Ames Hill/Crescent Hill District

Last updated

Ames Hill/Crescent Hill District
SpringfieldMA MapleStreetMansion 3.jpg
USA Massachusetts location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location Springfield, Massachusetts
Coordinates 42°5′24″N72°34′37″W / 42.09000°N 72.57694°W / 42.09000; -72.57694
Built1812
ArchitectMultiple
Architectural styleMid 19th Century Revival, Late 19th And 20th Century Revivals, Late Victorian
NRHP reference No. 74000368 [1]
Added to NRHPMay 1, 1974

Ames Hill/Crescent Hill District is an historic district in Springfield, Massachusetts, bounded by sections of Central, Maple, Mill, and Pine Streets, Crescent Hill, Ames Hill Drive, and Maple Court. This section of Springfield was the city's first "Gold Coast," built primarily during the early Industrial Revolution, from approximately 1812–1850. The Ames Hill/Crescent Hill Historic District includes Mulberry Street, the upper-class street made famous by Dr. Seuss's first children's book, And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, (1937.) Dr. Seuss's grandparents lived on Mulberry Street. This National Historic District overlaps somewhat with both the Ridgewood and Maple Hill Historic Districts designated by the City of Springfield. [2]

Ames Hill was named for the Ames Family of Springfield. David Ames, Jr., a Springfield paper manufacturer, was the son of Colonel David Ames, the first superintendent of the Springfield Armory. The David Ames Jr. House, at 241 Maple Street, on Ames Hill in Springfield, was built in 1826-7 and was the work of Chauncey Shepard, a prominent local architect and builder. In 1867, Solomon J. Gordon, a New York City lawyer, purchased the property and Shepard was hired to remodel the house he had built forty-one years earlier. Gordon lived in the house until his death in 1891. Today the house is known as Young House and is part of the campus of the MacDuffie School. [2]

Crescent Hill continues along the steep trajectory of Maple Street, which snakes up along a bluff overlooking the scenic Connecticut River and Connecticut River Valley. Crescent Hill also features many of Springfield's largest mansions, most of which date from the mid-19th century. Unfortunately, the Ames Hill/Crescent Hill Historic District was devastated during the June 1, 2011 Greater Springfield tornado.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Springfield, Massachusetts</span> City in Massachusetts, United States

Springfield is the largest city in and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern Mill River. At the 2020 census, the city's population was 155,929, making it the third-largest city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the fourth-most populous city in New England after Boston, Worcester, and Providence. Metropolitan Springfield, as one of two metropolitan areas in Massachusetts, had a population of 699,162 in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chicopee, Massachusetts</span> City in Massachusetts, United States

Chicopee is a city located on the Connecticut River in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 55,560, making it the second-largest city in Western Massachusetts after Springfield. Chicopee is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The communities of Chicopee Center (Cabotville), Chicopee Falls, Willimansett, Fairview, Aldenville, Burnett Road, Smith Highlands and Westover are located within the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pioneer Valley</span> Massachusetts portion of the Connecticut River Valley, US

<i>And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street</i> 1937 Dr. Seuss book

'And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street' is Theodore Seuss Geisel's first children's book published under the name Dr. Seuss. First published by Vanguard Press in 1937, the story follows a boy named Marco, who describes a parade of imaginary people and vehicles traveling along a road, Mulberry Street, in an elaborate fantasy story he dreams up to tell his father at the end of his walk. However, when he arrives home, he decides instead to tell his father what he actually saw—a simple horse and wagon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheney Brothers Historic District</span> Historic district in Connecticut, United States

The Cheney Brothers Historic District was a center of the silk industry in Manchester, Connecticut, in the late 19th and early 20th century. The 175-acre (71 ha) district includes over 275 mill buildings, workers houses, churches, schools and Cheney family mansions. These structures represent the well-preserved company town of the Cheney Brothers silk manufacturing company, the first America-based silk company to properly raise and process silkworms, and to develop the difficult techniques of spinning and weaving silk. The area was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1978.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Somersville Historic District</span> Historic district in Connecticut, United States

The Somersville Historic District encompasses the historic components of the mill village of Somersville in western Somers, Connecticut, United States. The district is centered on a mill complex on the Scantic River, which divides the district. The most significant years of development were between about 1835 and 1935, although the area has a history dating to the 1760s. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995. The Mill itself has since burned down and as of October 2018 is currently open field, although the canal structure remains in place.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Court Square</span> United States historic place

Court Square in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States, is a park and historic district in the heart of Springfield's urban Metro Center neighborhood. Court Square is the City of Springfield's only topographical constant since its founding in 1636. It is bounded by Court Street, Main Street, State Street, East Columbus Avenue, and features Elm Street and a scenic pedestrian-only walkway from the courthouse toward Springfield's historic Old First Church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hatfield Center Historic District</span> Historic district in Massachusetts, United States

The Hatfield Center Historic District encompasses the traditional center of Hatfield, Massachusetts. The area, first laid out in 1661, is bounded by Maple Street to the south, the Connecticut River to the east, Day Avenue and School Street to the north, and the Mill River to the west. The area's layout and land use patterns are relatively little altered since they were laid out, leaving a well-preserved early colonial village landscape. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1994.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Springfield Street Historic District</span> Historic district in Massachusetts, United States

