone CL Easting 47AREFP Northing BLü LiLd'LiliLL Northing OLLLILLL LLILLL LHLLL GLULLILTLILILL WLLLJDELL Verbal boundary description and justification See Attached, Continuation Sheet. aSee sketch -p for VBD: List all states and counties for properties overlapping state or county boundaries State N/A code county code State code county 11. Form Prepared By name/title y Candace Jenkins, PreservationPlanning Director with NancyL.

Doonan and Elizabeth Durfee Hengen code organization Massachusetts Historical Commission date February, 1984 street & number 294 Washington Street telephone (617) 727-84701 city or town Boston 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 by the National Park Service.

State Historic Preservation Officer signature Vatuue LWestonsti State Historic Preservation Officer title Massachusetts Historical Commission date 4/25/84 For NPS use only (l hereby certify that this property is included in the National Register Enteredin tha National Register keeper of the National Register Attest: Chief of Registration date SoL d 5/31/84 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 Wellington Piano Case Company Continuation sheet Building Item number OMB No. 1024-0018 Exp. 10-31-84 For NPS use only received date entered 7 &8 Page The interior of the building complements the exterior in its functional appearance. With the exception of recent temporary partitions on the lower two stories and brick kiln walls added ca.

1940 on the second floor, the floor space is open and intact. Square posts with chamfered corners are set at 17' intervals. The soft woodflooring,laid both straight and on the diagonal, is in poor condition. The walls are brick and unfinished. The tower staircase has a plain wooden newel post and enclosed tongue and groove railing. 8. Significance (con't) The piano industry began to slump in the mid-1910s. Faced with competition from player pianos, the victrola, and the radio, as well as a changing social environment in which piano playing was no longer considered an essential feminine accomplishment, piano sales dropped sharply nationwide following World War I. The depression dealt the industry its final blow. Along with many other companies, the Wellington Piano Case Company ceased operating in 1929, and the building remained unoccupied for a decade.

Plans for reuse were thwarted in The factory was threatened with demolition until a group of over seventy local businessmen and professionals who, recognizing the building's enormous size as a tremendous asset for creating employment opportunities in the economically depressed region, formed a development corporation to purchase and repair the building. Shortly thereafter, the buildingwas leased to the Selig Manufacturing Company, manufacturers of chairs and upholstered furniture, who remained here until February 1983. The factory building has recently been purchased by a local developer whose plans include a certified historic rehabilitation and conversion to housing. 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 wellington Piano Case CompanYtem number Building 9.

Major Bibliographical References (Con't) OMB No. 1024-0018 Exp. 10-31-84 For NPS use only received dale entered Page 1 Trade, New York: D. Spillane, Publisher, 1980. Stone, Orra, History of Massachusetts Industries, Boston, 1930, Vol.2 Leominster City Directories, 1904-1910 "Leominster 175th Anniversary Souvenir Program," 1915 "Leominster 200th Anniversary Brochure," 190-1940" "Leominster Christmas Souvenir Booklet, Leominster Historical Society, "Papers Read at Meetings of the Leominster Historic Society by Members," September, 1930 Leominster Enterprises, August 10, 1895. Wednesday Enterpirse (Leominster), November 13, 1895. The Daily Enterprise (Leominster), June 21, 1920, June 3, 1937, November 22, 1938. Sanborn Insurance Maps of Leominster: 1896, 1901, 1906, 1912, 1931.

WASO Form - 177 ("R" June 1984) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES EVALUATION/RETURN SHEET Wellington Piano Case Company Building Worcester County MASSACHUSETTS resubmission nomination by person or local government owner objection appeal Substantive Review: sample Reviewer's comments: J request Ihrb Ted In the Metional Register Working No.- MAY 3 1984 Fed. Reg. Date: 2 5.85 Date Due: 5/31/84 - 6/17/84 Action: KACCEPT_ 5-31-84 - RETURN REJECT- Federal Agency: - Jappeal -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 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 WELLINGTON PIANO CASE COMPANY BUILDING 54 Green Street, Leominster, MA Photograph by Elizabeth Durfee Hengen, 1983 Negative filed at 39 Auburn St., Concord, NH 03301 Photo #1 of 1: View looking southwest at front facade of building.

WELLINGTON PIANO CASE COMPANY BUILDING 54 Green Street, Leominster, MA Photograph by Elizabeth Durfee Hengen, 1983 Negative filed at 39 Auburn St., Concord, NH 03301 Photo #1 of 1: View löoking southwest at front facade of building Leominster Historical Commission Leominstos, Massachusatts 01453 GF Valerie Talmage, Executive Director Massachusetts Historical Commission Boston, Massachusetts. 02I08 March 2, I984 RECEIVED" MAR - 71984 Dear Ms. Talmage, .MASS. HIST. COMM. we recieved your letter of February 27, I984. The Leominster Historical Commission is pleased to learn that the Wellington Piano Case Company, 54 Green Street in Leominster will be considered by the State Reveiw Board for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places. The Wellington Piano Case Company was important to the industrial development and to the growth of our City of Leominster.

The Wellington Piano Case Company's nomination to the National Register of Historic Places meets with our approval. Sincerely, Euehyn 18. Hackn Chairman, Evelyn B. Hachey. CC Mayor Richard J. Girouard Crowley Associates Inc. CJ Apnl ceosupport Richard B. Sirouard City of Leominster Office of the Hayor ( 617) 587-6810) MAR 2 21984 MASS. HIST. COMM. 25 West Sreet Leominster, Mee 01758 March 12, 1984 Ms. Valerie Talmage, Executive Director Massachusetts Historical Conmission Boston, Massachusetts 02108 Dear Ms. Talmage: As Mayor of Leominster, I just want to let you know that I support the nomination of the wellington Piano Case Company, 54 Green Street, Leominster to the National Register of Historic Places.

As we stated in the letter from the Leominster Historical Conmission, that the wellington Piano Case Company was very important to the industrial development of the City of Leominster. I certainly hope the Commission will look favorably on this nomination. Sincerely, Richard J. Girouard Mayor RJG/wg CC: Mrs. Evelyn Hachey, Chairman Leominster Historical Conmission