Final_Sustainable Northampton_Preservation 06282024.pdf
SUSTAINABLE NORTHAMPTON
Comprehensive Plan
Historic Preservation Element
Approved by Northampton Historical Commission on October 30, 2023
Adopted by Northampton Planning Board on June 27, 2024
Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive Plan
Historic Preservation Element
December 2023
Prepared for:
Northampton Historical Commission
Northampton Office of Planning & Sustainability
Northampton Planning Board
By:
Barrett Planning Group LLC
In collaboration with
Kathleen Kelly Broomer,
Architectural Historian - Preservation Consultant
Cover photo by Florian Marschoun, Aspect Six
Inside photos by Florian Marschoun, Aspect Six
Judi Barrett
Bam Barrett
Internet Sources
CONTENTS
Section 1. Executive Summary ................................................................................................................ 1
Historic Preservation Plan Goals & Strategies .......................................................................................... 2
Strategies and Action Plan ........................................................................................................................ 8
Relationship to Other Sustainable Northampton Goals & Policies ........................................................ 14
Section 2. Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 16
2.1 Introduction to Historic Preservation Planning ................................................................................ 16
2.2. Northampton’s Historic Resources in Context ................................................................................ 18
2.3. History of Preservation Planning in Northampton .......................................................................... 33
2.4. Preservation Partners ...................................................................................................................... 39
Section 3. Investigation and Analysis .................................................................................................... 44
3.1. Overview of Issues and Challenges ................................................................................................. 44
3.2. Historic Properties Inventory .......................................................................................................... 49
3.3. Designated Historic Properties in Northampton ............................................................................. 55
3.4. Local Public Awareness and Engagement Analysis .......................................................................... 64
3.5. Analysis of Existing Municipal Ordinances and Regulations ............................................................ 68
3.6. Municipal Policy, Management, and Capital Improvements Analysis ............................................. 78
Section 4. Goals & Recommendations .................................................................................................. 85
4.1. Historic Properties Inventory Recommendations ........................................................................... 85
4.2. National Register of Historic Places and Local Historic District Priorities ...................................... 104
4.3. Public Awareness, Programming, and Education Recommendations ........................................... 110
4.4. Municipal Ordinances and Regulations Recommendations .......................................................... 111
4.5. Municipal Policy, Management, and Capital Improvements Recommendations ......................... 112
4.6. Protecting Public Investment and Stewardship Recommendations ............................................. 113
Section 5. Action Plan .......................................................................................................................... 115
Section 6. Appendix ............................................................................................................................. 122
Appendix A. What are historic resources? ........................................................................................... 123
Appendix B. Communities Utilizing Recommended Preservation Planning Tools (2023) .................... 125
Appendix C. Resources for Climate Resilience, Reuse, and Renovation and Retrofitting .................... 127
Appendix D. Economic Impact of Historic Preservation: Resources List .............................................. 129
Appendix E. Community Engagement .................................................................................................. 131
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Section 1. Executive Summary
Northampton’s historic built environment and cultural landscapes convey its
rich heritage and character. Preserving these historic resources is essential for
protecting the City’s unique sense of place.
The Northampton Historical Commission and the Office of Planning and Sustainability have partnered
to create a Historic Preservation Plan as a new component of Sustainable Northampton, the City’s
Comprehensive Plan. The Historic Preservation Plan is designed to enrich the Comprehensive Plan
with analysis, goals, and recommendations to protect the City’s historic resources and heritage
landscapes.
Northampton benefits from the preservation work of present and former commissioners and staff.
The vitality of Downtown Northampton is inextricably tied to the City’s successful efforts to protect
and celebrate the historic municipal, institutional, and commercial buildings and landscapes found
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there. Owing to work by the Historical Commission, City staff, the City’s preservation partners, and
others, Northampton has historically important areas and individual properties listed on the National
Register of Historic Places and a Local Historic District (LHD) along part of Elm Street.
Unfortunately, Northampton has lost some important historic resources, too. The City’s existing
historic resources inventory is dated and incomplete, and outside the small Elm Street LHD, the
Historical Commission’s regulatory arsenal is limited to implementing the Demolition Delay
Ordinance. Northampton has also tried to create some regulatory incentives to preserve existing
structures, too, e.g., by allowing additional units within the existing footprint of older buildings.
However, market conditions often favor new construction as a means of increasing the value of real
estate. Northampton’s challenge, like that of many other desirable communities, requires striking a
balance that puts historic preservation on equal footing with other valid city planning objectives such
as housing, sustainability, the local economy, open space, and so forth.
The purpose of this Historic Preservation Plan is to advance Sustainable Northampton’s Guiding
Principles, including but not confined to the City’s commitment to “recognize and foster the unique
history, character, and function of each residential, commercial, mixed use, and open space
neighborhood.” Just as Northampton already recognizes that “the protection of environmental
resources will improve the quality of life and the value of property in the City,” so too will the
protection of historic resources.