The Springfield Street Historic District is a predominantly residential historic district south of the downtown area of Chicopee, Massachusetts. It encompasses a significant number of Queen Anne style houses built in the second half of the 19th century by wealthy residents of Chicopee, as well as housing for skilled workers at the nearby textile mills. It is centered where Springfield Street and Fairview Avenue meet. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quadrangle–Mattoon Street Historic District</span> Historic district in Massachusetts, United States

The Quadrangle–Mattoon Street Historic District is a historic district in Springfield, Massachusetts, bounded by Chestnut Street to the West; State Street to the South; and includes properties on Mattoon, Salem, Edwards and Elliot Streets. Located in the Metro Center, the Quadrangle–Mattoon Street Historic District is one of the few neighborhoods in the Knowledge Corridor lined with historic, restored red-brick Victorian row houses on both sides, covered by tree canopies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North High Street Historic District (Holyoke, Massachusetts)</span> Historic district in Massachusetts, United States

The North High Street Historic District is a historic district encompassing part of the downtown area of Holyoke, Massachusetts. When first added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1986, the district encompassed North High Street, between Dwight and Lyman Streets. This part of High Street was built between 1850 and 1885, and is lined with masonry buildings in Italianate and Second Empire styles. In 1992 the district was extended southward, adding three blocks of High Street between Dwight and Essex Streets. This expansions encompasses the growth of Holyoke during the height of its commercial success, between 1880 and 1930; it also includes the separately-listed Holyoke City Hall. The district was extended a third time, in 2008, adding a complex of three buildings at Dwight and Maple Streets that now houses the Holyoke Health Center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mills-Stebbins Villa</span> Historic house in Massachusetts, United States

The Mills-Stebbins Villa is a historic house at 3 Crescent Hill in Springfield, Massachusetts. Described as the "best work" of architect Henry A. Sykes, this Italian style villa was built between 1849 and 1851 for John Mills, a prominent Springfield attorney. Mills died in 1861, and the villa was acquired by John Stebbins, a banker, real estate developer, and local politician. It fell into decline in the 20th century, but was rehabilitated and restored in the early 1970s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pulaski Park (Holyoke, Massachusetts)</span> United States historic place

Pulaski Park is a city park along the Connecticut River in Holyoke, Massachusetts. Originally called Prospect Park when it was laid out in 1884, it was given its present name in 1939 in honor of American Revolutionary War hero Casimir Pulaski, for whom there is a memorial in the park's center. The original 5.1-acre (2.1 ha) park was designed by the Olmsted Brothers landscape design firm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hartwell and Richardson</span> American architectural firm

Hartwell and Richardson was a Boston, Massachusetts architectural firm established in 1881, by Henry Walker Hartwell (1833–1919) and William Cummings Richardson (1854–1935). The firm contributed significantly to the current building stock and architecture of the greater Boston area. Many of its buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spring Hill Historic District (Mansfield, Connecticut)</span> Historic district in Connecticut, United States

The Spring Hill Historic District encompasses a rural 19th-century village stretching along Storrs Road in Mansfield, Connecticut. Spring Hill developed as a rural waystation on an early 19th-century turnpike, and has seen only modest development since the late 19th century. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mulberry Street (Springfield, Massachusetts)</span>

Mulberry Street is a historic street and tourist destination in Springfield, Massachusetts. Made famous by Dr. Seuss' first children's book And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, the street is less than one mile from Springfield's Metro Center neighborhood, the Springfield Armory, and the Quadrangle. It is also less than one mile southwest of Dr. Seuss' boyhood home on Fairfield Street.

The Six Corners and Maple Heights neighborhoods are located in Springfield, Massachusetts. They are often combined for political purposes, although they feature dramatically different political and socioeconomic characteristics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neighborhoods in Springfield, Massachusetts</span>

The City of Springfield, Massachusetts, has 19 distinct neighborhoods. Many feature subdivisions known by other names, such as The X, Hungry Hill, and Mason Square. Springfield's neighborhoods fan out north, south, and east, from its original, colonial settlement in what is now Metro Center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Amazing World of Dr. Seuss Museum</span> Literary and childrens museum in Springfield, Massachusetts

The Amazing World of Dr. Seuss Museum is a museum in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States located in the William Pynchon Memorial Building, which until 2009 housed the Connecticut Valley Historical Museum. The museum opened in June 2017. It is located on the Quadrangle along with the Dr. Seuss National Memorial Sculpture Garden and other museums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Ames (colonel)</span>

David Ames (colonel) (February 2, 1760 - August 6, 1847) served as first superintendent of the Springfield Armory in Springfield, Massachusetts, from 1794 to October 31, 1802. He supplied the American army with shovels and guns during the American Revolution and was commissioned in the militia. Upon completion of service at the Armory, he entered the paper-manufacturing business and by 1838 was proprietor of the most extensive paper manufacturing operation in the United States.

References

  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
  2. 1 2 "The David Ames, Jr. House (1826) | Historic Buildings of Massachusetts". Archived from the original on August 20, 2011. Retrieved June 19, 2011.