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19th Century Architecture NorthamptonCHARLES H. JONES ARCHITECT NORTHAMPTON, MASSkCHUSETTS 1838-1897 Caroline P. Adams 19th Century Architecture Professor P. Norton December 13, 1979 I n i f®rv- fill, "There is every prom.1se that his name will go down to future generations as one of the most stylish architects of the present time. "' Such was Northampton's esteem of Charles H. Jones and the exuberance it felt about the bur- geoning, Victorian landscape in 1887. By that year Jones had designed more than 60 fashionable buildings, offering the area visual evidence of its forward - looking attitude and prosperity. Following the Civil War, rapid industrialization pro- pelled Americans toward a reckless, new spirit of confi -- Bence, and Northampton was not alone in congratulating itself with lavish testimony to its recent fortunes. Jones' designs, like those of most of his contemporaries, are in- dicative of the climate they were conceived in. They ex- pressed an innovative search for nationhood with the bold assertions of an adolescent coming of age. Fittingly, Victorian architecture is described as 2 romantic, restless, undirected and confusing", but "rarely restrained, never timid ". In retrospect we may attribute - `qis moodiness in Ame loth century buildings to an unprecedented exploration for identity in a rapidly changing world. This grappling for maturity was further characterized by a persistent and naive belief in Manifest Destiny and perfectibility which maintained a safe distance 2 from the graft, and the ethnic, religious and cultural issues of the time. Direction. and purpose was vague and "the hazier the outlines of the nation, the more necessary I the language of reassurance ". i Consequently. Jones, like others, articulated a very I loud declaration of independence. The irregularity and I surprise in a silhouette, the fantastically textured sur- faces, and projecting towers, balconies, and roofs clam- ored for attention. But by the turn of the century, much Victorian architecture was perceived as an embarrast-rig reminder of an awkward adolescence. Therefore, buildings received'.a coat of white paint to disguise eccentricities; others lost their turrets as they fell into disrepair, all the while their tenants shad outmoded ideals. Until recently, scholars have overlooked these mon- uments of our growing pains, prefering to focus on the quieter architecture of an earlier period or the more fully developed work of the 20th century. Nearly 100 years have elapsed before we have gained the distance and perspective necessary to appreciate the work. In that time we have lost a memory of the period that our ancestors wished to pass on to us. Charles Jones and numerous other architects who were heralded by their public have been completely forgotten. To ressurect Jones, we may examine Northampton's local 3 _newspaper and probate records as well as the buildings attributed to him. It is possible to piece together a chronology of his professional and private lives and spec- ulate what kind of personality he brought to bear upon his designs and how the social climate imposed its stamp upon hiTii. The Hampshire Gazette portrays Jones as a man born of humble origins from Nantucket, Massachusetts 5 , who made his success through resolve and enterprise, a modicum of fate and natural talent. He embodied the Horatio Alger myth and the promise of upward mobility. As will be shown the.s mplicity of this portrayal belies some of Jones' sociological advantages, such as a favorable marriage and the expedient business associations derived from it. Whether Jones actually came from such.an impecunious back- ground remains a question for further research. The point to -be made here is that despite and in light of the degree of inacuracy or simplicity of the Gazette reporting, we see a people eager to romanticize and justify their condi- tion. , ;n Jones received his first trair;g as an apprentice house painter with a Mr. Chase of Boston. At the age of seventeen he ,joined his brother Isaac in Ashfield, Massachusetts, where they engaged in house painting and decorating. Such work would include paper hanging, graining, marblizing, ornamental and fresco painting of interiors, and also the exterior painting of a house with a. careful combination -of 4 - colors. -�3 F or the roof there _might be "a soft_ green- black, not glossy, but modified with a little emerald green; the upper shingles, including all piazza and bay window roofs below the roof proper, stained a quiet russet, not too dark; for the clapboards, a medium