Bellingham Square Historic District

Last updated

Bellingham Square Historic District
Bellingham Square Historic District Chelsea MA 02.jpg
City Hall
USA Massachusetts location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
LocationRoughly bounded by Broadway, Shawmut, Chestnut, and Shurtleff Sts. Chelsea, Massachusetts
Coordinates 42°23′34″N71°2′0″W / 42.39278°N 71.03333°W / 42.39278; -71.03333
Area30 acres (12 ha)
Built1908 (1908)
Architectural styleColonial Revival, Classical Revival
NRHP reference No. 85000030 [1]
Added to NRHPJanuary 3, 1985
Chelsea Central Fire Station Bellingham Square Historic District Chelsea MA 01.jpg
Chelsea Central Fire Station

Bellingham Square Historic District is a historic district encompassing the civic and commercial heart of Chelsea, Massachusetts. Roughly bounded by Broadway, Shawmut, Chestnut, and Shurtleff Streets, [2] the district was almost entirely built in the aftermath of the Great Chelsea Fire of 1908, and is a monument to the civic planning that took place at the time. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. [1]

Contents

Description and history

Bellingham Square is centered on the six-way junction of Broadway, Washington Avenue, Bellingham Street, Hawthorn Street, and 5th Street. The historic district radiates away from this junction and the adjacent City Hall to include civic commercial and residential buildings. [3] The square is home to the Chelsea Public Library and a satellite facility of Bunker Hill Community College, [4] located in the former post office. [5]

Chelsea was settled by English colonists in 1624, and was made part of Boston after that city was founded in 1630. It was separately incorporated in 1739, and developed in the 19th century as an industrial center, based first around wooden shipbuilding and then other industries. It was reincorporated as a city in 1857. On April 12, 1908, the Great Chelsea Fire of 1908 destroyed the city's commercial and civic heart, as well as 3,000 structures in a 500-acre (200 ha) area. In the wake of this disaster, the state assumed control of the city, and set in motion a modern (for the period) urban planning process to rebuild the fire-ravaged area. New codes governing zoning, building inspection and construction, and fire codes were introduced, and land use of the affected areas was planned. Major architects designed the city's iconic city hall (Peabody and Stearns), library, and post office (both Guy Lowell). The city's then-sizable Jewish population was recognized in the construction of the Chelsea Free Hebrew School, designed by Jewish architect Samuel Eisenberg. [3]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SoHo, Manhattan</span> Neighborhood in Manhattan, New York

SoHo, sometimes written Soho, is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan, New York City. Since the 1970s, the neighborhood has been the location of many artists' lofts and art galleries, and has also been known for its variety of shops ranging from trendy upscale boutiques to national and international chain store outlets. The area's history is an archetypal example of inner-city regeneration and gentrification, encompassing socioeconomic, cultural, political, and architectural developments.

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

Chelsea is a city in Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States, directly across the Mystic River from Boston. At the 2020 census, Chelsea had a population of 40,787. With a total area of just 2.46 square miles, Chelsea is the smallest city in Massachusetts in terms of total area. It is the second most densely populated city in Massachusetts, behind Somerville, and is the city with the second-highest percentage of Latino residents in Massachusetts, behind Lawrence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Civic Center, Los Angeles</span> Neighborhood of Los Angeles in California, United States

The Civic Center neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, is the administrative core of the City of Los Angeles, County of Los Angeles, and a complex of city, county, state, and federal government offices, buildings, and courthouses. It is located on the site of the former business district of the city during the 1880s and 1890s, since mostly-demolished.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Downtown Santa Ana</span> United States historic place

Downtown Santa Ana (DTSA), also called Downtown Orange County, is the city center of Santa Ana, the county seat of Orange County, California. It is the institutional center for the city of Santa Ana as well as Orange County, a retail and business hub, and has in recent years developed rapidly as a regional cultural, entertainment and culinary center for Orange County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bellingham Square station</span> Bus rapid transit station in Chelsea, Massachusetts, US

Bellingham Square station is a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Silver Line bus rapid transit (BRT) station located near Bellingham Square slightly north of downtown Chelsea, Massachusetts. The station has two accessible side platforms for buses on the SL3 route. The Boston and Maine Railroad and predecessor Eastern Railroad served Chelsea station at the same location from the mid-1850s to 1958. The MBTA opened Chelsea station on the Newburyport/Rockport Line in 1985. Prior to its 2010 cancellation, the Urban Ring Project planned for a circumferential BRT line with a stop at Mystic Mall. Planning continued for the Chelsea segment; a Silver Line extension to Mystic Mall was announced in 2013. Construction began in 2015, and SL3 service to the renamed Bellingham Square station began on April 21, 2018. Commuter rail service moved to the newly constructed Chelsea station on November 15, 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Congregation Agudath Shalom</span> United States historic place

Congregation Agudath Shalom, also known as Agudas Sholom the Walnut Street Synagogue or the Walnut Street Shul, is an active, historic Open Orthodox Jewish synagogue at 145 Walnut Street in Chelsea, Massachusetts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chelsea Garden Cemetery</span> Historic cemetery in Massachusetts, United States

Chelsea Garden Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery in Chelsea, Massachusetts. The cemetery was established in 1841 to provide the city a burying ground in the then-fashionable rural cemetery style, and was the first cemetery within the city limits. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.

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

The Downtown Chelsea Residential Historic District is a historic district roughly bounded by Shurtleff, Marginal, and Division Streets and Bellingham Square in Chelsea, Massachusetts.

