Northampton – Page 3 – Historic Buildings of Massachusetts

Catholic Society Parsonage, Northampton (1866)

by Dan/August 12, 2014August 12, 2014/Houses, Northampton, Victorian Eclectic

The house at 71 King Street in Northampton was built in 1866 to serve as a parsonage for St. Mary’s Catholic church. It was designed by William Fenno Pratt, who also designed a similar parsonage for the Congregational church. Built in 1845, St. Mary’s was Northampton’s first Catholic church. This almost entirely Irish parish constructed a new church on Elm Street in 1885 and a new French-Canadian parish took over the old church. This was later replaced by a new church, the present Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church at 101 King Street. Since the move of St. Mary’s Parish, the old parsonage has been used for other purposes, including as a funeral parlor.

Armory, Northampton (1900)

by Dan/August 12, 2014August 12, 2014/Gothic, Military, Northampton

At 131 King Street in Northampton is an armory building constructed by the city in 1899-1900 and purchased by the state in 1912. Designed by Gardner, Pyne & Gardner of Springfield, it served as constabulary headquarters and as barracks for police and military groups. It also provided a large interior space for recreational and civic events. It now houses offices.

Miss Florence Diner (1941)

by Dan/August 12, 2014August 12, 2014/Commercial, Modern, Northampton

Miss Florence Diner, located at 99 Main Street in the Florence section of Northampton, is a modified 1941 barrel-roofed diner manufactured by the Worcester Lunch Car Company. The modifications were made in the late 1940s when, to increase its size, the diner was remodeled with additions that gave it an L-shape and a cross-barrel roof. The home of the diner‘s original owner, Maurice Alexander, was later attached to the diner and opened as a restaurant.

Ebenezer Clark House (1730)

by Dan/May 22, 2014/Colonial, Houses, Northampton

Although much altered over the years, the house at 197 Elm Street in Northampton dates back to 1730. It was built Ebenezer Clark and old church and town records were kept here for many years. For eighty-five years the house was the residence of Jared Clark, who held the office of deacon at the First Congregational Church for nearly fifty years, starting in 1839. The house was later owned by Frank H. Hankins, a sociologist and professor at Smith College.

Old Draper Hotel (1871)

by Dan/May 7, 2014May 7, 2014/Commercial, Hotels, Italianate, Northampton

The Warner House, also known as the Warner Tavern or Warner’s Coffee House, was for years the most popular public house in Northampton. After it was destroyed by fire in 1870, a new building, planned by J.M. Miner, was constructed on its former location on Main Street. Called the Fitch Hotel, it consisted of a central block flanked by two wings. Only the westernmost wing survives today. It features an “F” monogram in the center of the roof pediment of the façade. The hotel, located at 179 Main Street, later became the Draper Hotel. The hotel is described in an article (“Industrial Northampton”) that appeared in Western New England (Vol. I, No. 11, October, 1911):

Northampton is unusually well-equiped, for a city of its size, with high-class hotels and restaurants. The Draper, the most prominent hotel in Northampton, is favorably known throughout the country as a result of its entertaining well the people from almost everywhere who are drawn to Northampton by college exercises and by business affairs. The Draper compares favorably in quality with hotels in large cities. The rathskeller is particularly well known among men who have occasion to visit Northampton. The hotel aims to provide its patrons with whatever they wish and to its excellent dining room and rathskeller has recently been added a “self-service” restaurant and lunch room where one may get a wholesome meal in a short time and at small cost. The Draper offers both American and European rates.

William Haven House (1860)

by Dan/May 4, 2014/Houses, Northampton, Queen Anne

The house at 13 Park Street in the village of Florence in Northampton was built around 1860 as a cape cod-style house. It was altered in the Queen Anne style around 1900, when the dormer windows and porch with gazebo were added. This remodeling was done by owner Henry Haven, who in 1870 had purchased the house from the heirs of William Haven, its original owner (William Haven had purchased the lot in 1858). Henry Haven was treasurer and general manager of Florence Furniture Company.

Ross Farm (1800)

by Dan/February 2, 2014/Federal, Houses, Northampton

The farmhouse at 123 Meadow Street in the Florence section of Northampton was built c. 1830 by Theodore Burt, or perhaps c. 1800 by his father, Gaius Burt, who had purchased the farm in 1798. Samuel Whitmarsh, a pioneer of silk cultivation in Northampton, purchased the property in 1835. Whitmarsh’s Northampton Silk Company ceased operation in 1840 owing to a decline in the industry and heavy debt. The property was acquired abolitionist Samuel Hill in 1841 to become part of the utopian community called the Northampton Association of Education and Industry (founded in 1842). Hill, who was active in the Underground Railroad, lived in the house, which is the only surviving NAEI building left today. In 1849, Hill sold the farm to Abel Ross. He lived in the house with his nephew, Austin Ross, who eventually bought the property himself in 1857. Austin Ross also used the house as a station on the Underground Railroad. The property is now called Freedom Farm.