Whitcomb Warehouse

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Whitcomb Warehouse
Whitcomb Building, Springfield MA.jpg
Whitcomb Building
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Location 23-24 Hampden St., Springfield, Massachusetts
Coordinates 42°6′13″N72°35′44″W / 42.10361°N 72.59556°W / 42.10361; -72.59556 Coordinates: 42°6′13″N72°35′44″W / 42.10361°N 72.59556°W / 42.10361; -72.59556
Area less than one acre
Built 1896 (1896)
MPS Downtown Springfield MRA
NRHP reference # 83004291 [1]
Added to NRHP February 24, 1983

The Whitcomb Warehouse is a historic warehouse at 32-34 Hampden Street in Springfield, Massachusetts. Built in 1896, it is one of the most intact late 19th century industrial buildings in Springfield. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. [1]

Warehouse commercial storage building for goods in transit

A warehouse is a building for storing goods. Warehouses are used by manufacturers, importers, exporters, wholesalers, transport businesses, customs, etc. They are usually large plain buildings in industrial parks on the outskirts of cities, towns or villages.

Springfield, Massachusetts City in Massachusetts

Springfield is a city in the state of Massachusetts, United States, and the seat of Hampden County. 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. As of the 2010 Census, the city's population was 153,060. As of 2017, the estimated population was 154,758, making it the third-largest city in Massachusetts, the fourth-most populous city in New England after Boston, Worcester, and Providence, and the 12th-most populous in the Northeastern United States. Metropolitan Springfield, as one of two metropolitan areas in Massachusetts, had a population of 692,942 as of 2010.

National Register of Historic Places federal list of historic sites in the United States

The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance. A property listed in the National Register, or located within a National Register Historic District, may qualify for tax incentives derived from the total value of expenses incurred preserving the property.

Contents

Description and history

The Whitcomb Warehouse is located on the northwest side of downtown Springfield, on the north side of Hampden Street east of East Columbus Avenue. The area is now generally devoid of other 19th-century or early 20th-century buildings, the result of urban decay and renewal activities. It is a four-story masonry structure, finished in yellow brick. The ground floor facade consists of two garage-style doors, flanking a pair of pedestrian entrances sharing an access stair. The garage doors have been covered over by large display windows, set on a low brick wall in the door openings. The upper floors are eight bays wide, with sash windows set in segmented-arch openings, headed by rows of soldier bricks, one projecting slightly. The building is crowned by a frieze band of decorative brick work and a modest patterned brick cornice. [2]

The warehouse was built in 1896, and was first associated with the Springfield Cigar Manufacturing Company, the city's largest manufacturer of cigars. It was later sold to Colby Manufacturing, a maker of rulers. Other 20th-century uses of the building have included as an arts center. [2]

Cigar tightly-rolled bundle of tobacco designed to be lit and smoked

A cigar is a rolled bundle of dried and fermented tobacco leaves made to be smoked. They are produced in a wide variety of sizes and shapes. Since the 20th century, almost all cigars are made up of three distinct components: the filler, the binder leaf which holds the filler together, and a wrapper leaf, which is often the best leaf used. Often the cigar will have a band printed with the cigar manufacturer's logo. Modern cigars often come with 2 bands, especially Cuban Cigar bands, showing Limited Edition bands displaying the year of production.

Ruler An instrument used to measure distances or to rule straight lines

A ruler, sometimes called a rule or line gauge, is a device used in geometry and technical drawing, as well as the engineering and construction industries, to measure or draw straight lines.

See also

National Register of Historic Places listings in Springfield, Massachusetts Wikimedia list article

This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Springfield, Massachusetts.

National Register of Historic Places listings in Hampden County, Massachusetts Wikimedia list article

This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Hampden County, Massachusetts.

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References

  1. 1 2 National Park Service (2008-04-15). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service.
  2. 1 2 "NRHP nomination for Whitcomb Warehouse". Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved 2013-12-14.