Colton's Block

Last updated
Colton's Block
Colton's Block Worcester MA.jpg
USA Massachusetts location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location588 Main St., Worcester, Massachusetts
Coordinates 42°15′38″N71°48′17″W / 42.26056°N 71.80472°W / 42.26056; -71.80472 Coordinates: 42°15′38″N71°48′17″W / 42.26056°N 71.80472°W / 42.26056; -71.80472
Arealess than one acre
Builtc. 1860 (1860)
Architectural styleItalianate
MPS Worcester MRA
NRHP reference No. 80000610 [1]
Added to NRHPMarch 05, 1980

Colton's Block is an historic series of commercial buildings at 586-590 Main Street in Worcester, Massachusetts. Built in the 1860s, it consists of three separate yet similarly-styled buildings separated by firewalls. It is the only surviving example of a commercial building style that was common in Worcester at the time. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. [1] It is now mostly occupied by residences.

Contents

Description and history

Colton's Block is located in downtown Worcester, on the west side of Main Street between the Federal Plaza parking garage and the Babcock Block. It consists of three separate four-story brick buildings with nearly identical styling. Each is four bays wide, with a single storefront on the ground floor; the central entrance now provides access to the upper floors. The three buildings are articulated by slightly projecting piers, which rise to a band of corbelled brickwork and a common projecting cornice studded with paired brackets. The leftmost building has slightly larger windows on the second floor than those elsewhere (an alteration dating to about 1900). [2]

The buildings were likely built in the 1860s by Samuel Colton, who published the Worcester Spy before branching out into other businesses, including real estate development. These types of buildings were once quite common in downtown Worcester, and these are now the only ones left. The earliest documented occupants were dry goods retailers and wholesalers. [2]

See also

Related Research Articles

Abbott Street School United States historic place

The Abbott Street School is a historic school building at 36 Abbott Street in Worcester, Massachusetts. Built in 1894, it is a good local example of Romanesque Revival architecture. It served as a public school until 1981, after which it was converted to residential use. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

Garbose Building United States historic place

The Garbose Building is a historic commercial building located at 4-12 Pleasant Street in Gardner, Massachusetts. Built in the mid-1880s, it was extensively restyled in the 1910s, and now stands as one of the city's finest examples of Colonial Revival architecture. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 12, 1983, and included in the West Gardner Square Historic District on December 30, 1985.

Brick Block United States historic place

The Brick Block is a historic commercial building on Main Street and Chatham Bars Road in Chatham, Massachusetts. Built in 1914 by a master mason, it is a distinctive local landmark in downtown Chatham, and a showcase of the bricklaying art. The block was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.

Baystate Corset Block United States historic place

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.

Fitzgeralds Stearns Square Block United States historic place

Fitzgerald's Stearns Square Block was a historic commercial block at 300–308 Bridge Street in downtown Springfield, Massachusetts. It was built in 1871 for Patrick Fitzgerald, one of Springfield's leading real estate developers of the time, and is an important early design of E.C. Gardner, who later designed a number of prominent Springfield properties. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. It was apparently demolished sometime afterward; the site is now a parking lot.

Friedrich Block United States historic place

The Friedrich Block is a historic mixed-use commercial and residential block at 449-461 Main Street in Holyoke, Massachusetts. Built in 1908, it is a significant Renaissance Revival work by the local architect George P. B. Alderman, and for its association with the E.H. Friedrich Company, a manufacturer of metal architectural parts. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.

Guenther & Handels Block United States historic place

The Guenther & Handel's Block is a historic commercial building at 7—9 Stockbridge Street in Springfield, Massachusetts. Built in 1845 by Elam Stockbridge, it is one of the oldest surviving buildings in the city's downtown area, and one of its rare examples of Greek Revival commercial architecture. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

McKinney Building United States historic place

The McKinney Building is a historic commercial building located at 1121-27 Main Street in Springfield, Massachusetts. It is locally significant as a good example of commercial Classical Revival architecture, and was part of generally southeastward trend in the growth of the city's downtown area.

