Cedar Street 18.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: Jayne Bernhard-Armington Organization: Pioneer Valley Planning Commission Date
(month /year): June, 2010 Assessor’s Number USGS Quad Area(s) Form Number 38C-033 Easthampton NTH.1079 Town: Northampton Place: (neighborhood or village) Address: 18 Cedar Street Historic
Name: Alexander Blechschmidt House Uses: Present: Single Family Original: Single Family Date of Construction: 1916 Source: Springfield Daily Republican Style/Form: Egyptian Revival Architect/Builder:
Exterior Material: Foundation: Concrete Wall/Trim: Pressed concrete Roof: Asphalt Outbuildings/Secondary Structures: One bay, two car garage of concrete block Major Alterations (with
dates): Enclosed screen porch and walled front-entry circa 1950 Condition: Good Moved: Moved: no | x | yes | | Date Acreage: 0.23 acres Setting: House sits close to the street in an
established neighborhood of early to mid 20th century homes.
INVENTORY FORMB CONTINUATION SHEET [NORTHAMPTON ] [18 CEDAR ] MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Area(s) Form No. 220MORRISSEY BOULEVARD, BOSTON,MASSACHUSETTS 02125 Continuation sheet
1 NTH.1079 __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. This unique one-story home is a rare domestic example of the Egyptian Revival style. According to Form B of 1980, this
house was built in 1916 and therefore predates the major period of interest in the Egyptian culture in the United States that took place in the 1920s after archeologists uncovered King
Tutankhamen's tomb in 1922. For this reason, additional historical research on the date of this home should be conducted to determine if the house was indeed built in 1916. Architects
who chose the Egyptian Revival style fell into the group of architects from this era that sought to break with the prevalent styles of the immediate past such as the Queen Anne and looked
to foreign and ancient cultures for inspiration. This eclectic style also shares qualities with the Prairie and Art Deco styles with its clean lines and strong geometric qualities. Consistent
with the Egyptian style, this home features an exterior wall cladding of pressed concrete block with bas-relief crown of laurel pattern. Ancient Egyptians built without wood, as it was
not readily available, so American builders used stucco or pressed concrete to portray this style. The roof to wall juncture also features an entablature with decorative architrave and
frieze. The low-pitched pyramidal roof, with overhanging eaves and exposed rafters and purlins, covers a screened porch. Of the domestic Egyptian style homes constructed, most had some
element of outdoor living space to evoke the semblance of the Egyptian courtyard and its temperate climate. The shafts of the porch columns are smooth on the lower half and fluted on
the upper half and they are crowned by enriched capitals. The columns rest on a closed concrete balustrade that continues the bas-relief laurel pattern. This symmetrical home is square
in shape and is three bays wide and four bays deep, with the front covered porch occupying the first of the four bays. Modern intrusions to this rare home include the enclosed front
entry and windows. 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 1980, “This unique 20th Century Cottage was built for Alexander Blechschmidt. Mr. Blechschmidt worked for McCallum Hosiery
Company whose mill was located on West Street. Alexander McCallum had bought 46 looms from Germany, “home of the hosiery business,” and had undoubtedly encouraged a number of loom operatives
to come along. 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. 1915 Atlas Daily Hampshire Gazette, May 5th, 1906 Northampton Directory 1915-1918
Springfield Daily Republican, 1916.