Massachusetts

Norwood Press Complex // 1897

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Now that is an interesting example of adaptive use… What do you think of this?

The Norwood Press was formed in 1894 by several companies which consolidated to form a company that covered all aspects of the book-making process. AII three companies had been located in Boston, but were lured to Norwood by free land offered by the local Business Association along with tax incentives that were too good to pass up. The underutilized land was quickly redeveloped in the 1890s with the several-building complex built on Washington Street in Norwood, Massachusetts with the largest building (pictured) constructed in 1897. By 1904,the press room of this plant was one of the largest in the U.S.,producing nearly seven million volumes ranging from 100 to 1,600 pages each. By 1917, the Norwood Press employed 600 workers in town! The Romanesque Revival style brick factory stands out for its five-story clocktower with (now enclosed) arches and corbelling. The Norwood Press closed after WWII and the plant was purchased by the Northrup Company. Today, the warehouse is under new ownership and is used as a storage facility, with many of the windows enclosed for the storage units.

United Church of Norwood // 1886

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Located across from the church-like Norwood Town Hall, the United Church of Norwood is a landmark example of the Victorian Gothic architecture style and an important historical landmark for the town. The cornerstone of this present church was laid in 1885 and was completed and consecrated by December of 1886. Boston architect J. Williams Beal, got his start at the firm of McKim, Mead & White, designed the church here for the local Universalists, who lost their previous church to fire in 1884. In 1934, the town’s Universalist and Methodist congregations merged and they joined together in this, as a Union Church. Built of Milford granite and pressed brick, the United Church of Norwood features a side chapel and clock in its steeple which are unique and add charm to the historic church.

Oliver J. Barr House // 1908

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Built in 1908 as a late example of the Queen Anne and Shingle styles, the Oliver J. Barr House is one of the finest Victorian buildings in Norwood, Massachusetts. The residence was built for Oliver J. Barr (1863-1935), who served as the General Manager of the Norwood Press in town, following his company from Boston to Norwood. The house was designed by Eugene Clark a Boston-area architect who specialized in suburban houses in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The dwelling is noteworthy for its distinctive form, intact and rough textured wood shingle siding, and complex roof configuration. Particularly noteworthy is the verandah which encircles its northeast corner and rounded conically capped tower.

Norwood Theatre // 1927

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The Norwood Theatre was built in 1927 as a high-style showpiece for the re-invigorated downtown of Norwood, Massachusetts. Built at the same time as the Norwood Town Hall building, the building was constructed at a time of great development in the town, as local entrepreneur and philanthropist, George Willet and landscape architect Arthur A. Shurcliff, created a plan to evolve Norwood from a sleepy rural town to a commercial center. Architect William G. Upham is credited with designing the theatre and he enjoyed a prolific career which encompassed the design of masonic temples, commercial blocks, theatres, homes, and of course, the Norwood Town Hall. The Norwood Theatre was designed in a high-style Spanish Renaissance Revival style and was designed for motion pictures but also included a stage for possible vaudeville and theatrical productions. By the mid-20th century, a Modern sign covered much of the original facade, and lasted until the building came under its current ownership in 2010. A careful two-year restoration brought the theatre back to its former glory.

Chickering Farmhouse // c.1807

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The Chickering House at 101 Walpole Street is significant as one of the oldest extant houses in Norwood, Massachusetts. Although local lore dates this house to 1781, it likely dates to 1807 (or was adapted from an earlier house) and was owned by Deacon Dean and Sally Guild Chickering, who farmed on the lot. Three generations of Chickerings farmed the land here until the early 20th century, when John D. Chickering, a local historian, sold much of the land for suburban development. The Federal style farmhouse remains as a vestige of the early, pre-suburbanization that Norwood is now known for.

Norwood Odd Fellows Building // 1912

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In the early 20th century, Norwood, Massachusetts, shifted from sleepy rural town to a commercial and population center with a population tripling in size between 1900 and 1930. Located on Washington Street, the town’s main commercial street, the Odd Fellows Building stands as a reminder of the historical importance to charitable and social organizations. Designed by Boston architect Clarence Blackall, the three story building is characterized by a boxy rectangular form, yellow and tan masonry with limestone and granite trimmings, and its somewhat minimal detailing. Built in 1912, the building’s first floor was designed to contain two stores, the second floor housed the club rooms and meeting hall, and third-story containing restrooms and a kitchen. The Classical Revival style building is one of the larger and more significant commercial structures in the town center.

Norwood Town Hall // 1928

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Norwood Town Hall represents the achievement of landscape architect Arthur A. Shurtleff and local financier, George Willet, to transform the village center of Norwood, Massachusetts from a sleepy rural village to a thriving commercial and cultural center of town. Plans for the municipal building began as early as 1919, with this building serving as both a town hall and memorial to the Norwood men who died in all previous wars. The building would not be completed until 1928. Designed by Norwood architect, William Upham, the building is a landmark example of the Neo-Gothic Revival style and its main feature, the 110-foot bell-tower which houses a 50-bell carillon, towers over the town common.

The Billingsgate Cottage // 1892

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In 1892, this large summer “cottage” was built in the Land’s End section on the coast of Rockport, Massachusetts. The large summer residence was built for the Thatcher sisters of Roxbury and was named “The Billingsgate” after their mother’s maiden name, Billings. Caroline Billings Thatcher would summer here with upwards of her four other sisters, Lillian, Margaret, Mary, and Elizabeth, to escape from the city. The large summer cottage features a rubblestone first floor with stone columns supporting the shingled floor above. A large gambrel roof and dormers punctuate the façade and showcase the simplicity and elegance of the Shingle style.

Turk’s Head Inn // 1890-1970

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The Turk’s Head Inn was once Rockport’s grandest getaway. For those uninterested in building their own summer cottage to spend the along the coast of Massachusetts, luxury summer resorts provided summer rentals for those escaping the hot and polluted cities in favor of cool ocean breezes. Once situated in the  Land’s End section of Rockport, the Turk’s Head Inn, had sweeping views of the coast and islands in the distance. The initial portion was built from 1889 to 1890 by builder J. M. Wetherill of Rockport based on plans by architect H. M. Stephenson of Boston. It was expanded and became this rambling, E-shaped Colonial Revival structure with a seaboard frontage of two hundred feet and wraparound verandas over three hundred feet in length. Over the years, the Turk’s Head Inn suffered a number of fires, and its central and southeast wings were rebuilt, the latter in 1905 by then owner C.B. Martin. With a peak capacity of 200, the hotel, uncharacteristic of the regional hospitality industry, remained in operation for eighty years before it was closed down, partially destroyed by fire, and the remains removed in 1970.

Haskins Cottage // c.1910

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Another great turn-of-the-century summer cottage in Rockport’s Headlands neighborhood is this c.1910 Craftsman house on Norwood Street. The listed early owner was L. S. Haskins who likely utilized the house as a summer residence. Architecturally, the cottage follows the Craftsman form with a low-sloped roof with broad eaves, shed dormer, exposed rafters, and rubblestone foundation and columns of stones taken from the site and nearby neighborhood.