Bigelow Carpet Mill (1886)

by Dan//Clinton, Industrial, Italianate, Romanesque Revival

The Bigelow brothers, Erastus and Horatio, had established the Bigelow Carpet Company in 1854. A number of mill buildings were constructed along Union Street in Clinton the 1850s. The company grew rapidly and soon constructed another group of woolen mills along Main Street in 1864-1866. After the death of Erastus Bigelow in 1879, the company continued to expand and soon developed the property on Union Street, constructing a new mill building and rebuilding the earlier structures to create an architecturally unified complex. After the mill closed in 1932, these buildings were used as a warehouse and were partially vacant. In the 1970s, the Nylon Products Company (Nypro) rehabilitated the structures for their own manufacturing use.

The building pictured above was built in 1886. The tower to the rear, on the left side of the picture, is part of another building, which is attached to the 1886 building. It was originally constructed in 1855 and was rebuilt in 1885. Continue reading “Bigelow Carpet Mill (1886)”

Bigelow Carpet Company Woolen Mill (1864)

by Dan//Clinton, Industrial, Italianate

In 1837, two brothers arrived in Clinton and soon established the Clinton Company, which manufactured cotton, woolen and silk goods. Erastus Bigelow (1814-1879) was a mechanical genius and self-educated inventor who created a series of power looms that were the world’s first machines for weaving carpets. His brother, Horatio N. Bigelow (1812-1868), was the company’s business manager and a civic leader in the development of Clinton, which grew rapidly as industry expanded in town. The brothers went on to incorporate the Bigelow Carpet Company in 1854. The new company purchased the old property of the Clinton Company in 1863, which included an earlier mill (c. 1810) where the brothers had started their operations in Clinton. The company initiated a major building program, constructing new mills on the property, including the building pictured above, which has an elaborate five-story tower. It was built in 1864-1866, as a wool spinning and carpet weaving mill. Continue reading “Bigelow Carpet Company Woolen Mill (1864)”

Worcester National Guard Armory (1889)

by Dan//Military, Romanesque Revival, Worcester

The Worcester National Guard Armory at 44 Salisbury Street was built in 1889-1890 to replace the earlier Waldo Street Armory, which had developed structural problems. Facing what was then called Armory Square, the new Armory was designed by Fuller & Delano, who also later designed the rear addition of 1907. The building’s central tower was later shortened from its original height. In 1994, the Armory was renovated to house the National Guard Museum and Archives. It is also home to the Americal Division’s World War II Museum.

First Congregational Church, Clinton (1892)

by Dan//Churches, Clinton, Gothic

The First Congregational Church in Clinton is located at 34 Walnut Street. The church began as the Second Evangelical Church of Lancaster in 1844, with a chapel being constructed at the southwest corner of Main and Sterling Streets.The congregation became so large that a new church was built on Walnut Street in 1846. It was remodeled and enlarged in 1858-1859. The construction and remodeling of of these church structures was supported by donations from H.N. Bigelow of the Bigelow Carpet Company. The current church was built in 1892. The Gothic Revival edifice has stained glass windows which were donated by a group of Chinese laborers who were working at the time on the construction of the Wachusett Dam.

Noah Strong House (1873)

by Dan//Houses, Italianate, Organizations, Victorian Eclectic, Westfield

The house at 38 Broad Street in Westfield was built in 1873 by Noah Strong, a local contractor. The architecture of the house reflects an amalgam of styles. The town purchased the house in 1909 to use it as a vocational school. For Westfield’s 250th Anniversary celebration in 1919, the building was used for “The Hostess House and Loan Exhibit,” under the direction of the art committee of the Women’s Club of Westfield. According to The History of the Celebration of the Two Hundred and Fiftieth Anniversary of the Incorporation of the Town of Westfield Massachusetts, August 31, September 1, 2, 5, 1919:

Here tea was served every day to thousands of guests, who were received by hostesses in quaint, old costumes.

The rooms of the house were arranged for the occasion in a colonial style with many antiques, early portraits and family heirlooms on display. A “Museum Room” featured relics of past wars, including the recently concluded First World War. In 1920, American Legion Post 124 began leasing the building from the city and purchased it in 1962. The second floor was made into a meeting hall in 1928.

Rosbrook-Kyle House (1884)

by Dan//Gothic, Houses, Northampton, Queen Anne, Shingle Style, Victorian Eclectic

The Kyle Estate, also known as the Rosbrook-Kyle House, is an interesting Victorian residence at 18 Park Street in the village of Florence in Northampton. It was originally constructed as a one-and-a-half story Gothic cottage around 1865. The land on which the house was built was purchased by Francis O. Rosbrook in 1850 and passed through three other owners before it was purchased in 1844 by Oscar N. Kyle, treasurer and manager of the Florence Machine Company. He hired local architect Charles H. Jones to remodel the cottage, which was elevated one story. The front porch on the ground floor features Eastlake elements and the ornament of the porch on the second floor suggests Middle Eastern design. A three-story octagonal tower was also added at the southwestern corner of the house. The altered house combines different architectural styles, with the Gothic style retained on the original Gothic section (now the second floor and attic gable). The second floor and part of the gable have board-and-batten siding, while wood shingles cover the third story of the tower and the upper section of the gable. The house is now divided into apartments. Continue reading “Rosbrook-Kyle House (1884)”