Nomination for Fox, Warren, Building

From the form

The catalogue entry the section above was filed under.

NPS Form 10-900 (Rev. 8-86) 1609 OMB No. 1024-0018 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Registration Form AUG 3 1 1989 NATIONAL REGISTER This form is for use in nominating or requesting determinations of eligibility for individual properties or districts. See instructions in Guidelines for Completing National Register Forms (National Register Bulletin 16). Complete each item by marking "x" in the appropriate box or by entering the requested information. If an item does not apply to the property being documented, enter "N/A" for "not applicable." For functions, styles, materials, and areas of significance, enter only the categories and subcategories listed in the instructions. For additional space use continuation sheets (Form 10-900a). Type all entries. 1.

Name of Property historic name Fox, Warren other names/site number N/A Building 2. Location street & number 190-196 Middlesex Street city, town Lowe11 state Massachusetts code 025 county Middlesex code N/Anot for publication N/Avicinity 017 zip code 01852 3. Classification Ownership of Property X private public-local public-State public-Federal Category of Property Xbuilding(s) district site structure object Name of related c multiple property listing: Number of Resources within Property Contributing Noncontributing 1 buildings sites structures _ objects 1 0 Total Number of contributing resources previously listed in the National Register- 4.

State/Federal Agency Certification As the designated authority under the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended, 1 hereby certify that this nomination Jrequest for determination of eligibility meets the documentation standards for registering properties in the Inmy opinion, the property meetsldoes not meet the National Register criteria. ] see continuation sheet. National Registerof Historic Placesand meets the procedural and professional requirements set forth in 36 CFR Part 60. Signature of certifying official aemag 8/23/87 Date Executive Director, Massachusetts Historical Commission; State or Federal agency and bureau State Historic Preservation Officer In my opinion, the property meets ]does not meet the National Register criteria. see continuation sheet. Signature of commenting or other official Date State or Federal agency and bureau 5.

National Park Service Certification 1, hereby, certify that this property is: entered in the National Register. See continuation sheet. determined eligible for the National Register. See continuation sheet. determined not eligible for the National Register. Bithy Sanne 10-12-89 removed from the National Register. other, (explain:) for signalure of tho Kooper Date of Action 6. Function or Use Historic Functions (enter categories from instructions) commerce: specialty store domestic: multiple dwelling Warren Fox Building, Lowell, Massachusetts Current Functions (enter categories from instructions) work in progress 7.

Description Architectural Classification (enter categories from instructions) Late Victorian Materials (enter categories from instructions) foundation_granite walls brick roof_ other asphalt shingle cast iron (storefronts) granite Describe present and historic physical appearance. See Continuation Sheet See continuation sheet OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 NPS Form 10-900-a (8-88 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number . 7 Page 1 Located between Pearl and South Streets on the outskirts of Lowell's central business district, the Warren Fox Building (190-196 Middlesex Street) is a mixed-use block constructed in 1884.

The building occupies its entire 3,290-square foot lot, bounded by Middlesex Street to the north, an attached one-story brick structure to the east, a parking lot to the south, and the Howe Building (208 Middlesex) to the west. The four-story brick block has a flat roof and an eight-bay facade with the fifth bay (right of center) treated as the architectural focus. Two trabeated cast iron storefronts flank the recessed main entry, above which is a granite lintel carved with the building's date. Grooved cast iron piers define the storefronts, each consisting of a recessed center entry, two-light transoms, and a metal signband. Projecting brick pilasters framing the main entry arise the full height of the building, culminating above the roofline in a narrow parapet wall with a granite cornice supported by two granite consoles.

Brick pilasters at the end walls are similarly treated, each finished above the roofline with a cornice and single console. Evenly spaced windows on each of the three upper stories have 2/2 wood sash, granite lintels, and share a granite sillcourse. Ornamental brickwork includes checkerboard panels beneath the third-story windows, recessed panels beneath the fourth-story windows, a beaded stringcourse above the fourth story, and a stepped corbel cornice. Fire escapes span the fourth and fifth bays on the three upper stories. OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 NPS Form 10-900- 8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number - 7 Page - 2 Exposed secondary elevations lack the decorative brickwork of the facade (north elevation).

The east elevation, exposed above the first story, is a plain wall of common brick with no openings. The south (rear) elevation is also of common brick with a stepped corbel cornice. On the first floor, three entries have been infilled as have all five windows. Eight brick segmental-arch windows on each of the three upper floors have 6/6 wood sash and granite sills. Fire escapes span two bays on each upper level. The Fox Building shares a brick party wall with the Howe Building to the west. Built as a 16-unit apartment house with ground floor retail space, the Fox Building retains its original plan. Of the two retail spaces, the northernmost is wider, spanning four bays as compared to three for the other storefront. In general, the retail spaces are not partitioned. A single stair rising through the core of the building leads to the upper (residential) floors.

