36 King Street
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
32A-255 Easthampton NTH.923
Town: Northampton
Place: (neighborhood or village) Northampton Center
Address: 36 King Street
Historic Name: Hotel Northampton
Uses: Present: Hotel
Original: Hotel
Date of Construction: 1927
Source: Daily Hampshire Gazette (4/8/27)
Style/Form: Colonial Revival
Architect/Builder: H.L. Stevens Co., New York &
Chicago, architects and engineers Exterior Material:
Foundation: granite
Wall/Trim: brick/limestone
Roof: not visible, copper
Outbuildings/Secondary Structures:
Major Alterations (with dates):
Addition made ca. 2000.
Condition: good
Moved: no | x | yes | | Date
Acreage: 1.667 acres
Setting: This building faces east and occupies a
prominent position near the junction of two important streets
in downtown Northampton.
INVENTORY FORM B CONTINUATION SHEET [NORTHAMPTON ] [36 KING STREET]
MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Area(s) Form No.
220 MORRISSEY BOULEVARD, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02125
Continuation sheet 1
NTH.923
_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 Hotel Northampton is the largest single building in downtown Northampton five stories in height and angled into three
sections on its east façade to minimize its impact on the streetscape. The angled main block has a three-story ell on the west, a
two-story wing on the north and in the space created by the angle on the east is a two-story glass entry block flanked by two
glass wings one story in height. The three entry blocks are topped by Colonial Revival style balustrades. The Colonial Revival
style of the brick building is further conveyed with a relatively small, centered pediment at its flat roof edge above a wooden
cornice ornamented with large modillion blocks. Other Colonial Revival details are the splayed limestone lintels at the second
story windows, the arched, keystoned windows at the fifth story, and those on the first story with mullioned arches. Limestone
stringcourses break up the elevations and add visual complexity to the extensive brick exterior. An addition on the south
elevation in the angle between the main block and the ell rises five-and-a-half stories.
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 1979: “Construction of the Hotel Northampton was completed in 1927, the culmination of a five year subscription
drive by the local Chamber of Commerce to sponsor a prominent local hostelry. By 1925, private citizens and businesses had
pledged $312,700 toward the construction effort. The Chamber believed the new hotel was necessary as a symbol of civic
importance, as well as a boon to local business interests. Subscribers purchased stock in the Hotel Northampton Corporation,
which was expected to pay annual dividends. The Corporation was successful doing so during the years of the Depression, a
feat of some magnitude.
L. Stevens Co. of New York City was the architect and general contractor of the building. Subcontractors are as follows:
E.H. Friedrich Co., Holyoke- Metal doors, roofing, cornices
F.S. Payne Co., Cambridge- Two Elevators
P & F Corbin Co, New Britain- Hardware (through Foster Farrar Co.)
Coburn Trolley Track Manf. Co., NYC- Elevator Fronts
R.E. Davies, Northampton- Plumbing systems
Holyoke Supply, Holyoke- Heating System
M.C. Bailey, Northampton- Window frames
The formal opening occurred on April 11, 1927. Total cost of construction and furnishing was $375,000.”
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.
INVENTORY FORM B CONTINUATION SHEET [NORTHAMPTON ] [36 KING STREET]
MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Area(s) Form No.
220 MORRISSEY BOULEVARD, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02125
Continuation sheet 2
NTH.923
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 Northampton Hotel is historically significant as Northampton’s largest hotel, where through much of the 20th century guests
have come from around the world, and where a hub of social and political activity has been located since 1927. Among the
guests have been Eleanor Roosevelt, Jenny Lind, Herbert Hoover, Calvin Coolidge, Dwight Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, and
Richard Nixon. The hotel is architecturally significant for its Colonial Revival style and for its interior furnishings that represent
the antique collection of its original owner. The hotel has a reconstructed 18th century tavern on its grounds, although it would
not contribute to the significance of the hotel.