warm brown, with a dark- er brown for trimmings. The front door could be cherry o stained a medium dark tone. ". While in Ashfield, the .brothers did a considerable amount of work in Shelburne Palls and the surrounding area. A few years later they moved to Hatfield. "Th.eir fame as painters and decorators spread so that work poured in from all-over Western Massachusetts," 10 They are credited wi r th the planning,.painting and decorating of 67 church edi.faces in Ashfield, Conwayi, Deerfield, Lee, Pittsfield and many other towns, Among them was the old Edwards Church that stood on the corner of Main and South Streets, Northampton. In addition, they worked on just as many residences and public buildings. The Jail and House of Correction was their first Northampton commission. When Charles Jones was 22 and living in Hatfield, he married Mary Angelia Bliss, daughter of William C. and Laura Munson Bliss of that same town. William Bliss, a broom manufacturer, owned a 10 room homestead; 43 acres of land and a moderate yet comfortable estate worth $13,018 at his death. He traded with the Shakers for broom hand- les and employed many laborers to complete the product. His factory was one of the largest and most profitable in the area. Bliss' liviihood was respectably capitalist in he held two pews in the Hatfield Congregate - onal -- - -- nature, I Church and he served two terms as fir`s selectman, giving I him an honorable position in the community. Marriage to his daughter would have certain advantages. William Bliss' accounts suggest the kind of financial benefits Jones received as a son -in -law. For instance, in 1863 Bliss gave Jones money for clothes and household furniture; in 1864, Bliss held a mortgage for Jones' house. More difficult to assess are the social benefits of Jones' marriage, but we might safely assume (knowing the experience of others) ' that his status rose by association with the Bliss family. The increased social status might better explain tiny Orange Judd of New York and publisher of the American Azri culturist called on Jones one day. The Gazette relates the episode with a romantic flair, owing the significant event to fate. The logic of a New 'Yore publisher soliciting business from a painter, when wealthy farmers were at hand begs further elucidation. The cu- cuiva - ulur , vl L1 had become the principle crop in Hatfield taking up nearly 1,000 acres, tobacco farming had rec.ently.been introduced, 1 and Smith Agricultural School was well established 3 , all. r'ea sons far worthier of Mir. Judd`s trip than door -to -door sales. Yet the Gazette informs its readers: "One day... along came Orange Judd, publisher of the American Agriculturi of New York. He was soliciting subscribers and bus in:e s s for �i s Paper and -- ___ - - -- upon our enterprising painter.at his Hatfield home. Mr. Jones was away from home at the time, but his wife supposed he was in his artist room upstairs, and she told Mr. Judd to go up and see him. He went up and find- ing the room unoccupied he looked about a little. There were spread out various draw- ings a house and church decorations, and. he examined them .. Mr. Judd was a large builder himsel -, having erected over 400 houses in suburbs of New York. He en- couraged Mr. Jones to engage in architecture, and from that time he paid more attention to that branch of artistic work. 14 While it remains spe6ulation, it 'doesinot seem unreasonable to entertain the notion that some interested party from Hatfield (perhaps Wm. Bliss himself) who was familiar with Jones' and Judd's work, recommended an introduction. Jones is listed in the Northampton City Directory for the first time in 1868. He conducted his painting and dec-Y Cratin business out of his home on the corner of State and Center Streets. Not until 1888 did he bill himself as an s architect, painter and decorator, and by 1894 (only 3 years before his death) he had discontinued painting altogether. It appears that Jones may have designed Jones block on Court Street, the site of his home and business by 1775, and the present location of Wiggins Tavern. In January, 1875, the original building burned to the ground. and was replaced by a larger and "poorly constructed building of brick, three stories high, with Mansard roof ", on the old f oundation. Jones and his brother Isaac (then living in Boston) owned 'the building and leased space to the Nonotuck Pocket Book Company, the namtshire County Journal, and Partridge's pain u shop . Jones' shop was located on the first floor, his residence on the third. The buildii in 1882, it was entire contents him to mortgage jg was beset by a history of fires and again completely destroyed. 