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

The West Gardner Square Historic District encompasses the historic commercial, civic and industrial downtown area of Gardner, Massachusetts. Developed industrially beginning in the early 19th century, the area now boasts a concentration of late 19th and early 20th century commercial, civic, and industrial architecture. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.

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

The Central New Bedford Historic District is one of nine historic districts in New Bedford, Massachusetts, United States. The district encompasses the city's central business district, built up during the time in the late 19th century when textiles had replaced whaling as the city's main industry. It is a 29-acre (12 ha) rectangular area bounded by Acushnet Avenue and the older New Bedford Historic District on the east, School Street to the south, Middle Street on the north and 6th Street in the west. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Broadway Historic District (Saratoga Springs, New York)</span> Historic district in New York, United States

The Broadway Historic District is located along Broadway in Saratoga Springs, New York, United States. It has a twofold character. The southern section is the commercial core of the city, with many of its important public and private buildings, most intact from its peak days as a resort town in that era. North Broadway is a residential neighborhood with many large Victorian houses built by frequent visitors to the town and its spas and racetrack.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Troy Historic District</span> Historic district in New York, United States

The Central Troy Historic District is an irregularly shaped, 96-acre (39 ha) area of downtown Troy, New York, United States. It has been described as "one of the most perfectly preserved 19th-century downtowns in the [country]" with nearly 700 properties in a variety of architectural styles from the early 19th to mid-20th centuries. These include most of Russell Sage College, one of two privately owned urban parks in New York, and two National Historic Landmarks. Visitors ranging from the Duke de la Rochefoucauld to Philip Johnson have praised aspects of it. Martin Scorsese used parts of downtown Troy as a stand-in for 19th-century Manhattan in The Age of Innocence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Des Moines City Hall</span> United States historic place

The Des Moines City Hall is a government building in Des Moines, Iowa, built in 1909 and 1910. It was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 10, 1977 as the Municipal Building, and became a contributing property in the Civic Center Historic District in 1988. The building serves as the seat for the government of the city of Des Moines. Beginning April 7, 2016, City Hall offices were temporarily relocated while the building underwent renovation. The construction was necessary to install modern heating, cooling, and sprinkler systems while preserving the historic character of the building. The project was expected to take 18–24 months. During that time, City Hall was closed to the public, and City offices moved to other nearby locations. Between February 26, 2018 and April 9, 2018, city offices moved back to City Hall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chelsea Commercial Historic District</span> Historic district in Michigan, United States

The Chelsea Commercial Historic District is a historic district located along both sides of Main Street from Orchard to North Street in Chelsea, Michigan; the district also includes the adjacent 100 blocks of Jackson, East Middle, and West Middle Streets, as well as structures on Park, East, and Orchard Streets. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Vernon Triangle</span> Place in the United States

Mount Vernon Triangle is a neighborhood and community improvement district in the northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C. Originally a working-class neighborhood established in the 19th century, present-day Mount Vernon Triangle experienced a decline in the mid-20th century as it transitioned from residential to commercial and industrial use. The neighborhood has undergone significant and rapid redevelopment in the 21st century. It now consists mostly of high-rise condominium, apartment and office buildings. Several historic buildings in the neighborhood have been preserved and are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Mount Vernon Triangle is now considered a good example of urban planning and a walkable neighborhood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Farmington Historic District (Farmington, Maine)</span> Historic district in Maine, United States

The Farmington Historic District encompasses much of the main central business district of Farmington, Maine. Farmington was settled in the 1770s, and experienced its most rapid growth after being named the shire town of Franklin County in 1838, with a secondary spurt of redevelopment after a major fire in the 1880s. Its central business district encompasses many of the town's historic resources, and its most significant commercial and civic architecture. The district, which includes more than 130 resource over 85 acres (34 ha), was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Market Square Historic District (Houlton, Maine)</span> Historic district in Maine, United States

The Market Square Historic District of Houlton, Maine encompasses that town's historic late-19th century central business district. Centered on the junction of Market Square, Court Street, Water Street, and Main Street, it includes a relatively cohesive assortment of brick and masonry commercial buildings, designed by architects and built between 1885 and 1910, following the arrival of the Bangor and Aroostook Railroad. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

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

The Governor Shirley Square Historic District encompasses a cluster of civic, residential, and religious buildings at the junction of Dudley, Hampden, and Dunmore Streets in the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. Named for colonial governor William Shirley in 1913, the square was developed in the 1870s and 1880s as a major locus of civic development after the city of Roxbury was annexed to Boston in 1868. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Columbus Civic Center (Ohio)</span> Civic center in downtown Columbus, Ohio

The Columbus Civic Center is a civic center, a collection of government buildings, museums, and open park space in Downtown Columbus, Ohio. The site is located along the Scioto Mile recreation area and historically was directly on the banks of the Scioto River.

The Humboldt Avenue Historic District is a historic district encompassing a cluster of multifamily brick buildings in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. Centered on the junction of Humboldt Avenue and Hutchings Street, the area was developed in 1915-16 during a major Jewish migration, and includes a fine sample of Colonial Revival architecture. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2021.

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
  2. Jack Tager; Jennifer L. Herman (December 1, 2008). Massachusetts Encyclopedia. North American Book Dist LLC. pp. 1–. ISBN   978-1-878592-65-1.
  3. 1 2 "NRHP nomination for Bellingham Square Historic District". National Archive. Retrieved November 15, 2017.
  4. "Chelsea Campus". bhcc.edu. Bunker Hill Community College. Retrieved December 13, 2013.
  5. "Rehabilitation of the Chelsea Post Office. 1997". preservationnation.org. National Trust for Historic Preservation. June 10, 1998. Retrieved December 13, 2013.