BlockBefore
Photograph of Blakeley Building
Photograph by EraserGirl, CC BY 2.0. Via Wikimedia Commons.

Blakeley Building

Built in 1898 in the Neoclassical architecture. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009. A historic map-sheet match is not published yet. The record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary.

From the record

“The Blakeley Building is a historic commercial building at 475-479 Essex St in central Lawrence, Massachusetts. It is the only well-preserved 19th century remnant of a streetscape that extended for the entire block.”

Wikipedia article Blakeley Building, CC BY-SA 4.0.

one of 350 National Register listings in Essex County · listed in 2009 · category: Building · built in 1898, Neoclassical architecture, by John Ashton · one of 2 National Historic Landmarks in Essex County.

Sources: the Wikipedia article · the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service

The listing

  • What is counted as historic. The nomination lists 1 building as contributing to the listing.
  • Address. 475-479 Essex St., Lawrence, 01801
  • When was it listed? 2009-05-04
  • Category. building
  • When was it built? 1898
  • Architectural style. Neoclassical architecture
  • Architect. John Ashton
  • National Register reference number. 09000299 - the number the National Park Service assigned this property when it was listed, and the key its nomination file is catalogued under at the National Archives.

Fires near this property

61 since 2015

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 61 fires within 5 miles of Blakeley Building between 2015 and 2020, burning about 97 acres in total. None started naturally. 27 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause Fires
Arson/incendiarism27
Missing data/not specified/undetermined11
Recreation and ceremony10
Debris and open burning9
Misuse of fire by a minor2
Smoking1
Equipment and vehicle use1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
3 September 2018Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
22 September 2020Recreation and ceremonyunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
18 September 2016Arson/incendiarismunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire ControlMELROSE
18 September 2015Arson/incendiarismunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire ControlMELROSE
5 August 2016Arson/incendiarismunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire ControlMEDFORD
5 August 2015Arson/incendiarism6.0 acresMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire ControlMEDFORD
30 August 2016Arson/incendiarismunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire ControlMEDFORD
30 August 2015Arson/incendiarismunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire ControlMEDFORD

Every fire recorded in Essex County

Specimens collected near this property

12 of 9,883 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. Museums hold 9,883 specimens collected within 10 miles of Blakeley Building between 1803 and 1975: 4,244 Plantae, 2,782 Animalia, 2,099 Fungi, 399 Chromista, 273 Bacteria, 49 Protozoa, 37 Unrecorded. 12 distinct Species records are shown. Collected by ?, A B. Proper, A E Preble and others. Each is a physical object with a catalogue number, and each entry opens the museum's record. This is what was collected and kept, not a survey of what lives here - nothing can be concluded from a species being absent.

Image SpeciesYear Collected by Where, as recorded
Specimen of Corylus americana WalterCorylus americana Walter1900E. F. Williams
Specimen of Populus grandidentata Michx.Populus grandidentata Michx.1900E. F. Williams
Erysiphaceae1803A. B. Seymour
A photograph of the species Myrica L., not of this specimenMyrica L.1815Boott, J.W.West Cambridge [=Town of Arlington], five miles from Boston.
A photograph of the species Hamamelis L., not of this specimenHamamelis L.1816Boott, J.Andover Turnpike [=Northern Expressway?], 6 miles from Boston.
Uncinula flexuosa Peck1818Roland Thaxter
A photograph of the species Amaranthus cannabinus, not of this specimenAmaranthus cannabinus (L.) Sauer1822not recorded
A photograph of the species Potentilla argentea, not of this specimenPotentilla argentea L.1830A. P. Bhute
A photograph of the species Carex rosea, not of this specimenCarex rosea Willd.1833W. Boott
A photograph of the species Carex echinata, not of this specimenCarex echinata subsp. echinata1834Collector unspecifiedChelsea. [Inferred county from precise loc.]
A photograph of the species Polysiphonia urceolata, not of this specimenPolysiphonia urceolata (Lightfoot ex Dillwyn) Greville1841F. S. CollinsRevere Beach, Revere, MA
A photograph of the species Trichophorum planifolium, not of this specimenTrichophorum planifolium (Spreng.) Palla1847W. BoottMedford

All 9,883 specimens within 10 miles, at the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.

Mines and quarries near this property

10 of 14 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 14 workings within 5 miles of Blakeley Building: 8 past producers, 4 producers, 2 plants. 6 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Stone, Crushed/Broken, Peat, Clay. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Austin Hastings--Woburn, Ma.IronPlant
Dynamet Tech--Burlington, Ma.TitaniumPlant
Mahoney:S Rocky LedgePeatPast ProducerPeat
Rocky Ledge PitClayPast Producer
Marlborough Plant/Polishing PlatesStone, Crushed/BrokenProducer
Roma Stone PitStone, Crushed/BrokenProducer
Burlington S & G Co., Inc. PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Burlington Sand and GravelSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast ProducerSedimentary
D R RaymondSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast ProducerSedimentary
Joseph Roberto IncSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast ProducerSedimentary

