68 North 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-259 Easthampton NTH.124
Town: Northampton
Place: (neighborhood or village) Florence
Address: 68 North Main Street
Historic Name: Chester Damon House
Uses: Present: Two-family residence
Original: Single-family residence
Date of Construction: 1885-1888
Source: Registry of Deeds and Directory
Style/Form: Italianate
Architect/Builder:
Exterior Material:
Foundation: brick
Wall/Trim: vinyl
Roof: asphalt
Outbuildings/Secondary Structures:
Garage
Major Alterations (with dates):
Siding added and windows replaced, ca. 2005; exterior
chimney added ca. 1970.
Condition: good
Moved: no | x | yes | | Date
Acreage: 0.352 acres
Setting: This is a north-facing house set back from
the street in alignment with its neighbors.
INVENTORY FORM B CONTINUATION SHEET [NORTHAMPTON] [68 NORTH MAIN STREET]
MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Area(s) Form No.
220 MORRISSEY BOULEVARD, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02125
Continuation sheet 1
NTH.124
___ 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 is a two-and-a-half story house that has a front-gable roof and a cross-gable bay window on the east and a shallow bay on
the west. The bay window was introduced during the Italianate style period and quickly became a standard feature form many
new houses and was added to many existing houses. The house has a two-story ell on the south with a side porch on the east
that is supported on Italianate posts with brackets at the eaves. It has a second story that has been enclosed. The house is
three bays wide and has a side hall entry. Windows have been replaced with 1/1 sash except for the attic window in the north
façade that is an arched Italianate window. With the application of vinyl siding and vinyl windows, the house has lost a lot of its
character, but in form it adds to the number of Italianate houses that make up North Main Street in Florence.
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: “North Main Street has existed since the 18th century as ‘Williamsburg Road,’ but did not really begin to
be developed until the last third of the 19th century. By 1900, houses lined both sides of the street from the center of Florence to
Bridge Road. Most of these houses remain, and with only a small account of 20th century infill, the street retains its character.”
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. 392-P. 313