Front Street Block

The Front Street Block is a group of four buildings that were constructed soon after Gloucester's first Great Fire which, on September 16, 1830, destroyed all of the structures between Front Street and the harbor, an area containing many of the busi- ness establishments of the town. Work is believed to have started on them in 1831.

Assessors records show increases of between 60% and 90% in the valuations of these four properties from 1831 to 1833, and one assessor's entry of 1833 specifically mentions "Brick Building, Front Street" under the real estate holdings of Henry Smith, then owner of the present #55-59 Main ES25267 Since none of the common party walls between the buildings could ever have been used as an exterior wall (due to the unpointed and unsealed mortar between the bricks) and con- sidering the simultaneous increase in assessed valuations of all four parcels /of land, it appears that all of the buildings were built by 183ß.

In any case, a map of Gloucester's waterfront that all four brick buildings were completed by 1845- The four buildings were designed in a smoothly coordinated Federalist style, though one was later substantially altered. Brick is the principal building material, with granite framing the entryways and separating the street level from the apper floors, creating a pleasing contrast. One pair of buildings is three stories high, and the remaining pair was two stories -- though one of this pair was updated in 1890 with a Victorian facade, becoming three stories high -- with individual hip roofs now covering three of the buildings and party walls extending beyond the moderately pitched roof line.

Accenting the clean lines of the roof are four massive brick chimneys 'and four smal- ler ones necessary to accommodate the many fireplaces of the four buildings.

The significance of the buildings of the Front Street Block lies in two areas. First, from a purely afchitestural view- point, they represent outstanding examples ofaFederalist Archi- tecture. Their innate simplicity produces a fluidity of style when viewed both individually and as a group. The distinctive characteristics of Federalist Architecture blend harmoniously to effect an architectural unity in the smooth streetscape even though the four abutting buildings have separately styled fronts and roofs. The insertion of a potentially discordant Victorian facade into this Federalist grouping does not lessen the overall effect, but rather its contrast and proximity serve to heighten the appreciation of the qualities of each style.

The second and possibly greater area of significance lies with these buildings and their development within the historic context of the city of Gloucester. After the devastating Great Fire of 1830 destroyed many of the town's stores and shops, particularly in the West End, major changes occurred in the city's building styles and materials when reconstruction began. With the memory of the fire still fresh in mind, brick and granite were chosen over less expensive and more popular wood construction. The strong will of the people to recover from adversity and to continue to grow with the prospering town are symbolized by this brick and granite construction.

Urban devel- opment showed a measurable advance when the individual land owners cooperated in constructing abutting buildings using com- mon party walls. Efficiency was gained, but not at the cost of individuality; separately styled fronts, roofs, cornices, lentils and gutters testified to the individuality of each owner- The completion of the construction represented a signif- icant addition to the town; this can be seen by the repeated reference to "brick buildings" in the land deeds, assessors records, and maps, from 1831 to 1851.