16 Jones lost the of his shop and. all his furniture, forcing some of his real estate holdings." Only a one story wooden, building to the rear of Jones Block survived, saving a large number of windows that Jones was in the process of making. hepea 4eaiy, in -L oy , , 1 Qii4 18a ?, fires damaged Jones Block, but after surviving the second one and taking no more ehances,'Jones moved his family to I\Iew South Street. While these setbacks occured, Jones made progress with his architectural career. One of the first houses built after his plans was in the Italian Villa style for J. E. 18 Andrew Jackson Downing Wight of Hatfield., (figure � ) . had popularized the style by publishing designs for Italian • villas by Alexander Jackson Davis, in both Cot tage Residences (1842) and Architecture of Country Houses (1810). By 1860 their influence could be seen in Hatfield. Jones may have decorated some of these first Itallian Villa homes: At any rate ° saw and understood their importance, so that when it came time to•design'nne he had-some-grasp of its form. It is a fine first effort, but the hand of a novice draughtsman is evident. The Wight house stands uncommonly prim and symmetrical I i .. y , .. ,. _.. ... 8 With. brackets and bargeboarding beneatr the eaves that hug the clapboarded facade like great eyebrows arched in su.i:pr.ise. The bay windows at either side of the house are the only relief given to the otherwise upright, stiff posture. Strong horizontals are repeated by the second story balustrade, a flat projecting roof and the boxy cupola atop. As a rule, ItalZ ian villas consisted of rectilinear blocks grouped asymmetrically to form the picturesque "sky outline" that Downing favored. The Wight home design looks suspiciously colonial in its symmetry, with an Itallian facelift too ex- treme for its suggested age. cones' second effort 19 was more successful, perhaps because William H. Dickinson (owner of the house) contributed many,of the ideas he gathered while travelling through England, The circumstances out of which the Dickinson house arose certainly helped shape the final design. Dickinson and his two neighboring friends found themselves with con- s siderable fortunes and competitive dispositions Each man assured the other he was capable of building the most elab- orate home. 21 and then Waite built their houses first (illustrations # % and # =% ), across the Main Street from Dickinson's small Colonial home. One took on the Itallian Villa style, the other was a sturdy little Second Empire design. Dickinson, not to be outdone, moved the old homestead and built a monstrous, Second Empire style structure which 9 must have cast an early morning shadow clear across the street upon his neighbor's homes. Inspiration or � Dickinson' home (1.875) may have come from the New Louvre in Paris (1852 -57), but more likely he saw its influence in London. The Louvre served as a prototype for designs entered in competition for building new foreign and war offices in London (1857). 'These designs were illustrated widely and might even have come to Jones' attention. A Miansard roof gives the Second Empire style its most distinguishing characteristic. Dormer windows punctuate the nigh concave or convex sloped roofs and all windows are dressed in clas garb. The wooden quoins (usually found in masonary buildings) visually assist in supporting the heavy roof and cornice work. While the tower and irreg- ular composition of forms suggest a muscular, upward thrust it is held together by the horizontals in the decorative, roof -tile work, cornice and window- tiediments'. , s The house interior, beautifully preserved, reflects the same attention to stylishness-as the exterior. Elaborate marble fireplaces, etched windows, richly colored wall paper and finely grained door panels survive as examples of what may be some of Jones' owns work. Peculiarities exist such as the ballroom to be approached through the second floor bed chambers or up the back stairway, and the dining room with no less than 8 doors. Yet the house impresses its grandness, 10 Nothing advertises an.architect's skill like _a_ success- fully executed building and Jones soon aqui.red numerous commissions. By 1887, he had completed the designs for 57 houses, three churches and other buildings. His services had been used in Northampton, Amherst, Easthampton, Hadley, Granby, Hatfield, Deerfield, South Deerfield, Pittsfield, Holyoke, Springfield, Rockville, Connecticut, Boston and New York. 22 Throughout the 1880's, Jones actively invested in real estate