Neoclassical – Page 4 – Historic Buildings of Massachusetts

Hampden Savings Bank (1918)

by Dan/July 11, 2013/Banks, Neoclassical, Springfield

The Hampden Savings Bank Building, at 1665 Main Street in Springfield, was built in 1918. Designed by Max Westhoff, it displays fine Classical Revival detailing. The bank was founded in 1852, the same year Springfield was incorporated as a city. It was originally established to serve railroad workers and was located near the railroad depot. From 1852 to 1871, the Hampden Savings Bank shared space with the Agawam National Bank. In 1899 it moved to the Fort Block, at the corner of Main and Fort Streets. The bank occupied its 1918 building until 1952, when it moved to a new building at 19 Harrison Avenue. The former bank building now houses a law office.

Calvin Theatre (1924)

by Dan/July 10, 2013/Neoclassical, Northampton, Theaters

Sadly missing the “C” from its current marquee is the Calvin Theatre at 19 King Street in Northampton. The theatre was built in 1924 and was once the largest movie theatre in Northampton. It closed in 1994, but later reopened under new management as a live performance venue.

First Agricultural National Bank (1908)

by Dan/June 22, 2013/Banks, Neoclassical, Pittsfield

First Agricultural National Bank, Pittsfield

The impressive white marble building of the First Agricultural National Bank stands at 100 North Street in Pittsfield. Built in 1908-1909, it was the Bank’s fourth home since its founding in 1818. Its first home was the former building of the failed Berkshire Bank. As related in The History of Pittsfield (1916) by Edward Boltwood:

In 1876, the banking rooms of the Agricultural were those now occupied by the Third National, on the ground floor of the building of the Berkshire Life Insurance Company, north of the main entrance. The erection of the handsome white marble structure on the east side of North Street, between Fenn and Dunham Streets, which is at present occupied in part by the Agricultural, was begun by the bank in June, 1908, and finished in October, 1909. The architects were Messrs. Mowbray and Uffinger of New York; and the result of their labors and of those of the bank’s building committee was a notable contribution to the beauty of the business center of the city. The cost of the building was $250,000.

A 1928-1930 addition to the bank was designed by the firm of Halsey, McCormack & Helmer.

J. R. Smith Building (1906)

by Dan/June 20, 2013/Commercial, Holyoke, Neoclassical

Next to City Hall, at 270-276 High Street in Holyoke, is the J. R. Smith Building, sometimes referred to as Holyoke‘s first skyscraper. Smith owned the city’s largest grocery store. He built his eight-story building in 1906 (or as early as 1898?). Smith later sold the building to John J. Prew. It was thereafter called the Prew Building.

Berkshire Loan & Trust Company (1923)

by Dan/June 8, 2013June 7, 2013/Banks, Neoclassical, Pittsfield

Established in 1895, the Berkshire Loan & Trust Company was for a time located in the Berkshire County Savings Bank Building until constructing its own Classical Revival building, at 54 North Street in Pittsfield, circa 1923.

Columbus Building (1912)

by Dan/June 7, 2013January 28, 2018/Apartment Buildings, Commercial, Neoclassical, Westfield

The Columbus Building, at 91-99 Elm Street in Westfield, was built in 1912 by John J. Hearn for his furniture store, Hearn & Company. There is a large c. 1950s slab on the lower right of the building’s front facade where the name “Hearn’s” was once displayed. Some years ago, the building’s upper floors were converted to apartments. Continue reading “Columbus Building (1912)”

Berkshire Life Insurance Company (1868)

by Dan/May 20, 2013/Commercial, Neoclassical, Pittsfield, Renaissance Revival

The corner of North and West Streets in Pittsfield was the site of the Berkshire Hotel from the 1820s to 1866. In 1868, the headquarters of the Berkshire Life Insurance Company was built here (current address: 5-7 North Street). The building as it exists today was constructed in three stages. The first section, designed by Louis Weissbein of Boston, had a basement level below three floors and a Mansard roof with gable windows. In 1911, the Mansard roof was removed and two additional stories were added by Joseph McArthur Vance of Pittsfield. In 1927, the building was extended to the west with a new addition by Henry Seaver of Pittsfield. Berkshire Life, founded in 1851, left the building to move to a new headquarters in 1959. In 2001, Berkshire Life merged with The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America.
Here are links to some historic images of this building: