55 Main Street
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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
17C-204 Easthampton NTH.109
Town: Northampton
Place: (neighborhood or village) Florence
Address: 55 Main Street
Historic Name: E. L. Smith House
Uses: Present: commercial
Original: single-family residence
Date of Construction: c. 1855
Source: 1860 Map
Style/Form: eclectic
Architect/Builder:
Exterior Material:
Foundation: brick
Wall/Trim: vinyl
Roof: asphalt shingles
Outbuildings/Secondary Structures:
Major Alterations (with dates):
Siding applied and windows replaced, ca. 2000.
Condition: good
Moved: no | x | yes | | Date
Acreage: 0.095 acres
Setting: This is a south-facing house in Florence’s
commercial center.
INVENTORY FORM B CONTINUATION SHEET [NORTHAMPTON ] [55 MAIN STREET]
MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Area(s) Form No.
220 MORRISSEY BOULEVARD, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02125
Continuation sheet 1
NTH.109
___ 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 E. L. Smith House is a one-and-a-half story house with a front-gable roof. It is three bays wide and two bays deep and has
a side porch on Queen Anne style turned posts with brackets at the eaves. The façade of the house has a side hall entry that is
recessed, a feature of the Greek Revival style whose impact has been reduced by the vinyl siding now covering it. First story
windows on the south façade are elongated, a feature of the Italianate style that began around 1850. Windows in the house that
formerly had 6/6 and 9/9 sash have been replaced by 1/1 sash. With its Greek Revival, Italianate and Queen Anne features, this
house is eclectic in style, which was often the case after the mid-19th century when so many options were available to builders.
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 small Greek Revival styled cottage was built during the middle of the 19th century. The first known
owner and occupant was E. L. Smith, who is shown here on the 1866 map. A business advertisement on the same map lists Mr.
Smith as a carpenter and joiner, so perhaps he built the house himself.”
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.