with Benjamin E. Cook, Jr., jeweller, developer and well loved first mayor of Northampton. Together they owned half interests in the tenements still standing on Eastern Avenue and Williams Street, in addition to a double tenement on Hawley Street, a Block on New South Street, and properties at five other locations. Their business conduct suggests a solid friendship existed between the two men, Jones gave Cook outright his share of the Eastern Avenue /Williams Street property 25 and appointed Cook (and Isaac Jones) trustee of his estate. Among Jones' other real estate investments were proper- ties on Kensington, King, Hawley, Henshaw, Summer and Bright Streets in Northampton, and some acreage in Pelham, Massachu- se He also invested $7,000 for a share in the Northampton syndicate, holding a tract of undeveloped land in Duluth. It sold for a disappointing $700 in 1900. Even though the other shareholders lent a reliable element to the investment, 11 the obvious risk in such speculation departed from Jones' customary prudence. The investment reflects his aspirations indicates the manner in which he was willing to achieve them. Similar traits are evinced in ones' architecture, for he never surpassed gratifying his customers with more than a safe approximation of the styles in vogue. His designs differea' only to the extent that he took acceptable liberties in the arrangement of mass and form, and attention to detail. Jones artistic risk took shape within the bounds of popular or collective conformity. Two of the houses Jones designed during the 1880's, illustrate this characteristic. The Edgar Crooks house at 28 Pomeroy Terrace and the George Strong house at 11�2 South Street (Illustrations # and # La ) , were executed in the then prevalent Queen Anne style. They -owe their picturesque quality to the eclectic freedom of the style and the origin- ality of Jones' composition. As a decorator, Jones gave mu�h attention to textural features, treating the wall surfaces with variegated shingles, clapboards, and carving. He employed overhanging upper stories, projecting windows, bays, differing window dimensions (some glazed with plate glass, others leaded with small. panes and still others staired), protruding porches with lattice work, turrets, multiple roofs, brackets, finials, terra cotta, ad infinitum. The result makes a rather angular, nervous statement in 12 I the Crooks house. The Strong house, while it is les -ran- - - -- resents - a simi -lar -- ?- ns- pi=rati ona -1 flavor_.__ _...__�; i c _ in - - appe affiance � p I Both clearly express the designer's sensibilities and indi- cate the public's taste for the "picturesque ". Yet only I I in that respect do they succeed. The departure from any ! given architectural formula made great concessions, for the absence of any coherence ( outside of constant irregularity) defeated the integrity of the whole. I For the most part, if a Jones house is viewed in frag= ments, there is more reason to applaud. The Gere residence (c, 1887, Illustrations 7 7 and # ) displays a sensitivity for the ornamental within smaller sculpted portions of the whale. It seems that Jones, perhaps. because he. was first accustomed to working with interior scales and dimensions, had difficulty selecting and unifying so many components into an in Celli gable whole. The commercial g - building bn the corner of Pleas ant 'and _ Armory Streets (c. 1890, Illustrations # cf through 1 )} s comes closest to accomDlishing the integrity lacking in -his i earlier work. Possibly the building's size and function, the less flexible materials he was obliged to work with, and I I the undeniable influence of the neighboring blocks, provided Jones with just the restraints he needed to guide him to a more cohesive design without compromising artistic experi- mentation. The massive block form is at once distinguished by the 13 turret which had become_Jones' hallmark. The turret allowed - - - - - - - - -- Jones personal expression and served to attract customers to the fashionable merchandise within. It contributes to the total design by inviting the eye upward past the abrupt rocf line and down again over its shingled surface to the windows. In turn, the strong horizontals, created by the limestone banding at window level, guide the eye across the facade or along the side as it receeds toward the bay window at the rear. The broadly arched romanesaue window at the second floor crowns the enormous display window below. Early photo- graphs show a larger display window than the present one, and the Gazette boasted of its size. "Its glass front has the largest single pane in.the city, and the deep recess in which the door is set adds to the show space of the front, permitting a whole chamber set to be shown on the raised platform at the window." 