Berger Factory | |
Berger Factory | |
Location | 37 Williams St., Roxbury, Boston, Massachusetts |
---|---|
Coordinates | 42°19′58″N71°4′59″W / 42.33278°N 71.08306°W Coordinates: 42°19′58″N71°4′59″W / 42.33278°N 71.08306°W |
Area | less than one acre |
Built | 1902 |
Architect | George Moffette, Henry J. Preston |
NRHP reference # | 80000677 [1] |
Added to NRHP | April 9, 1980 |
The Berger Factory is a historic factory building at 37 Williams Street in Boston, Massachusetts. Built in 1902, it was home to one of the nation's first manufacturers of precision engineering and surveying instruments, and a surviving example of Roxbury's late 19th-century industrial development. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980, and now houses residences. [1]
The former Berger Factory is located just north of Roxbury's central Nubian Square (formerly Dudley Square), on the north side of Williams Street between Shawmut Avenue and Washington Street. It is a relatively architecturally undistinguished brick industrial building, three stories in height, and covered by a flat roof. A single-story ell, also with a flat roof gives the building an L shape. The street facing facade is basically ten bays wide, with windows on the first two floors topped by brick segmental arches, and those on the third with stone lintels. Left of the window bays is an eleventh bay, with a bricked-over smaller window on the ground floor, and decorative brickwork on the levels above, capped by a round-arch projection with a round window. The interior of the building has been converted into residential use. [2]
The Berger Company was founded in 1871 by Christian Berger, a German immigrant who had learned the manufacture of precision surveying instruments in England. At first known as Buff and Berger, it was originally located in downtown Boston, moving to this newly constructed facility in 1902. The main block was designed by Boston architect George Moffette, and the ell, added in 1907, was the work of Henry J. Preston. The company occupied these premises until 1976, when it moved to a new facility in Mattapan. After being vacant for some years, it was converted into residences. [2]
The Berger Company was the first American manufacturer of precision engineering equipment. Its gear was used in surveys for the Panama Canal, in the construction of New York City skyscrapers, and in American polar expeditions of Admiral Richard E. Byrd and Robert Peary. [2]
The W. & L. E. Gurley Building is a historic industrial building at 514 Fulton Street in Troy, New York, United States. Built in 1862, it is a classical revival structure that housed the W. & L. E. Gurley Company, a maker of precision measuring instruments. The Gurley Company was one of the first companies in the nation to make precision instruments. The building was designated a National Historic Landmark in recognition of this in 1983.
The Manufacturer's National Bank is an historic commercial building at 145 Lisbon Street Lewiston, Maine. Built in 1914, it was the tallest commercial building in Lewiston until 1950, and was one of the last major commercial buildings erected in the city before World War I, and one of the few that exhibits Classical Revival style. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.
The Nathan and Mary (Polly) Johnson properties are a National Historic Landmark at 17–19 and 21 Seventh Street in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Originally two structures, one dating to the 1820s and an 1857 house joined with the older one shortly after construction. They have since been restored and now house the New Bedford Historical Society. The two properties are significant for their association with leading members of the abolitionist movement in Massachusetts, and as the only surviving residence in New Bedford of Frederick Douglass. Nathan and Polly Johnson were free African-Americans who are known to have sheltered escaped slaves using the Underground Railroad from 1822 on. Both were also successful in local business; Nathan as a [caterer] and Polly as a confectioner.
The Bunker Hill School is a historic school at 68 Baldwin Street in the Charlestown neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. Built in 1866, it is a prominent local example of Second Empire architecture, and a surviving example of the city's school planning in the post-Civil War period. Now housing residential condominiums, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.
The Dillaway School is an historic school at 16-20 Kenilworth Street in Boston, Massachusetts. The school was built in 1882 to a design by George Albert Clough, the city's first official architect, and is his only surviving school design in the city. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980, and included in the Roxbury Highlands Historic District in 1989. The building has been converted to residential use.
The F.W. Smith Silver Company is a historic factory building at 60 Chestnut Street in Gardner, Massachusetts. It was built in 1892 by Frank W. Smith, who had begun manufacturing sterling silver silverware in 1886. The business continued under a succession of owners until 1958. The building is locally distinguished for its late Victorian commercial style, including a tower with pyramidal roof, and stained glass windows. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.