Historic Preservation Plan Goals & Strategies
Goal HP-1. Improve Northampton’s inventory as the basis for preservation planning decisions by
adding or better recording areas of concentrated historic development per current statewide survey
standards.
Actions
• Add or update area forms for critical-priority neighborhoods that retain the greatest historic
architectural integrity and associations with historic development of citywide significance, for
future historic district evaluation.
• Update or expand the inventory for necessary- and important-priority neighborhoods to support
future historic district evaluation and broader citywide planning goals.
• Begin planning for survey of mid-20th century modern neighborhoods (ca. 1945-1975), tapping
the expertise of longtime residents and building support for preservation.
Goal HP-2. Expand inventory coverage of individual historic resources, generally those located outside
recommended survey areas.
Actions
• Update inventory forms for critical-priority resources to facilitate future historic designation.
• Initiate a citywide survey of current and former houses of worship (pre-1975), expanding existing
inventories forms as needed to meet current standards.
• Conduct a reconnaissance-level survey of barns, carriage houses, sheds, shops, and other ancillary
buildings and structures located on parcels outside the Elm Street Local Historic District and the
downtown Central Business-Core District, using detail plates from Northampton’s 1895 atlas as a
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base map. Results will guide the scoping of an intensive-level survey of pre-1901 buildings and
structures to support demolition review.
• Ensure the inventory records, to current survey standards, all pre-1975 city-owned or -managed
buildings, objects, burial grounds, structures, or landscapes (Table 3.6.1).
• Complete building forms for properties in the Central Business-Core design review district that
lack inventory forms for reference in review decisions.
• Require updated inventory forms for historic resources considered for Community Preservation
Act funding.
Goal HP-3. Add to Northampton’s inventory of archaeological resources for future consideration in
the City’s planning and permitting process.
Actions
• Commission a citywide archaeological reconnaissance survey.
• Renew city efforts to inventory and pursue National Register listing for the New Haven and
Northampton Canal, in coordination with both MHC and municipalities along the canal path in
Massachusetts and Connecticut.
• Add additional areas of cultural significance to Northampton’s inventory (Table 4.1.1),
coordinating with MHC staff to determine whether these areas are most appropriately
documented in the City’s above-ground inventory or inventory of archaeological assets.
Goal HP-4. Broaden Northampton’s inventory to reflect the community’s cultural diversity over time,
telling a fuller story of the City’s history through its historic places.
Actions
• Re-examine historical narratives prepared during Northampton’s legacy survey (completed in
1981) to identify opportunities for augmenting the inventory forms with census and immigration
data now widely available online, telling a fuller story of the City’s history through its historic
places.
• Review recent research on underrepresented historic themes in Northampton to identify
associated historic resources that merit inclusion in the city’s historic properties inventory. High-
priority themes include indigenous history; ethnic history; slavery, reform and abolition; and
several themes under the broad National Register significance category of social history, including
civil rights, disability history, labor history, LGBTQIA+ history, traditional cultural history, and
women’s history.
Goal HP-5. Enable evaluation and designation of additional historic districts and individual resources
by expanding the inventory.
Goal HP-6. Recognize, preserve, and protect areas and individual resources of demonstrated
significance that also retain integrity of historic design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and
association, using National Register or Local Historic District (G.L. c. 40C) mechanisms.
Actions
• As an area inventory form is completed per phased recommendations (Table 4.1.1), gauge the
preservation planning protection measures best suited to the interests of the area property
owners and larger community at that time. See Table 4.2.1. for a comparison of district options.
In coordination with property owners, initiate the process for either evaluation of National
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Register eligibility by Massachusetts Historical Commission, or formation of a local study
committee to create design review districts.
• Submit updated inventory forms for critical-priority individual resources (Table 4.1.2) to
Massachusetts Historical Commission for National Register evaluation. Evaluations for individual
National Register listings require documentation that the building retains integrity on both the
exterior and the interior (e.g., floor plan, historic trim, sash and doors, etc.).
• Pursue National Register evaluations and nominations for resources identified in future survey
efforts.
Goal HP-7. Confirm the suitability of Architectural Preservation Districts (APDs) or Neighborhood
Conservation Districts (NCDs) as a sustainable general or home-rule ordinance option for preserving
historic neighborhood character in areas of Northampton that may not qualify for National Register
listing or where local historic district (G.L. c.40C) designation is not desired. (It is recommended that
general ordinances in Northampton be limited to APDs, and neighborhood conservation be
accomplished through zoning mechanisms.)
Actions
• In coordination with the City’s legal counsel, evaluate recent Massachusetts case law on NCDs
indicating that general or home-rule ordinances cannot be used to regulate matters normally
regulated under the City’s zoning ordinance and G.L. c. 40A, the Zoning Act, such as the size, scale,
setback, and density of new construction, and its impact on natural features of the streetscape or
parcels individually.1
• As area inventory forms are completed per phased recommendations (Table 4.1.1), develop a
prioritized list of neighborhoods for consideration as either APDs or form-based (character-based)
zoning districts.