27 T slight arch to the bold, limestone hood moldings soften the bulk of the basic rectangular form and repeat the central theme of the Romanesue arch. The variation in window treatment avoids boredom, but an underlying idea is pfrposefully repeated enough to unify the parts. Jones also gave consideration to the greater whole of the neighborhood when he designathis building, for the roof line (front and back) echoes those next'to'it. Closer examination does not disappoint. The warm red 14 brick set in red cement contrasts sharply with the white --- - - - - -- limestone, reminding one of the Queer, Anne buildings in England, built of brick and wood trim painted white. A square column with Corinthian type capital accentuates the corner and announces the store front sign. Wood carving and shingling on the turret decorate without being gimmiky. The spacious interior is interrupted only by iron supporting columns and suits the intended. display of large pieces of furniture, No ornamentation detracts from the merchandise which was at that time lavishly embellished and overstated in its appearance. An elevator, now gone, reached the floors above giving easy access to other fur- niture and the caskets from Mr. Edward's undertaking business. 28 Electricity city and hot water heating made the build a functionally modern one. Unfortunately, the years following the building of Cook's Block brought personal misfortune to Jones. The many fires in Jones Block must have slowed his ambition and the money panic of 1893 could not have escaped him. His health began to fail and he was subject to nervous prostration. Evidence of his serious concern over finan- cial matters can be'foun d in Jones' last will and -t6sta- ment*when he states its purpose is "to save my estate for my descendents and that it may not be squandered". Unless further discovers more of Jones' designs that are as successful as Cook's Block it cannot be known 15 if he had the ability to be one of our better architects. In 1875, his eyesight failed him Two errs a er _e. died of kidney disease at the Dickinson Hospita1 2 - a building he designed in 1885. The promises of the industrial world had confused Americans` ideals and while people searched for the essence of their new identity they' kicked up a baffling assortment of social problems. Until they could discard their old assumptions, and feel comfortable with their new direction, they were unable to emerge in harmony with the 20th century. By the 1890`s, big business, corporations and trusts had thrust control into the hands of a few. The middle class kept busy striving for and rarely gaining a share of that control. Jones was caught in the middle and his affairs and architectural designs attest to it. The "promise that his name will go doom to future generations" died hard, but with the assistance of the buidings that survive Jones and others like him, a better understanding of our heritage, both social and architectural, - will evolve. 1 Daily Hampshire Gazette April.26, 1887, p.2 2 Sadayoshi Omoto, "The Queen Anne Style and Architectural Criticism ", Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians 1963, p. 29-36. 3 William L. PaOonald, Northampton, - Massachusetts , Architecture and Buildings (Northampton Bicentennial Committee, 1 975), P-3 Daniel J. Boorstin, The Americans: The National Experience (London, 1966), p.389. 5 2azette, Octcber. 16, 1897, p.1. 6 Gazette , January 15, 1889, p. 1. J ones was actually born_ in Harwich, Massachusetts to Simon Jones, a seaman, and Mehtabel Jones. See Document ? Gazette, Ibid. 8 Northampton Directory 1874 -75, p. 128. 9 Gazette, June,1889. 10 Gaz.ette , January 15, 1889 11 Last Will and Testament Probate Records, Probate Court, Northampton, Massachusetts, Box 17, no. 10. 12 Daniel White Wells and Reuben Field Wells, History of Hatfield., (Springfield, Ma.: F. C. H. Gibbons, 1910, p. 219. f. 1 JWells and. Wells, -bid. , p. 219, 485 1 Gazette, January 15, 1889, p. 1, , 15 Gazette December 12, 1882. a 15 Gazette , -bid. 1 Registrar of Deeds, Northampton, Massachusetts, Book 382, p.29 1 Gazette Januar 15, 1889 P.1. I I 19 Gazette Ibid. I i 20 W lliar. Dickinson was a tob) acco farrier, bank_ president, and prominant Hatfield resident. 21 This is the story as it was related to Mr. and Mrs. LaYalley, 'present owners of the Dickinson house, by William C. Dickinson, son of the builder. 