The stair features an original wood railing with turned newel posts and balusters. A skylight above the stair creates a lightwell onto which open interior windows from adjacent residential rooms. Units and hallways retain original wood trim, including heavily molded window and door surrounds with corner blocks, matchboard wainscoting, and paneled wood doors. The Warren Fox Building will be undergoing certified rehabilitation. (oPS Fom 10900a United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number 7 Page 3 Archaeological Description OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 While no prehistoric sites are currently recorded on the property, it is possible that sites are present. Seven known prehistoric sites are recorded in the general area (within one mile).

This factor and the proximity of the property to the Merrimack River, Concord River, and River Meadow Brook indicate a reasonable potential for locating prehistoric sites. In general, however, the potential for locating significant archaeological survivals, either prehistoric or historic, is low because of 19th century building construction (4 story building) which nearly covers the parcel. Warren Fox Building, Lowell, Massachusetts 8. Statement of Significance

Statement of significance

Certifying official has considered the significance of this property in relation to other properties: nationally statewide [X locally Applicable National Register Criteria Criteria Considerations (Exceptions) Areas of Significance (enter categories from instructions) architecture commerce Period of Significance 1884-ca. 1930 Significant Dates 1884 Cultural Affiliation N/A Significant Person N/A Architect/Builder unknown State significance of property, and justify criteria, criteria considerations, and areas and periods of significance noted above. See Continuation Sheet - See continuation sheet Warren Fox Building. Lowell, Massachusetts 9.

The rest of the file

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

Major Bibliographical References Atlas of the City of Lowell, Massachusetts. Springfield, MA: L.J. Richards & Co., 1896. City Atlas of Lowe11, Massachusetts. Philadelphia: G.M. Hopkins, 1879. City Directories, Lowell, MA. Coburn, Frederick W. History of Lowell and Its People. NY: Lewis Historical Publishing Co., 1920. Hill, Frank P., comp. and ed. Lowell Illustrated: A Chronological Record of the Events and Historical Sketches of the Large Manufacturing Corporations. LoweTT, T884. Illustrated History of Lowell and Vicinity. Courier-Citizen Co. (Lowe11), 1897.

X See continuation sheet Previous documentation on file (NPS): [X preliminary determination of individual listing (36 CFR 67) has been requestedHPCA #11154MA previously listed in the National Register previously determined eligible by the National Register designated a National Historic Landmark recorded by Historic American Buildings Survey # recorded by Historic American Engineering Pecord # Primary location of additional data: X State historic preservation office Other State agency Federal agency Local government University Other Specify repository: MHC 10. Geographical Data Acreage of property less than one acre UTM References A L19 310410 Zone Easting L4.7 213 2 80 Northing See continuation sheet Verbal Boundary Description The boundary of the nominated property is shown on the accompanying detail of the City of Lowell assessor's map. The lot measures 53.5' x 61.5'.

See continuation sheet Boundary Justification The boundary includes the entire city lot that has historically been associated with the property. See continuation sheet 11. Form Prepared By name/title Kathleen Kelly Broomer, Consultant, with Marcia M. Cini and Betsy Friedberg, organization NR Director, Mass. Historical Commission date February 1989 street & number 80 Boyiston Street telephone_ 617 727 8470 city or town- Boston _ state Massachusetts zip code 02116 (NPS Fom 10-900a United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Section number 8 Page - 1 The Warren Fox Building, Lowell, is a representative example of the development that occurred along Middlesex Street and throughout much of Lowell's business district in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Serving as retail and residential rental space, this commercial block addressed both the city's economic expansion and the need for new types of housing for mill operatives following the post-Civil War dismantling of the corporation-run boardinghouse system. Reflecting typical late 19th-century commercial design in Lowell, the Warren Fox Building retains integrity of location, design, materials, workmanship, and association and meets Criteria A and C of the National Register of Historic Places on the local level. Lowell is a major urban industrial center located on the Merrimack River approximately thirty miles northwest of Boston.

Bordered to the north and northeast by Dracut, the east by Tewksbury, the south and west by Chelmsford, and the northwest by Tyngsborough, Lowell reached its current size through annexations from Tewksbury (1834, 1888), Dracut (1851, 1874, 1879), and Chelmsford (1874). The confluence of the Merrimack and Concord Rivers and associated canal systems at the heart of the city shape and define Lowell's historic industrial, commercial, and institutional core. A mid-17th century settlement on the western outskirts of Chelmsford, the area that is now Lowell was originally characterized by Indian settlements and numerous family-owned farms. By the late 18th century NPS Form 10-900-a 8-85 OMB Approvel No.