Goal HP-8. Explore the designation of single-resource local historic districts (G. L. c. 40C) as a
streamlined and more cost-effective alternative to preservation restrictions for long-term protection
of City-owned resources and privately owned resources of citywide significance.
Goal HP-9. Establish a public-private umbrella organization of Northampton preservation advocates,
friends groups, and neighborhood associations, providing preservation planning information, “how-
to” resources for property owners and residents to repair and renovate historic buildings, a historic
marker program to encourage historic property research, and advocacy on preservation matters
citywide.
Goal HP-10. Promote awareness of alternatives to demolition.
Actions
• Revive preservation awards program to recognize privately funded preservation efforts, including
restoration, adaptive reuse, and historically sensitive new construction.
• Develop public information campaign highlighting alternatives to historic building demolition,
including examples of historically sensitive remodeling/renovation ideas within the region.
1 Including Hancock Village I, LLC vs. The Town of Brookline (2019).
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Goal HP-11. Improve public access to preservation planning resources.
Actions
• On the City’s website, add a link to the Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System
(MACRIS) to the Historical Commission’s landing page.
• On the City’s website, acknowledge Historical Commission support, regulatory review, and role in
environmental protection on the Planning & Sustainability Environment landing page.
• To the property-specific Parcel Details data field in Northampton’s GIS, upload and link PDFs of
Massachusetts Historical Commission (MHC) inventory forms and National Register of Historic
Places nominations (both districts and individual listings). Use only PDFs obtained from the
Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System (MACRIS) or otherwise supplied by MHC, as
many of the documents have been renumbered or amended since initially produced in
Northampton.
Goal HP-12. Expand collaboration with Smith College faculty and students to further preservation of
historic properties and neighborhoods.
Goal HP-13. Promote an outdoor exhibit program to encourage self--guided interpretive exhibits and
wayside exhibits throughout Northampton.
Actions
• Organize professional interpreters from existing historic and cultural organizations to prepare a
simple plan for a city-wide interpretive program.
• Promote and support walking tours, programs, and events to build public awareness and
understanding of city-wide historic resources, ideally in partnership with local or regional land
conservation groups.
• Develop a graphic identity and branding for Northampton’s interpretive program, building on the
Connecticut River, links with well-known historical figures associated with Northampton, the
Pioneer Valley, and the “Knowledge Corridor.”
Goal HP-14. Evaluate the impact of zoning measures on development patterns in historic
neighborhoods that lack historic preservation controls.
Actions
• Conduct a regulatory audit to understand the potential impact of Northampton’s zoning on
inventory action areas designated as critical or necessary priorities, especially those located
outside Downtown Northampton (See Tables 4.1.1 and 4.1.2).
• Consider creation of additional form-based (character-based) zoning districts or neighborhood
conservation districts to guide new construction that does not overwhelm historic development.
Note: Florence Village Center is regulated with form-based zoning.
Goal HP-15. Improve outcomes under the Demolition Ordinance, an effective preservation tool
ensuring that proposed total demolition of regulated buildings and structures is reviewed by the
Northampton Historical Commission.
Actions
• Amend Demolition Ordinance to lengthen the delay period from the current 12 months to 18 or
24 months to encourage the applicant’s active participation in identifying alternatives to
demolition.
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• Consider adding an inventory option to the definition of Significant Building or Structure (§ 161-
2) to facilitate determinations of significance. This option would not mandate a building or
structure be included in the statewide historic properties inventory to be regulated under the
ordinance.
• Utilize the Historic Districts Act (§ 161-9) provision of the ordinance to initiate a landmark study
of a significant and preferably preserved building or structure, when the end of the 12-month
delay period is approaching and alternatives to demolition or appropriate mitigation measures
have not been identified. The Historic Districts Act (G.L. c. 40C, § 3), allows municipalities to
designate one or more buildings or structures on one or more parcels as single-building historic
districts.
Goal HP-16. Reduce incidents of demolition-by-neglect.
Actions
• Evaluate clauses in Demolition (§ 161-8.B.) and Central Business-Core Architecture District (§ 156-
1) ordinances pertaining to owner maintenance of their properties.
• Examine Minimum Maintenance Ordinances in Lowell, Somerville, and Fitchburg to determine
whether similar measures might be appropriate in Northampton through health and sanitation,
housing, or general legislation channels.
Goal HP-17. Improve capacity of the Northampton Historical Commission to work collaboratively with
City partners and preservation stakeholders
Actions
• Consider adding alternates or designees to represent the Commission’s interests on the
Community Preservation Committee and Central Business Architecture Committee, and to
coordinate with the Public Works Department and Central Services on the care and management
of City-owned historic properties.
