28 Henshaw Avenue; officially 23 Rou
Follow Massachusetts Historical Commission Survey Manual instructions for completing this form.
FORM B − BUILDING
MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION
MASSACHUSETTS ARCHIVES BUILDING
220 MORRISSEY BOULEVARD
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02125
Photograph
Topographic or Assessor's Map
Recorded by: Bonnie Parsons
Organization: Pioneer Valley Planning Commission
Date (month / year): March, 2010
Assessor’s Number USGS Quad Area(s) Form Number
31B-168-001 Easthampton NTH.656a
Town: Northampton
Place: (neighborhood or village)
Address: 28 Henshaw Avenue; officially 23 Round
Hill Road Historic Name: A. Lyman Williston Ink Factory
Uses: Present: Smith College Management Program
Center Original: ink factory
Date of Construction: 1881-1882
Source: Hampshire Gazette
Style/Form: Mission
Architect/Builder:
Exterior Material:
Foundation: concrete
Wall/Trim: stucco
Roof: not visible
Outbuildings/Secondary Structures:
Major Alterations (with dates):
Condition: good
Moved: no | x | yes | | Date
Acreage: 1.28 acres
Setting: Building is set in the middle of its lot back from
both Henshaw Avenue and Round Hill Road.
INVENTORY FORM B CONTINUATION SHEET [NORTHAMPTON ] [28 HENSHAW AVENUE]
MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Area(s) Form No.
220 MORRISSEY BOULEVARD, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02125
Continuation sheet 1
NTH.656a
__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 Williston ink factory is a two-story, stucco building with a flat roof that is surrounded by a parapet roof whose curved profile
is based on Mission style architecture. It is and L-shaped building with a main block that is four bays long and a south wing that
is three bays long. The main block has at its outer bays of the first story, single-leaf doors and in the three inner bays it has
three glass and wood paneled storefronts. The wing has a door in the angle and two 6/1 sash windows. Further features from
the Mission style are the stucco exterior and the rear wall chimney that rises through the parapet roof. The Mission style was not
particularly popular in Northampton and the building’s original function as a factory may have led to this style to differentiate the
building from its residential neighbors.
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 1987: “A. Lyman Williston built, on the rear of his property at 35 Round Hill Road, this stucco building to which
he moved the Payson Indelible Ink Factory, founded in 1839 and originally on King Street. From 1882 until 1961, Payson Ink
was manufactured in this building by succeeding members of the Williston family, well-known in Northampton and Easthampton
for many contributions to civic and private philanthropies, notably the Williston School.
It was sold in 1961 to the Burnham School and adapted for use as a classroom building. When Burnham moved to
Greenfield, this property was purchased by the Clark School for the Deaf and used as an audiological laboratory and clinic from
1968 to 1984.
In 1984, it was purchased by Smith College, renamed Tilly Hall, and adapted for use as the Smith Management Center
and the Ada Comstock Scholars Center.”
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.
Registry of Deeds: Bk. 2488-P. 20 1984, 1532-745
INVENTORY FORM B CONTINUATION SHEET [NORTHAMPTON ] [28 HENSHAW AVENUE]
MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Area(s) Form No.
220 MORRISSEY BOULEVARD, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02125
Continuation sheet 2
NTH.656a
National Register of Historic Places Criteria Statement Form
Check all that apply:
Individually eligible Eligible only in an historic district
Contributing to a potential historic district Potential historic district
Criteria: A B C D
Criteria Considerations: A B C D E F G
Statement of Significance by _____Bonnie Parsons___________________
The criteria that are checked in the above sections must be justified here.
The Williston Ink Factory would contribute to a potential historic district that extends north of Northampton’s
primary corridor, Elm Street, encircling and encompassing the primary feature of that landscape, Round Hill. The
potential historic district is significant for its 19th century development from a few gentlemen’s farms to a
neighborhood dense with the homes of its most prominent residents and educational institutions that shaped the
character of Northampton for several hundred years to the present.
Architecturally the potential historic district is significant for the mix of high style late Gothic Revival, Italianate, and
Queen Anne style houses, the Colonial Revival and Tudor Revival styles of the 20th century that were often architect-
designed by the region’s most well-known designers. The Williston Ink Factory is a rare example of the Mission
style. This potential historic district has integrity of workmanship, feeling, setting, design and materials.