Pleasant Street 17.pdf
Follow Massachusetts Historical Commission Survey Manual instructions for completing this form. FORM B − BUILDING MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION MASSACHUSETTS ARCHIVES BUILDING
220MORRISSEY BOULEVARD BOSTON,MASSACHUSETTS 02125 Photograph Topographic or Assessor's Map Recorded by: Bonnie Parsons Organization: Pioneer Valley Planning Commission Date (month /year):
April, 2011 Assessor’s Number USGS Quad Area(s) Form Number 32C-020-001 Easthampton NTH. Town: Northampton Place: (neighborhood or village) Address: 17 Pleasant Street Historic Name:
Harvey Kirkland Block Uses: Present: Residential/Commercial Original: Residential/Commercial Date of Construction: 1850-1865 Source: Daily Hampshire Gazette Style/Form: Italianate Architect/Builder:
William Fenno Pratt, architect, Northampton Exterior Material: Foundation: not visible Wall/Trim: brick/brownstone/cast iron/wood Roof: not visible Outbuildings/Secondary Structures:
Major Alterations (with dates): Storefront re-designed, n.d.; some windows replaced ca. ca. 2000. Condition: good Moved: no | x | yes | | Date Acreage: 0.076 acres Setting: This block
is located in downtown Northampton and faces east.
INVENTORY FORMB CONTINUATION SHEET [NORTHAMPTON] [17 Pleasant Street] MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Area(s) Form No. 220MORRISSEY BOULEVARD, BOSTON,MASSACHUSETTS 02125 Continuation
sheet 1 NTH. _x__ Recommended for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. If checked, you must attach a completed National Register Criteria Statement form. Use as much
space as necessary to complete the following entries, allowing text to flow onto additional continuation sheets. ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION: Describe architectural features. Evaluate
the characteristics of this building in terms of other buildings within the community. The Kirkland Block is a four story brick commercial/residential building. It is red brick with
brownstone trim and has a flat roof whose cornice is laid in an ornamental design that was used on many of Northampton’s commercial buildings mimicking in brick the eaves brackets of
many Italianate style buildings. Beneath the cornice on the east façade is a row of attic windows suggesting that the building is three-and-a-half stories in height but they are part
of a fourth story whose full height is apparent on the south elevation. The building is five bays wide. On the first story the storefront retains its cast iron piers although the storefront
between supports has been altered over time. At the second story level are five bays of large windows under straight lintels of brownstone. They have 6/6 sash. The third story has five
bays of arched Italianate windows with arched brownstone lintels with carved keystones and carved springing blocks. Sash in the windows has been altered. This is a fine commercial block
that demonstrates the ability at the mid-century to bring light to the interior of a large building with proportionally expanded sash. HISTORICAL NARRATIVE Discuss the history of the
building. Explain its associations with local (or state) history. Include uses of the building, and the role(s) the owners/occupants played within the community. From Form B of 1976:
“This group of commercial blocks is located on Pleasant Street between the Holyoke Bank Block, 1848 (corner of Main and Pleasant Streets), and the Cook Block, 1900 (corner of Pleasant
and Armory). The blocks as a group are important elements in the street wall on Pleasant Street. It is probable that the block was originally two stories in height. Varying tones of
brick and lintel are evident. A rash of building activity in 1850 produced at least 6 blocks of brick construction. Two were built on upper Main Street near the then new Town Hall; four
rose near the intersection of Main and Pleasant Streets, probably in anticipation of business opportunities to be offered by the railroad (1845). These were the first substantial commercial
buildings. Arnold, Kirland, and Tillotson were typical merchants of modest means who resided in neighborhoods like Phillips Place and Center Street adjacent to the downtown.” BIBLIOGRAPHY
and/or REFERENCES Beers, F. W. County Atlas of Hampshire Massachusetts, New York, 1873. Hales, John G. Plan of the Town or Northampton in the County of Hampshire, 1831. Miller, D. L.
Atlas of the City of Northampton and Town of Easthampton, Hampshire County, Massachusetts, Philadelphia, 1895. Walker, George H. and Company. Atlas of Northampton City, Massachusetts,
Boston, 1884. Walling, Henry F. Map of Hampshire County, Massachusetts, New York, 1860.