• Participate in Massachusetts Historical Commission (MHC) virtual workshops and training
sessions on preservation planning topics designed for Commission members and other municipal
officials. Topics include state and federal historic resources review and compliance, historic
resources surveys and the National Register of Historic Places, and infill construction in local
historic districts. See MHC website for details.
• Identify additional funding for preservation planning staff responsibilities in the Office of Planning
and Sustainability, and explore the feasibility of a dedicated part-time or full-time preservation
planner position to provide public information, plan and promote public education activities,
research and prepare grant applications, and coordinate Commission review under the
Demolition Ordinance and Historic Districts Ordinance (normally the work of separate Historical
and Historic District commissions, but combined in Northampton due to staffing constraints).
• Provide Historical Commission review and comment opportunities on Planning Board site plan
reviews and preservation restriction negotiations, and all Community Preservation Act (CPA)
applications for historic preservation funds
• Require a new or updated MHC inventory form and Historic Structure Report with CPA
applications for bricks-and-mortar funding.
• Improve the use of CPA funds as a source of funding for some capital items. The Community
Preservation Committee recommends CPA funding to the City Council through a process separate
from the City’s capital planning process. Better integration of the CPA planning process and the
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Capital Improvements Plan could help to focus attention on and strengthen funding commitments
to protect Northampton’s historic public facilities.
• Consider returning to the traditional separation of Historical Commission and Historic District
Commission to ensure that preservation planning has the commitment of time, resources, and
focus needed to implement the recommendations of this plan.
Goal HP-18. Pursue Northampton’s designation as a Certified Local Government (CLG) for
preservation planning through the Massachusetts Historical Commission (MHC) and the National Park
Service.
Goal HP-19. Enhance existing Historical Commission relationships with institutional partners by
integrating Commission review and comment at the design development stage of proposed projects.
Goal HP-20. Commit City resources to preparing a comprehensive needs analysis, prioritization plan,
and capital improvements plan to strengthen planning and care for Northampton’s City-owned
historic properties.
Goal HP-21. program for active tracking, inspection, and compliance review of preservation
restrictions citywide.
Actions
• Compile a preservation restriction log, available to the public online and on paper through
municipal offices, that centralizes data for all preservation restrictions held on real property in
Northampton. Create a running list of preservation restrictions in effect in the city, noting the
subject property and street address; inventory number; holder of the restriction; term length of
the restriction and expiration date, if applicable; deed book and page numbers; and whether the
restriction meets the statutory requirements of G.L. c. 184 § 31-33, which requires signature
approvals from both the Massachusetts Historical Commission and the City of Northampton.
Include complete copies of all executed preservation restrictions as recorded at the Hampshire
County Registry of Deeds, with the applicable terms of the restrictions. See Table 4.2.2 for further
information.
• Establish a cyclical monitoring program for inspection of properties with preservation restrictions,
to ensure compliance with the terms of the respective restrictions and reporting at least once
annually to the Northampton Historical Commission.
• Contract with an experienced preservation architect to conduct building inspections, document
compliance, and coordinate resolution of issues with property owners, restriction holders, and
the Northampton Historical Commission.
• Seek Community Preservation Act or other grant funding to implement this program, and identify
the local entity responsible for continuing its management after grant funds are expended.
Inquire whether the Massachusetts Historical Commission would fund this type of project through
its Survey & Planning Grant program.
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Strategies and Action Plan2
Goal # Action (Summarized recommendation) Primary Responsibility Partners Priority Resources Needed
(Funding, Staff,
Leadership, Other)
HP-1
HP-5
Add/update area inventory forms to
support district evaluation
Historical Commission
Planning & Sustainability3
Historic
Northampton
Critical
(see Table 4.1.1)
Funding, staff, other
(professional
consultant)
HP-14 Conduct a regulatory audit to evaluate
impact of current zoning measures on
historic neighborhoods.
Planning Board
Historical Commission
Planning & Sustainability
Critical Funding, staff,
leadership
HP-14 Consider additional form-based districts or
neighborhood conservation districts to
guide new construction.
Planning Board
Planning & Sustainability
Historical
Commission
Critical Funding, staff,
leadership
HP-21 Implement preservation restriction
program for active tracking, inspection,
and compliance review of restrictions
citywide
Historical Commission
Planning & Sustainability
Planning Board
Historic
Northampton
Critical Staff, leadership;
funding for
preservation architect
HP-1
HP-5
Update building inventory forms for
individual resources
Historical Commission
Planning & Sustainability
Historic
Northampton
Critical
(see Table 4.1.2)
Funding, staff, other
(professional
consultant)
HP-1
HP-2
Conduct citywide survey and inventory of
current/former houses of worship (pre-
1975)
Historical Commission
Planning & Sustainability
Historic
Northampton
Critical Funding, staff, other
(professional
consultant)
HP-1,
HP-2
Complete inventory forms for all pre-1975
city-owned or -managed historic resources
Historical Commission
Planning & Sustainability
Historic
Northampton
Critical
(see Table.