Armsby Block United States historic place

The Armsby Block is an historic mixed-use residential and commercial building at 144-148 Main Street in Worcester, Massachusetts. Built in 1885 to a design by noted local architect Stephen Earle, it is a well-preserved example of Panel Brick architecture. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

Babcock Block United States historic place

The Babcock Block is a historic commercial building at 596 Main Street in Worcester, Massachusetts. Built in the 1860s, it is a rare example of granite construction in the period. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

Isaac Davis House United States historic place

The Isaac Davis House is an historic house at 1 Oak Street in Worcester, Massachusetts. It was built in 1870-72 for Isaac Davis (1799-1883), a prominent local lawyer and banker, and is a fine example of Italianate architecture in brick. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. It is now home to the private Worcester Club.

Bancroft Trust Building United States historic place

The Bancroft Trust Building, formerly the Dodge Block and Sawyer Buildings, is an historic commercial building at 60 Franklin Street in Worcester, Massachusetts. It is the result of combining the 1883 Sawyer Building with the 1869 Dodge Block, one of the few surviving buildings of Worcester's early industrial age. Both buildings were designed by Fuller & Delano of Worcester, and were combined into the Bancroft Building in 1920. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.

Enterprise Building (Worcester, Massachusetts) United States historic place

The Enterprise Building is an historic commercial building at 540 Main Street in Worcester, Massachusetts. When it was built in 1900, this five story brick building achieved notice for its elaborate Beaux Arts decorations. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

Gilman Block United States historic place

The Gilman Block was a historic commercial building at 207-219 Main Street in Worcester, Massachusetts. Built in 1896, it was a distinguished local example of Classical Revival and Romanesque styling, reflective of the city's rapid growth in the late 19th century. The building was acquired by the state and demolished in 2004 to provide space for a new courthouse. The courthouse incorporates a part of the facade of the building and has an exposition of its history. It had been listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000,

Mechanics Hall District United States historic place

The Mechanics' Hall District is a historic district encompassing a city block of downtown Worcester, Massachusetts, United States that preserves its late 19th-century appearance. It is located on Main Street between Exchange and Foster Streets, and includes the Worcester Five Cents Savings Bank building and Mechanics Hall. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

Pleasant Street Firehouse United States historic place

The Pleasant Street Firehouse is an historic former firehouse at 408 Pleasant Street in Worcester, Massachusetts. One of three fire stations built by the city in 1873, it was Worcester's oldest active firehouse when it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. It has since been converted to commercial retail use.

Chapin Block United States historic place

The Chapin Block is a historic commercial building at 208-222 Hamilton Street in Southbridge, Massachusetts. Built in 1888, it is the only Shingle style commercial building in Southbridge. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.

High Street Historic District (Hartford, Connecticut) United States historic place

The High Street Historic District of Hartford, Connecticut is a 1.1-acre (0.45 ha) historic district that includes three buildings typifying the architectural styles of the late 19th and early 20th centuries in the city. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998. The buildings are located at 402-418 Asylum Street, 28 High Street, and 175-189 Allyn Street, and includes the Batterson Block and Judd and Root Building, each individually listed for their architecture.

Robinson and Swan Blocks United States historic place

The Robinson and Swan Blocks are a pair of mixed commercial-residential buildings at 104-108 Pleasant Street and 1-3 Irving Street in Worcester, Massachusetts. Built about 1884 to nearly identical designs by Fuller & Delano, the buildings are well-preserved examples of Victorian Gothic architecture executed in brick. They were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980, but due to administrative lapses, are not listed in its NRIS database.

Duprey Building United States historic place

The Duprey Building is an historic commercial building at 16 Norwich Street in downtown Worcester, Massachusetts. Built in 1926, it is a good example of a commercial Classical Revival building, built by a prominent local developer. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. It is now mostly occupied by residences.

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
  2. 1 2 "NRHP nomination for Colton's Block". Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved 2014-02-09.