1024-0018 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number 8 Page - 2 small manufacturing concerns such as saw and grist mills appeared. Construction of a series of canals, particularly the Pawtucket (1797) and the Middlesex (1801), improved navigation of the Merrimack River and spurred economic development, thereby setting the stage for rapid industrial and commercial growth in the early 19th century. A major shift in Lowell's economic base occurred with the establishment of cotton manufacturing companies by Boston merchant investors. The shift began in 1822 with the incorporation of the Merrimack Manufacturing Company, the first of ten major companies that were to dominate Lowell manufacturing through the turn of the 20th century.

The nine other mills were Hamilton (1825), Appleton (1828), Lowell (1828), Middlesex (1830), Suffolk (1830), Tremont (1830), Lawrence (1831), Boott (1835), and Massachusetts (1835)- The revolutionary character of these mills was based on Waltham precedent, in which the manufacture of cotton cloth was carried out from start to finish. The Lowell companies' directors brought together for the first time some of the period's most advanced ideas in the areas of power generation, industrial and transportation technology, production control, capital formulation, scientific research, and social organization. Rapid industrial expansion prompted a sharp increase in population, and in just under a decade Lowell grew from a town (incorporated March 1826) into a city (incorporated April 1, 1836).

NPS Form 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet OMB Approvel No. 1024-0018 8 Section number 3 Page The city continued its expansion until ca. 1857, when a financial panic resulted in a general slowdown in business. Population declined through the Civil War years, during which time the Lowell mills were idle due to the belief of their combined directors that the mills could not be run at a profit. The cessation of mill operations during the war was the turning point for a marked change in the socio-economic character of mill operatives and, by extension, the general Lowell population. Trained mill girls and the corporation-run boardinghouse system were replaced after the war by unskilled immigrant labor and the need for family tenements.

By the end of the 1870s industrial complexes lined the Pawtucket Canal, creating a concentrated manufacturing zone at the heart of the city. Much of the area along the canal in the vicinity of Fletcher, Dutton, and Middlesex Streets as well as scattered locations along the Concord River were built up with two to four-story mills, many constructed of stone and powered by steam. While mill complexes continued to expand with additions or new buildings through the 1880s, few if any corporation boardinghouses were constructed. The growth of Lowell's business district paralleled the city's industrial development with major expansion in the 1850s and again in the 1880s. During the first half of the 19th century Merrimack Street was the spine of the downtown commercial area, which also took in Middle and Central Streets (Merrimack-Middle Streets Historic District, NR 1979).

NPS Form 10-900-a 8-86) OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number 8 Page 4 The area contains a significant group of two to five-story commercial blocks, largely brick, built primarily in the 1880s and 1890s. Many of these and later buildings are late Victorian commercial hybrids, exhibiting elements of the Romanesque Revival, Queen Anne, or Renaissance Revival styles. The commercial district remains in the grid of the original mill company area, having expanded gradually along major thoroughfares. One such thoroughfare, Middlesex Street, was established as a suburban radial to western sections of the city by the mid-19th century.

A major transportation artery into downtown, Middlesex Street was the location of a railroad depot at Fletcher Street for lines to Boston (beginning 1835) and Nashua, New Hampshire (beginning 1838), as well as a route for the street railroad in the 1860s and the electric streetcar in the 1890s. Prominently positioned immediately north of Middlesex Street between Gorham and Fletcher Streets were the juxtaposed mill complexes of the aforementioned Hamilton Manufacturing Co. and Appleton Co. The complexes occupied the area between the Pawtucket Canal and Hamilton Canal (ca. 1822-1824) extending south to Jackson Street with Appleton Co. boardinghouses (ca. 1832-1860) ranged along Middlesex Street below Jackson. Although both corporations built major structures on Jackson Street after the Civil War--Hamilton a long storehouse and attached counting house (ca.

1868) and Appleton a new mill (1873)--construction of new corporate boardinghouses had ceased. Instead, beginning ca. 1889 the (oPS Form 10-900a United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet OMB Approvel No. 1024-0018 8 5 Section number Page Appleton Co. either sold its boardinghouse holdings on the north side of Middlesex Street to outside owners, or redeveloped the properties by constructing i new mixed-use buildings. The corporation retained ownership of some of the resulting commercial blocks as late as the 1920s. New development along Middlesex Street in the 1880s and 1890s was typical of the physical transformation of the city's center.