3.6.1)
Funding, staff, other
(professional
consultant)
HP-10 Public information campaign on
alternatives to historic building demolition
Historical Commission
Planning & Sustainability
Historic
Northampton
Critical Leadership, funding
2 Priority Designations: Immediate/ongoing, critical (1-3 years); necessary (3-5 years); important (5-10) years.
3 Refers to Office of Planning & Sustainability.
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Goal # Action (Summarized recommendation) Primary Responsibility Partners Priority Resources Needed
(Funding, Staff,
Leadership, Other)
HP-15 Consider adding an inventory option to the
definition of Significant Building or
Structure (§ 161-2) to facilitate
determinations of significance.
Historical Commission Historical
Commission
Critical Funding, staff,
leadership
HP-15 Amend Demolition Ordinance to lengthen
delay period to 18 or 24 months
Historical Commission
Planning & Sustainability
Critical Leadership, staff
HP-15 Amend Demolition Ordinance to add
inventory option for determinations or
significance
Historical Commission
Planning & Sustainability
Critical Leadership, staff
HP-15 Begin using Historic Districts Act provision
of Demolition Ordinance to initiate
landmark study of subject buildings in
cases where demolition alternatives have
not been actively identified
Historical Commission
Planning & Sustainability
Critical Leadership, staff
HP-17 Add Historical Commission alternates or
designees to represent preservation
interests on other City boards
Mayor’s Office
City Council
Historical
Commission
Immediate/
Ongoing
Leadership, staff
HP-17 Enhance Historical Commission training
through virtual workshops sponsored by
Mass. Historical Commission
Historical Commission
Planning & Sustainability
Immediate/
Ongoing
Leadership
HP-17 Explore feasibility of dedicated part-time
preservation planner position
Planning & Sustainability Historical
Commission
Immediate/
Ongoing
Funding, staff
HP-17 Add Historical Commission review and
comment to Planning Board site plan
reviews and preservation restriction
negotiations
Planning & Sustainability
Planning Board
Historical
Commission
Immediate/
Ongoing
Leadership, staff
HP-17 Add Historical Commission review and
comment on all CPA applications for
historic preservation funds
Community Pres. Comm. Historical
Commission
Immediate/
Ongoing
Leadership, staff
HP-2
HP-17
Require new or updated inventory form in
all historic preservation applications for
Community Pres. Comm. Historical
Commission
Immediate/
Ongoing
Funding, leadership
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Goal # Action (Summarized recommendation) Primary Responsibility Partners Priority Resources Needed
(Funding, Staff,
Leadership, Other)
CPA funding, plus a Historic Structure
Report for bricks-and-mortar funding
HP-10 Revive City’s preservation awards program Historical Commission
Planning & Sustainability
Historic
Northampton
Immediate/
Ongoing
Leadership, funding
HP-7 Evaluate recent Massachusetts case law on
Neighborhood Conservation Districts as a
general ordinance option for protecting
historic neighborhoods under home rule
Historical Commission
Planning & Sustainability
Planning Board
City Solicitor
Immediate/
Ongoing
HP-11 Add links to City’s website to improve
public access to and understanding of
preservation planning
Planning & Sustainability Historical
Commission
Immediate/
Ongoing
Staff
HP-19 Integrate Historical Commission review
and comment at the design development
stage of proposed projects at the Veterans
Affairs Medical Center and Smith College
Historical Commission
Planning & Sustainability
Immediate/
Ongoing
Leadership, staff
HP-8 Study designation of single-resource c.40C
local historic districts as a more cost-
effective and streamlined alternative to
preservation restrictions negotiated with
zoning relief
Historical Commission
Planning Board
Planning & Sustainability
Immediate/
Ongoing
Funding, staff, other
(professional
consultant)
HP-12 Expand collaboration with Smith College
for assistance in documenting historic
resources
Historical Commission
Historic Northampton
Smith College Immediate/
Ongoing
Leadership, funding
HP-1
HP-6
Update/expand inventory of additional
areas and neighborhoods for district
evaluation
Historical Commission
Planning & Sustainability
Historic
Northampton
Necessary
Important
(see Table 4.1.1)
Funding, staff, other
(professional
consultant)
HP-9 Establish umbrella organization of
preservation stakeholders for citywide
information and advocacy
Historical Commission
Historic Northampton
Friends groups
Neighborhood
associations
Necessary Funding, staff,
leadership
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Goal # Action (Summarized recommendation) Primary Responsibility Partners Priority Resources Needed
(Funding, Staff,
Leadership, Other)
HP-2
Conduct reconnaissance survey of barns,
carriage houses, outbuildings to support
demolition review
Historical Commission
Planning & Sustainability
Historic
Northampton
Necessary
Funding, staff, other
(professional
consultant)
HP-2 Complete inventory forms for
undocumented buildings in Central
Business-Core design review district
Historical Commission
Planning & Sustainability
Historic
Northampton
Necessary
(see Table 4.1.2)
Funding, staff, other
(professional
consultant)
HP-2
HP-14
As critical-area inventories are completed,
determine appropriate protection
measures
Historical Commission
Planning & Sustainability
Necessary
(see Table 4.2.1)
Funding, staff, other
(professional
consultant)
HP-18 Pursue designation as a Certified Local
Government (CLG) in preservation
planning for greater access to state grant
funds
Historical Commission
Planning & Sustainability
Necessary Leadership, staff
HP-11 Link MHC inventory forms and National
Register nominations to Parcel Details in
Northampton’s GIS
Planning & Sustainability
Information Technology Services
Historical
Commission
Necessary Funding, staff
HP-16 Reduce incidents of demolition-by-neglect
by evaluating existing ordinances and
alternative measures
Planning & Sustainability
Planning Board
Historical
Commission
Necessary Leadership, staff
(professional consultant
advisable)
HP-19 Enhance existing Historical Commission
relationships with institutional partners by
integrating Commission review and
comment at the design development stage
of proposed projects.