Every working recorded in Essex County

Storms near this property

26 since 1998

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Lawrence, the town this property stands in, in 26 storm reports between 1998 and 2025: 7 flash flood, 7 thunderstorm wind, 7 flood, 3 hail. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
June 1998Flash FloodLawrence$570,000Shawsheen River
July 2014Thunderstorm WindSouth Lawrence$50,000In Lawrence, trees were downed on Winthrop Avenue, Essex Street, Everett Street, and Methuen Street. A tree fell onto a house on Furber Street and another on Melvin Street. In North Andover, a large tree was downed on Boston Road near Route 114 and on Main Street. Damage was a little more extensive in Andover, where many trees were downed on the south side of town including on Vine Street. Trees and wires were downed on Bridle Path Road.
July 2009LightningSouth Lawrence$50,000Lightning struck a house on Fossen Way setting it on fire.
September 2014Thunderstorm WindLawrence$30,000Trees and wires on South Union, Kent, Baily, and Dorchester Streets were downed by thunderstorm winds. A tree on Dorchester Street was downed onto a car.
July 2009Thunderstorm WindSouth Lawrence$25,000Many large trees on North Street were downed by thunderstorm winds.
August 2018FloodLawrence$10,000At 1:55 PM EST, two cars were trapped in flooding at the intersection of Market Street and Parker Street in Lawrence.
September 2017FloodSouth Lawrence$10,000At 455 PM EST, an amateur radio operator reported Chickering Road at State Route 114 in South Lawrence was flooded. A car nearby on Halsey Street was trapped in flood waters. At 524 PM EST a car was disabled in street flooding at Cutler Avenue and Chickering Road. Grafton Street was flooded and impassable.
June 2023LightningLawrence$5,000In Lawrence at 511 PM EDT (411 PM EST), a house was struck by lightning, causing damage to the electrical system.
July 2018Flash FloodLawrence$5,000At 2:48 PM EST, a car was trapped in flooding at the junction of Swan Street and Jackson Street in Methuen.
October 2011FloodSouth Lawrence$5,000Several streets were closed due to flooding. A car was stuck in floodwaters at the intersection of Andover Street and South Broadway near the Walgreens.
July 2020Flash FloodLawrence$3,000In Methuen, Lowell Street was impassable due to flash flooding. Two cars were trapped there. Broadway near Granite Street was flooded and impassable. Also, Route 110 near Bates Street was flooded and impassable. Jackson Street was also flooded and impassable.
June 2020Thunderstorm WindLawrence$1,500In Methuen, multiple trees were down on Wintergreen Circle.
July 2021Thunderstorm WindSouth Lawrence$800In Lawrence, a tree and power lines were down on Leonard Avenue.
August 2025Flash FloodSouth Lawrence-There were cars stuck in significant street flooding near the Lawrence and Andover town line.
October 2022FloodSouth Lawrence-In Lawrence, police reported street flooding on Andover Street between Clifron and Amherst Streets. The road was flooded and impassable. Report relayed by amateur radio.
July 2020Flash FloodLawrence-In Lawrence, Berkeley Street was flooded and impassable from Sheridan Street to Jackson Street to East Haverhill Street. In addition, Parker Street was closed at the Merrimack River bridge due to flooding.
November 2018FloodSouth Lawrence-In Lawrence, there were flooded streets at Water Street and Marble Avenue.
September 2018Flash FloodLawrence-At 9:55 AM EST, Parker Street in Lawrence was closed from Market Street to Merrimack Street due to flooding at the railroad underpass.
September 2018Flash FloodSouth Lawrence-At 9:43 AM EST, the intersection of Andover Street at Clifton Street in Lawrence was flooded and impassable.
September 2017FloodLawrence-At 1124 AM EST, an amateur radio operator reported a car trapped in flood waters behind Partham Elementary School in Lawrence. The Automated Surface Observation System platform at Lawrence Airport recorded a storm total rainfall of 2.62 inches.
September 2017FloodLawrence-At 1045 AM EST, Parker Street in Lawrence was reported flooded and impassable between Merrimack and Market Streets. At 11 AM EST, the intersection of Salem Street and South Union Street was reported flooded and impassable. The Community Cooperative Rain Hail and Snow observer in Andover reported a storm total rainfall of 2.18 inches.
July 2014HailLawrence-Dime sized hail was reported in Lawrence.
July 2007Thunderstorm WindLawrence-Trees down onto homes.
July 2009HailSouth Lawrence-no account filed
August 2001Thunderstorm WindLawrence-no account filed
July 2001HailLawrence-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Essex County

Map coverage status

No historic map-sheet match is published for this property yet. That does not mean no map exists. This record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary. Browse the county's mapped places while that work is pending.

Listed places nearby

5 within 8 miles

Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.

Photograph PropertyDistance Listed
US Post Office--Newburyport Main6.6 miles1986
US Post Office--Salem Main6.6 miles1986
Henfield House7.0 miles1991
Hart House7.2 miles1990
Saugus Town Hall7.5 miles1985

Sources for this property

National Archives recordThe nomination case file for reference 09000299 in Record Group 79.
Wikipedia articleCommunity-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA.
Essex CountyAll 350 listed properties in this county.

Provenance

  • Listing record. National Park Service National Register of Historic Places, listed-properties dataset, current to 2026-05-22.
  • Map join. Address geocoded through the United States Census geocoder, then tested against the published boundary of every sheet in the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection.
  • How this page is made. Listing fields come from federal records; map-sheet coverage is a labelled coordinate-to-boundary calculation, not a source-field claim.
  • Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
  • Specimens. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), https://www.gbif.org/. Only records licensed CC0 or CC BY are used. Records licensed CC BY-NC are excluded because this site carries advertising. Images are checked individually and any whose licence is non-commercial, no-derivatives or unreadable is refused.
  • Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
  • Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.