Larrabee's Brick Block

Larrabee's Brick Block is located on a 6115 square foot lot on the west side of Main Street in Melrose's commercial business district. The structure is free-standing and abuts the sidewalk on its east side, a narrow passageway on the north, a small fenced in yard on the west and a one-story early twentieth century building on the south. Other buildings in the 1mmedlate vicinity include the 18/6 Bigbee-Barrett Block (the only other nistoric mansard- rooted structure in the town center), several two and three-story late nineteenth century masonry blocks, anda variety of altered and one-story early mid-twentieth century commer- cial structures. The town center was designated as a local nistoric district in 1979. The building is rectangular in plan, measuring approximately 35 X 63 feet.

It stands three stories high with a straight mansard roof clad in slate constituting the third story. The walls are faced with brick laid in stretcher bond. The building sits on a granite sill and has a full basement. Decorative treatment, which appéars on the cast (facade) and north elevations, includes a single course of alternating recessed bricks between the first and second stories and, at the cornice, three stepped rows of dentilwork and angled bricks. Scrolled brackets are located beneath the eaves. East elevation (facade): The ground story of the facade has two iron storefronts and, in the soutn bay, a recessed entry leading to the upper stories. A plain iron lintel excends the width of the facade. Each storefront has a recessed center entry flanked by plate glass display windows.

Al though aluminum has replaced the original wooden frames and the apron of the right (north) storefront is now made of brick (ca.

/Architect John Eaton Statement of Significance (in one paragraph) Larrabee's Brick Block possesses integrity of location, design, setting, materials, and workmanship. It is representative of tne small mansard-roofed blocks built in commercial districts following the Civil war, and is architecturally significant in tnis community as one of only two unaltered nineteenth century commercial structures in downtown Melrose. Historical associations are with the building's first owner, a prominent local citizen, and with the development of Melrose's commercial center in the second half of the nineteenth century. The building thus meets criteria A, B, and C, of the National Register.

Until the mid-nineteenth century, Melrose (part of the neighboring town of Malden until 1850) was a sparsely settled agricultural community whose economic base was supplemented by scattered shoe making shops. In 1845, the advent of the Boston & Maine railroad to che community opened the area up to residential suburban development wnich took full ad- vantage of the town's craggy picturesque landscape. The population grew rapidly, increasing almost tenfold in the next twenty-five years. smal1 commercial center emerged along Main Street, consisting of approximately a dozen frame structures, many of which combined shops and living quarters. leveled the west siue of Main Street between Essex and Foster Streets.

stood on the site of the nominated property, was the only salvagable building.c Rebuilt as Unity Hall, it was a two-story frame struçture çontaining a spacjous hall. It was soon apparent, however, that the building was an anomaly as the rest of the block was rebuilt in brick or in larger, more fashionable framestructures, many with mansard roofs. In 1880 Unity Hall was, purchased by John Larrabee.