Historical Commission
Planning & Sustainability
Necessary Leadership, staff
HP-20 Hire qualified consultant to conduct
comprehensive needs assessment and
long-term capital plan to preserve the
City’s historic resources.
Central Services
Historical Commission
Community
Preservation
Commission
Necessary Leadership, funding
HP-13 Organize professional interpreters to plan
a city-wide interpretive program.
Historical Commission Historic
Northampton
Smith College
Necessary Leadership, funding,
staff (professional
consultant)
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Goal # Action (Summarized recommendation) Primary Responsibility Partners Priority Resources Needed
(Funding, Staff,
Leadership, Other)
HP-13 Promote and support walking tours,
programs, and events in partnership with
conservation groups.
Historical Commission Conservation
Commission
Historic
Northampton
Smith College
Necessary Leadership, funding,
staff
HP-13 Develop a graphic identity and branding
for Northampton’s interpretive program.
Historical Commission Historic
Northampton
Northampton High
School
Necessary Leadership, funding,
staff
HP-17 Improve coordination between the CPA
planning process and the City’s Capital
Improvements Plan to focus attention on
and strengthen funding to protect historic
public facilities.
Community Pres. Comm. Historical
Commission
Necessary Leadership, staff
HP-1 Plan area form survey of mid-20th century
modern neighborhoods
Historical Commission
Planning & Sustainability
Historic
Northampton
Important Staff
HP-17 Consider restoring traditional separation
between Historical Commission and HDC.
Historical Commission Important Leadership
Staff
HP-6 Pursue National Register evaluations and
nominations of additional properties as
inventory forms are completed
Historical Commission
Planning & Sustainability
Historic
Northampton
Important Funding, staff, other
(professional
consultant)
HP-3
Conduct citywide archaeological
reconnaissance survey
Historical Commission
Planning & Sustainability
Historic
Northampton
Mass. Historical
Comm.
Important Funding, staff, other
(professional
consultant)
HP-3 Complete inventory and National Register
listing of New Haven and Northampton
Canal
Historical Commission
Planning & Sustainability
Historic
Northampton
Mass. Historical
Comm.
Canal towns
Important Funding, staff, other
(professional
consultant)
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Goal # Action (Summarized recommendation) Primary Responsibility Partners Priority Resources Needed
(Funding, Staff,
Leadership, Other)
HP-3 Conduct intensive-level survey of select
historic and pre-historic archaeological
sites.
Historical Commission
Planning & Sustainability
Historic
Northampton
Mass. Historical
Comm.
Important Funding, staff, other
(professional
consultant)
HP-4 Augment City’s historic properties
inventory to reflect cultural diversity of
community
Historical Commission
Planning & Sustainability
Historic
Northampton
Important Funding, staff, other
(professional
consultant)
HP-4 Identify historic resources for inventory
associated with under-represented historic
themes (see list)
Historical Commission
Planning & Sustainability
Historic
Northampton
Important Funding, staff, other
(professional
consultant)
Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive Plan
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Relationship to Other Sustainable Northampton Goals & Policies
An elevated focus on historic preservation will support achieving goals of the Sustainable
Northampton Comprehensive Plan, such as those listed below.
Land Use
Goal LU-2: Create and preserve high quality, built environments in the downtown and village centers.
Objectives:
• Encourage the preservation of historically or architecturally significant buildings.
• Reinforce downtown as a regional city center with its continuation as a vibrant mix of commercial,
civic and cultural uses.
Goal LU-3: Maintain a distinction between rural areas, residential neighborhoods, and urban areas.
