The handsome rubblestone commercial block at the corner of Main and Water streets in Chester, Connecticut, was built in 1909 by Italian stone masons for Joseph H. Leet and contained a grain and feed store, with other spaces in the building rented out. Decades later, the old Leet Store became a auto repair shop and the upstairs space was used as a meeting hall and theater for the community. The building was restored in 1979 and expanded at the rear with a two-story wood-frame addition for additional commercial space.
Colloquially known as the “Stone Store,” this handsome stone structure in Chester Village, Connecticut, was built by William Buck in 1809, a merchant involved in the West Indies trade. The stone for the building is believed to have come from the Chester quarry in town and was likely more vernacular without the columned portico. The four-columned Doric portico was likely added in the 1830s or 1840s as the Greek Revival style surged in popularity. The two side wings were added in the 20th century. The Old Stone Store has held various uses from a store, tavern, post office and liquor store, while the upper floor has served as a private school, the town’s library and an apartment. The Old Stone Store today acts as the western terminus of the town’s Main Street commercial district.
One of the more impressive commercial blocks in Brookline is located at the corner of Washington Street and Davis Avenue in Brookline Village. The Seamans Block was developed by its namesake, James Manning Seamans (1834-1908), a wealthy grocer who operated a store from the building. The handsome masonry block was built from designs by the firm of Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge, a successor firm to H.H. Richardson. As partner of the firm, Charles H. Rutan lived just down Davis Avenue, it is likely that he was in charge of this design. The structure follows the Richardsonian Romanesque style, popularized by Richardson through the rounded corner and heavy arches, but is done entirely in brick rather than adding brownstone or terracotta detailing. The building has long been an excellent example of a historic “mixed-use” block with ground floor retain and apartments above, something that many new developments try and emulate today.
In Providence, even industrial warehouses are architecturally interesting to look at! This is the C & J Mauran Company Warehouse at 369 South Main Street in Providence’s East Side neighborhood. The building was constructed around 1820 for brothers, Carlo (1779-1844) and Joshua Mauran (1782-1847), who were wealthy merchants who stored goods from their ships trading in the Indies here. Before all of this, the site was home to an earlier structure from the 1770s, built by Deacon Joseph Sheldon, and the site was occupied by a warehouse, later owned by his son, Christopher Sheldon, and was known as the “Slave Pen” for its use of holding and transporting enslaved people. The “slave pen” burned in 1801 and the structure was later rebuilt by the Earle Brothers, and then again (the current structure) by Carlo and Joshua Mauran. Later in the 19th century, a brick façade and storefront were added to the building as the street shifted firmly to commercial uses, with noxious industrial buildings moving further to the periphery of the established College Hill neighborhood. From 1856 to 1939, the Ferry Coal Yard Company and the National Coal Company stored coal in the building After WWII, the City of Providence took the building and adjacent block by eminent domain to make way for urban renewal, and luckily for us, the building was rehabilitated rather than demolished at this time. The structure was converted to office use, and was again restored in the 2010s by Newport Collaborative Architects.
The Cheapside Block on N. Main Street in the East Side district of Providence, Rhode Island, is significant as a remaining Victorian-era commercial block that retains much of its original architectural detailing. Built in 1880 and designed by local architects Stone & Carpenter, the Cheapside Block was named after the early nineteenth century name given to the commercial district running along the west side of Main Street, north from the eighteenth century Market House, after the London commercial district of the same name. The word “cheapside” is derived from the Anglo-Saxon word “to barter.” The block here is an excellent example of the High Victorian Gothic architecture style, with intricate brick and stonework, pointed gables with inlaid tile, quatrefoil motif in the parapet, and the original cast iron storefronts. The building was acquired by the Rhode Island School of Design and renovated in the 1980s. Today, the Cheapside Block is home to the RISD Design Center.
The Hope Block on North Main Street in Providence’s East Side neighborhood is an architecturally significant commercial block in the Second Empire style. The masonry building was constructed in 1869 and is probably designed by architect, Clifton A. Hall, who designed similar buildings in the city around that time. The block was developed by Edward M. Young and Ezra P. Lyon of the firm, Young & Lyon to house their fruit and grocery store, which they operated here from 1870 until 1889. By the latter half of the 20th century, the building was owned by the Rhode Island School of Design, and rehabilitated for classrooms in 1984, even retaining the cast iron storefronts, unique arched windows, and slate mansard roof. Today, the Hope Block houses the RISD Store.
Mid-late 19th century commercial blocks provide human-scaled density, high quality design, and often contain intimate storefronts providing reasonable rent to local businesses. The Henry Block in Westborough, Massachusetts, is one great example of a historic commercial building that checks all of these boxes. The brick building was constructed in 1873 by its namesake, Samuel Gates Henry (1813-1877), a pharmacist and dentist who rented space in an earlier building on the site. When a fire destroyed the old structure, Samuel Henry had this block erected on the site and leased out spaces in the building to other businesses and tenants in the floors above. The block is Italianate/Italian Renaissance Revival in style with the typical round arched windows and bracketed cornice. The granite storefronts even retain some of the original cast-iron supports.
The Second Meeting House of Westborough, Massachusetts, was built on this important site in the center of the village in 1749. It was a plain, wooden building and was used for both church services and town meetings, since church and state were essentially inseparable at the time. When a new church was built in 1837, this building was purchased and converted to commercial use. The first floor of the building was raised, and another floor was added underneath. The steeple was also removed. The building then became known as “The Arcade Building,” a kind of mall with small shops opening onto the porch. By the end of the 19th century, the old wooden building was nearing 150 years old and owners decided to demolish the structure, and replace it with a more permanent and stately block. The New Arcade was built in 1890 and is more Romanesque in style. The handsome brick block has retail spaces on the ground floor with residences above, a great example of mixed-use.
Located across from the North Abington Depot, this structure was constructed in 1894 as a leather harness and saddle shop by local businessman, Henry Crossley. The expensive building of cut granite and brick seemed to have overextended Mr. Crossley’s means, as he would soon-after file for bankruptcy. The building would remain as commercial use until 1915, when the property was purchased by the Peerless Amusement Company for use as a 300-seat theater. By the 1930s, the building became known as the Capitol Theater, and was listed to seat 230 customers on the main floor and 70 in the balcony. Due to the more rural nature of the cinema, it closed in the mid-20th century, and suffered from neglect for decades until it was restored and is currently housing apartments.
Buildings of New England 