Brick mill housing on the north side of Middlesex Street and modest wood-frame commercial buildings on the south side of the street were replaced by three and four-story brick mixed-use blocks. These blocks contained retail space on the ground floor and apartments for rent on the upper floors. Older downtown neighborhoods such as Middlesex Street had become densely developed working-class areas, and the construction of new blocks addressed the need for a new type of housing for mill operatives. Extant brick blocks constructed on the sites of earlier Appleton boardinghouses on the north side of Middlesex Street include the Marston Building at 155-159 Middlesex (1889), the Spaulding Building at 189 Middlesex (ca. 1890), the Elliot Building at 193 Middlesex (1890), and Appleton Chambers at 207 Middlesex (ca. 1910).

On the south side of the street, the only building with known mill associations is a school for children of Hamilton and Appleton mill employees at 150 Middlesex Street (1829). This building was sold by the corporations in 1862 and converted into a commercial block in 1882. Other buildings on this side of the street did not have a history of mill ownership. The Warren Fox Building (UPS Fom 10900a United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet 8 6 OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Section number Page at 190-196 Middlesex and the Howe Building at 208 Middlesex are two of the best preserved examples of the new commercial construction on the street in the last decades of the 19th century. The Fox Building was built on the south side of Middlesex Street in 1884 by Warren Fox.

City directories for the period show a Warren Fox boarding on Summer Street in Lowell but yield no other information. Original commercial tenants of the Fox Building include the business of D. L. Bryant, a dealer in watches, clocks and jewelry. The identities of the building's early apartment-dwellers are unknown, but they presumably held textile-related jobs, giving the building's proximity to the Hamilton and Appleton mills and the majority (nearly fifty percent) of the city's working population then involved in textile manufacturing. The 1917 city directory shows 12 of the occupants in textile- or other industrial-related occupations, and a shoe store and a variety store occupying the ground floor retail space. The building remained in the Fox Family until at least 1924. Architecturally, the Fox Building is representative of Lowell's late 19th-century commercial architecture.

Few attributions to specific architects and builders can be made during this period as the city's building records generally begin ca. 1906. The Fox Building is typical in its combination of uses, namely ground floor retail and residential above, and its load-bearing construction. Metal frame construction first appeared in other commercial buildings on Middlesex Street ca. 1890. IPS Form 10-900- 8-88 OMB Approvel No. 1024-0018 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number 8 Page - 7 These brick blocks commonly included cast-iron storefronts and decorative detailing achieved either by the use of granite or brownstone or by the manipulation of the brick wall surface. Stylistically, the Fox Building is not high-style but rather a vernacular Late Victorian commercial design common to Lowell.

The building incorporates a feature seen particularly on commercial buildings in the Merrimack Street-Middle Street area: the central pavilion extending above the roofline. Mill closings in the 1920s and 1930s adversely affected Lowell's economic vitality. On Middlesex Street, Hamilton sold its property between 1924 and 1936, and the Appleton Co., which suspended operations in the 1920s, owned its complex until 1936. Some of the factory buildings are extant. A population decline in Lowell beginning in the early 1920s accelerated with the Depression. City directories indicate high vacancy rates in commercial and residential space, and the Fox Building was no exception. Fully occupied in 1925, the Fox Building had one-third of its residential units vacant by 1930. The building's retail space was occupied from ca.

1924 through 1930 by shoe stores, in 1935 by Morris Lever Salt & Hops, and from 1940 through 1955 by Middlesex Equipment Co. Inc. heating supplies. Occupancy of the residential units revived somewhat in the 1940s and 1950s, but declined again in the 1960s. NPS Form 10-900-a (8-88) OMB Approvel No. 1024-0018 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number 8 8 Page Complete and partial demolition of commercial blocks has occurred on Middlesex Street since the city's earliest mill closings. A few buildings in the vicinity of the Fox Building were demolished or irreversibly altered, including 163-167 Middlesex (demolished ca. 1920-1936), 169 Middlesex (demolished ca. 1924-1936), 218-220 Middlesex (upper story removed 1935), 230-240 Middlesex (upper story removed 1945), and 182-186 Middlesex (demolished ca.

1976). Vacant lots and unsympathetic 20th-century construction detract from the late 19th- century/early 20th-century streetscape. Certified rehabilitation of the Fox Building will contribute to the revitalization of the area. NPS Form 10-900-8 8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet OMB Approvel No. 10240018 Section number - 9 Page - Lowel1 National Historical Park and Preservation District Cultural Resources Inventory Report. National Park Service, 1979. Lowell: Past, Present, and Prospective. Lowell: Citizen Newspaper Co., 1891. Massachusetts Historical Commission. Lowell Reconnaissance Survey Report, 1980. - WARREN FOX T3LD6. SCALE!"=SO PosIRay 8881 pañanins - 12 6900 9622 2720 790 5123 55, 16. 2750 55. FOX BUILDING 190-196 MIDDLESEX ST.