Objectives:
• Preserve the character of rural areas through preservation of large undeveloped tracts, vistas, and
farmland.
• Preserve a diversity of housing types that define the historic development of the neighborhood.
• Ensure that zoning and land use regulations encourage mixed-use, multi-family development
projects that are in keeping with high quality design and character.
Environment
EEC-1: Protect valuable and sensitive ecological resources (land, air, water, habitat, plants and
animals)
Objectives:
• Minimize the loss of tree canopy throughout the City and increase tree canopy in urbanized areas
to maintain a higher quality environment in all areas.
Economic Development
Goal ED-1: Ensure vibrant and distinctive downtown, commercial, and village centers
Objectives:
• Encourage business and job growth in urban and commercial/industrial center.
• Preserve/enhance the public services and amenities that draw people downtown and ensure that
they are safe, pedestrian friendly, and welcoming to the diversity of Northampton residents.
Goal ED-3: Support a thriving cultural and creative economy
Objectives:
• Support joint marketing campaigns between cultural, retail, and hospitality sectors.
• Increase the availability of affordable studio, live-work, performance, and rehearsal space to
retain artists, cultural organizations, and businesses in Northampton.
• Develop cross connections between various sectors within the creative economy, such as artists,
designers, museums, and new technologies, to strengthen the overall vitality.
• Facilitate greater communication and collaboration among cultural organizations, artists, the
business community, non-profit organizations and City government.
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Housing
Goal H-2: Preserve and sustain existing affordable housing.
Objectives:
• Preserve existing rental housing stock to facilitate availability and price stability.
• Sustain and expand housing rehabilitation programs.
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Section 2. Introduction
2.1 Introduction to Historic Preservation Planning
The preservation planning process is designed to encourage objective analysis
of Northampton’s historic and cultural resources and to inform decisions about
which resources are most important to the community and merit preservation.
The greatest protection is achieved at the local level.
Historic preservation has long celebrated Northampton’s community history. For the last fifty years,
historic preservation has helped us maintain and enhance the character of our community through
the municipal planning process. Nowhere is this more evident than in Downtown Northampton, which
has benefited immeasurably from the City’s preservation planning work. In 1973, the City established
the Northampton Historical Commission under G.L. c. 40 § 8d to preserve, protect, and develop
Northampton’s historic and cultural resources. Working in partnership with public and private
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entities, the Historical Commission is the municipal agency responsible for ensuring that preservation
concerns are considered in community planning and development decisions.
Northampton’s historic and cultural resources are finite and nonrenewable, and despite the City’s
efforts, dwindling in number. They serve as major character-defining features of Northampton’s
cultural landscape and heritage, convey a sense of place, and provide tangible evidence of growth and
change in Northampton over centuries. Examples include buildings, areas and neighborhoods,
agricultural landscapes and parks, cemeteries, objects such as statues, and structures such as canals
and bridges.4 These resources reflect patterns of human activity, some still not yet fully understood,
through their design, construction, use, and survival. They derive their significance from their location,
setting, and appearance as much as from their history. While certain resources may stand alone for
their exceptional significance in local history, most are significant for their contribution to the unique
character of the areas and neighborhoods that distinguish Northampton from other communities. For
example, Downtown Northampton draws residents and visitors and supports the prosperity of local
businesses precisely because of its historic, well-preserved built environment. According to the City’s
2021 Rapid Recovery Plan, “. . . over 900,000 visitors traveled to Northampton in 2019 to enjoy
destinations such as Smith College, the Academy of Music, hospitality establishments and other
arts/culture venues. The downtown’s economic activity largely caters to these visitors.”5
Preservation planning is the process by which we identify, evaluate, and protect Northampton’s
historic and cultural resources. To set community priorities for preservation, we began in the early
1970s to identify where these resources are and what form they take, consider their history and state
of preservation, then evaluate which are most significant and best contribute to defining the city’s
character. We look at Northampton’s historic places in a communitywide context, to understand how
the full range of historic resources represents intertwined themes in the city’s history. As standards
for identification and evaluation have evolved in recent decades to justify and support protection
measures, we continue to update the City’s historic properties inventory.
Preservation planning helps to protect the public interest in historic places. In 1955, the
Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court held that establishing special act historic districts in Boston
(Beacon Hill) and Nantucket was constitutional and in the interest of the public welfare. Demolition
and clearance of other historic places through projects funded with tax dollars, such as federal urban
renewal programs and interstate highway construction in the 1950s and 1960s, demonstrated that
historic resources merited further consideration through emerging environmental review and
permitting procedures. The National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 established a process to
eliminate, minimize, or mitigate potential adverse effects of federal projects on historic and cultural
resources listed in the National Register of Historic Places. In 1982, the Massachusetts Historical
Commission (MHC), the State Historic Preservation Office, established a parallel process to assess the
impact of state projects on historic and cultural resources listed in the State Register of Historic Places.