The Baystate Corset Block is a historic commercial block at 395-405 Dwight St. and 99 Taylor Street in Springfield, Massachusetts. Built in 1874 and twice enlarged, it was from 1888 to 1920 home of the Baystate Corset Company, one of the nation's largest manufacturers of corsets. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.
The Springfield Steam Power Company Block is a historic industrial building at 51-59 Taylor Street in downtown Springfield, Massachusetts. Built in 1881, it is a surviving example of a late 19th-century power distribution component, part of a scheme by the Springfield Steam Power Company to deliver steam power to nearby industrial facilities. The block was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. Its ground floor now houses "The City Church", a local community of Jesus followers.
The Intervale Factory is a historic Late-Victorian factory building at 402 River Street in Haverhill, Massachusetts. Built in 1889, it is one of Haverhill's better-preserved shoe factory buildings. Now converted to apartments, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.
The Masonic Block is an historic commercial block at 600-622 Main Street in Reading, Massachusetts. This three story brick building is distinctive in the town for its Renaissance Revival styling. It was built in 1894 by the local Reading Masonic Temple Corporation, and housed the local Masonic lodge on the third floor. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.
The American Waltham Watch Company Historic District encompasses the former factory of the Waltham Watch Company, the leading American watch manufacturer of the 19th century and the city's largest employer. Located on Crescent Street and the banks of the Charles River, the surviving elements of its manufacturing facility date from the 1870s to the 1910s, and include particularly fine industrial Romanesque architecture. The buildings have been converted to a variety of commercial, industrial and residential uses since they ceased being used for watchmaking in the 1950s. The complex was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.
The Globe Tobacco Building is a manufacturing building located at 407 East Fort Street in Downtown Detroit, Michigan. It is the oldest tobacco manufactory extant in Detroit, and is listed by the National Register of Historic Places.
The Stoneham Firestation is a historic fire station at Central and Emerson Streets in Stoneham, Massachusetts. The two-story red brick Renaissance Revival building was built in 1916, and continues to serve as the town's central fire station. Its most prominent feature is its four-story hose drying tower, which is reminiscent of Italian Renaissance-era towers. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984, and included as a contributing property to the Central Square Historic District in 1990.
Flanley's Block is a historic commercial building at 349–353 Main Street in Wakefield, Massachusetts, US. Built about 1895, it is a well-preserved local example of late 19th-century Italianate commercial architecture. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.
The Ritchie Building is a historic industrial building at 112 Cypress Street in Brookline, Massachusetts. Built in 1883 by Edward Samuel Ritchie, it is a fine example of the Panel Brick style, and is further notable as the factory space in which Ritchie manufactured a nationally distributed line of navigational instruments. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.
The Weis Manufacturing Company, currently known as WoodCraft Square, is a former factory located at 800 West 7th Street in the city of Monroe in Monroe County, Michigan. It was listed as a Michigan Historic Site and added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 26, 1981.
The Portland Packing Company Factory is an historic factory building at 14-26 York Street in Portland, Maine. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1996. Built in 1884, it was home to Maine's oldest and largest vegetable canning company until 1927. After years of neglect, it was rehabilitated in 1995-6. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996.
Bourne Town Hall is the town hall of Bourne, Massachusetts. It is located at 24 Perry Road in the Buzzards Bay section of the town. The two story Classical Revival brick building was built in 1914 to a design by architect James Purdon, and is the town's first and only purpose-built town hall. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2013.
Sohmer and Company Piano Factory is a historic piano factory located in the Astoria neighborhood of Queens, New York City. It was built in 1886 by Sohmer & Co., and is a six-story, "L"-shaped, Rundbogenstil / Romanesque Revival style brick building. The corner features a clock tower with a copper trimmed mansard roof. The building was expanded about 1906-1907. It was converted to residential usage starting in 2007.
The Osgood Bradley Building is an historic industrial building at 18 Grafton Street in Worcester, Massachusetts. Completed in 1916, the eight-story brick building is notable for its association with the Osgood Bradley Car Company, an early manufacturer of both railroad cars and automobiles. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2018.