- LOWELL, MASS: 1980 CITYOFLOWELL ASSE MAP +SCALE:1"=50l 4 ST. PEARL 75:7 79.0 2254 +6 1228 96. 19./3 1736 26,7 12/3° 712 39. 26.14 1001 20Y 501200 80 22.16, 755 9433 39. 77. 102.17 127.5 5/64 1020 2/3 26.67 102. 102. 40 0 40.5 535 428 ,396 49.52 47. 5150 2327 SOUTH ST. * NORTH 240 1239 56.0 1330 10. 655 65.75 C1.6 1858 5290 61.5.: 3 '6 3/. 5s. .+" 'B0 MIDDLESEX ST.

esi UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES EVALUATION/RETURN SHEET REQUESTED ACTION: NOMINATION PROPERTY Fox, Warren, Building NAME: MULTIPLE NAME: STATE & COUNTY: MASSACHUSETTS, Middlesex DATE RECEIVED: 8/31/89 DATE OF 16TH DAY: 9/28/89 DATE OF PENDING LIST: 9/12/89 DATE OF 45TH DAY: 10/15/89 DATE OF WEEKLY LIST: REFERENCE NUMBER: 89001609 NOMINATOR: STATE REASONS FOR REVIEW: OTHER POTL PROBLEM: PERTODAPE:APROSAMNAROUED N PROGRAM UNAPPROVED: N REQUEST: N SAMPLE: N SLR DRAFT: N NATIONAL: N COMMENT WAIVER: N VACCEPT RETURN REJECT (0/14/69 DATE ABSTRACT/SUMMARY COMMENTS: Locally significant commercial suilding rpresentine late 19th-cnteny mixed up newtal residential type.

RECOM./CRITERIA_ accept A+C DISCIPENE Chcewal Htistery 10/12/89 DOCUMENTATION see attached comments y/Dsee attached SIR ./8 CLASSIFICATION count resource type STATE/FEDERAL AGENCY CERTIFICATION FUNCTION historic _current DESCRIPTION architectural classification materials descriptive text 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 BIBLIOGRAPHY GEOGRAPHICAL DATA acreage _verbal boundary description UTMS boundary justification ACCOMPANYING DOCUMENTATION/PRESENTATION sketch maps _USGS maps photographs presentation OTHER COMMENTS Questions concerning this nomination may be directed to Phone signed Date ANS GUM- 190- 196 Middusex Street (Warren Fex Buildinp) Lowell, Massachusetts Photographer: Kim Withers Brengle Taken November 1987 Negatirem file at Northfields Preserration Associates 10 Barr Street Salem, Massachusetts 01970 Veew fom Middusex Street facing sonthwest Photograph +103 warren Fox Building (190-196 küiddlesex Street) Louell, Massachusetts Photographer : Kin withers Brengle Taken November 1987 Negative an fil at Northfields Preserration Associates 33 Walter St.

Salem, Massachusetts 01970 Veew from Midduesex st. facing southwest-showinp Fox Bldg (ceuter left) incontext Photograph *2 6 3 Simphonc hwaIIIN 1-800-STAMP24 The only bank(el vou need to knov - know you personall 155- 193 Middlesex st., north y warren Fox Building (190-196 middlesex) Lowell, Massachusetts Photographer: Kum Withers Brengle Taklen November 1987 Negative mn file at Northfields Preservation Assouiates 33 walter St. Salem, Massachwsetts 01970 ruw of North side of Middleses st. facing northeast- fire escape of FoxBldg to extreme righr photograph +313 1 * COMMISSIOTA August 23, 1989 Carol Shull National Register of Historic Places Department of the Interior National Park Service P.O. Box 37127 AUG 3 1 1939 IVATIONAL REGISTER Washington, DC 20013-7127 Dear Ms.

Shull: Enclosed you will find the following nomination forms: Howe Building, 208 Middlesex Street, Lowell, (Middlesex County), Massachusetts; Warren Fox Building, 190-196 Middlesex Street, Lowell, (Middlesex County), Massachusetts. There hase been no owner objections for the above mentioned properties. The nominations 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 nomination form. puei. Fait Anne E. Tait Acting National Register Director Massachusetts Historical Commission Enclosure: Massachusetts Historical Commission, Valerie A.

Talmage, Executive Director, State Historic Preservation Officer 80 Boylston Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02116 (617) 727-8470 Office of the Secretary of State, Michael J. Connolly, Secretary