22 Gazette , January 15, 1889, p. 1. L " Last Will and "Testament Box 301, No. 33 2 Gazette October 16, 1897. 25 Registrar of Deeds, Book 447, p.47. 26 Probate Records, Box 301, No. 33. 27 Gazette , January 28, 1890, p.3. 28 Gazette , Ibid. 2Q Death Certificate Cit�T Glcrk, Northampton, Massachusetts. Gazette October 16, 1897. 30 Gazette , January 15, 1889. J. E. Atght House r. 1872 Winliam H, Dickinson house de taii; Wrn. H. Dickinson House AX fit I George Strong House 1887 ---------- , 7VOM m =14 details; George Strong House detail. George Strong House Coo'. Block (note the original plate glass window)' a L detail: Cook Block rx E A PLEASANT STREET, LOOKING WEST. Cook Block Cook Block integrated well with the other commercial l buildings, most of which were built after designs W. F. p'r att in the few preceeding decaidies. In this view the turret, far from adding a discordant note, __ - urt --- H 6u8 echoes the our continued: Bright Street Residence These cottages may be representative of the bulk of Jones' work. They are not the kind of structure that the Gazette would mention and are therefore to track down and - attr. lbute to Jones. But structures such as these may help account for the 100 or .more buildings credited to him. t4e of j fflaosar4usefts October 31 X9..79 Cityof Northampton, ..._ ».. ».... ». ». »....» ..» » .... »....... »...._.... .. ..... I, , belinc Barran, hereby certify that I hold the office of City Clerk of the City of Northampton, in the County of Hampshire and Commonwealth of Massachusetts; that the Records of Births, Mar- riages and Deaths in said City are in my custody, and that the following is a true extract from the Records of Deaths, in said City, as certified by me. Date of Death . ........ ... . ._..... ........... _. October 15......... 8Q7 .. .... ..... ....... ..._... .......... __ Charles H. Jones Name of Deceased, _. ........ ___ ........... ............. ..... _ Maiden Name of Deceased, . ........................ _ _..lm w........... ».... Name and Surname of Husband, ........ Male Whit Condition, Married Sex, ..».........»... ...._........».._. ........ » ... _ Color, » ... ». » »_.w. » »» Age»......_ .......59 .... _. ......... ....... Years, _ ..............» »...3 ..» _ _ ....._» » ». » ».. »...... Months, _ ..._ g » Days, _ .w Disease of Urinary Organs Disease or Cause of Death . .................. _ ..._._. ... _._....._............_._..........._...._ ........ ....... ...... ....... .» ..... _. ». . �... � Northampton, Massachusetts Residence» ..... _..»» .. ................ ».. ». »......... .............. ».. ..... .»...._....»....»........».»........._............_........».......»»._.»» »»»......»_»__._..........._».. Dickinson Hospital, Northampton, Mass. Place of Death, ._ . Northampton, Mass. Cemetery Placeof Burial, ............... _.. »...._ ....... .» ............ .... ».. »_ _»_» .......»...._.......... .. »»» .»» Architect Occupation, ....... .......... ....... ». »._ ._.. _ _.. ..... ». »_.. ».» » . _ ... ................ ..._.. Harwich, Massachusett Placeof Birth . .......................... ....... _ ........ ....... ....... » »_ _ . »» ...»_...... .... »_......»... ». » »._..... » ».. » ».»»»»»» _ ... Simon Jones Name of Father . ...................................... ........ __ .... .... ....... _._. ..... ... ... »...»............. _ ..._..._ ... ». ....... .. ...... _»» Mehitabel Robbins Name Mother, ... ...... ».. »..- ....... ....... ».. ».._ ...... »....... chuse oh,Massa Birthplace of Father, _..... ............._......»»»». » »�..» Harwi ___..... »....» a Harwich,Mas Birthplace of Mother, » ». Witness my hand and Seal of said City of Northampton, on the day and year first above written. [SEAL] ». »� .¢ / City Clerk. Daily Hampshire Gazette October 1 gg pui ldings attributed to C. H.. Jones, Residences J. E. Wight, Hatfield Wr H. Dickinson, it , I i y ron D' cl�inson, F ` George Strong, Northampton Lucius C lark, It Chas. F. Warmer, E. F. Crooks Dr, Blodgett H. S. Gere , ° O. N . Kyle, Florence Dr. Chas. Bailer, Pittsfield Cpt, Chas. Pease, Amherst L.B. White, Holyoke A., M. Belding, Rockville, -Ct. Supt. Allen of Belding Bros. Chapin, Springfield Wm. Allen, Easthampton Henry P. Bailey, New York C. W. Berryman, A. E. Bronson, Ashfieid \mill, Rockville, Ct. ) continued: buidings attrJLbuted to Bones Ockington's Hotel, South Deerfield A. E. Bronson's store, Ashfield Lilley Library, Florence Alterations I Congregational Church, Florence Florence Machine Co. office, Todd's Block, Northampton Clapp & Johnson Block, B. E. Cook's store, M. M. French's store, Retiiodelin,g Henry E. Smith, Northampton residence L. - B. Williams, it It