Under the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA), the MHC also considers the
environmental impact of state agency activity on properties in the State Register as well as the
4 Archaeological sites are critical historic and cultural resources in Northampton that require treatment in a separate
document designed to safeguard the locations of those sites.
5 Northampton Rapid Recovery Plan, prepared by Civic Space Collaborative, Civic Moxie, BSC Group, Revby, Zapalac
Advisors, and Nelson Nygaard (2021), 20.
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statewide historic properties inventory.6 Like natural resources, historic and cultural resources merit
careful consideration in the municipal planning and environmental review process.
Preservation planning and protection of historic resources can also advance the City’s sustainability
and climate resilience goals. The National Trust for Historic Preservation has devoted extensive
resources to education, research, and advocacy toward strengthening professional and public
awareness of the role preservation plays in reducing carbon emissions. By developing a needs
assessment and long-term capital plan for the City’s historic public facilities, investing in capital
improvements for those facilities, and providing support from Community Preservation Act (CPA)
funds, Northampton can accomplish the equally important goals of preservation and resilience. In
fact, preservation planning is inextricably linked to every component of the Sustainable Northampton
Comprehensive Plan, from making the case for building reuse to provide housing to understanding
the genesis of Northampton’s present-day roadway patterns.
“Saving it all” is not the goal of preservation planning, which recognizes that new development will
occur. The preservation planning process is designed to encourage objective analysis of
Northampton’s historic and cultural resources and to inform decisions about which resources are
most important to the community and merit preservation. The greatest protection is achieved at the
local level. Northampton has established a local historic district under G.L. c. 40C, two architecture
review districts under municipal home rule authority, and a demolition review ordinance, in addition
to listing numerous properties in the State and National Registers of Historic Places.
As a community, we have engaged in identifying, evaluating, and protecting our historic and cultural
resources for fifty years. Building on the work of Northampton’s first preservation plan in 1992, this
planning document guides residents, business owners, elected and appointed volunteers, taxpayers,
and employees as we continue to define, and work together to protect, the City’s unique character as
reflected in our historic places.
2.2. Northampton’s Historic Resources in Context
Preservation planning evaluates the significance of historic and cultural resources in the context of
broad patterns of historical development across Massachusetts. Many resources are significant at the
local level, yet others possess state or even national significance. To counter traditional biases toward
a limited range of historic periods, places, events, and people, a cultural landscape approach to
preservation planning considers representative and outstanding resources as expressions of the
successive patterns of social, cultural, and economic activity that shaped and defined the community.7
Understanding the historic contexts, or themes, in the community’s history and each resource’s
association with one or more themes helps support preservation planning decisions.
6 State and federal reviews apply to both historic and archaeological resources.
7 Steinitz, Michael. Foreword to the 2007 PDF Reprint Edition of Historic and Archaeological Resources of the Connecticut River
Valley: A Framework for Preservation Decisions. Massachusetts Historical Commission State Survey Team: Sarah Zimmerman,
Neill DePaoli, Arthur J. Krim, Peter Stott, and James W Bradley. Boston, MA: Massachusetts Historical Commission,
February 1984 (reprinted 1988, 2007).
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The Massachusetts Historical Commission (MHC) offers two important sources for historic contexts in
Northampton. Both are products of MHC’s statewide historic properties reconnaissance survey and
available online through the agency’s website. The Reconnaissance Survey Report: Northampton
(1982) summarizes topography, political boundaries, transportation, population, settlement patterns,
economic base, and architecture in the city from ca. 1500 to 1940. Pursuant to the methodology
established by the statewide reconnaissance survey, the Reconnaissance Survey Report covers seven
periods of historic development:
• Contact (1500-1620)
• Plantation (1620-1675)
• Colonial (1675-1775)
• Federal (1775-1830)
• Early Industrial (1830-1870)
• Late Industrial (1870-1915)
• Early Modern (1915-1940)
If the report were updated today, the Modern period (1940-ca. 1975) would be added.
A companion volume, Historic and Archaeological Resources of the Connecticut River Valley
(1984/1988/2007), demonstrates Northampton’s importance in regional developments across
Hampshire and adjacent Hampden and Franklin counties during the same historic periods. The
regional report includes maps, regionwide overviews of topography, prehistory, settlement patterns,
land use, and architecture, and short historical sketches of seventeen principal industries that
operated in the study unit to 1940. The reader is referred to these two sources for additional
information.
The goal of the following historic context is to highlight, briefly, some of the major themes in the
history of Northampton’s built environment and cultural landscapes, and to identify important
concentrations of historic development extant in Northampton. The narrative compiles information
from preservation planning and local history sources cited in the List of Sources. It is not intended to
be a definitive or comprehensive history of the city. Some themes are well documented; others merit
further research. This context provides a broad overview for general preservation planning purposes.
Map 2.1 generally illustrates the City’s physical evolution over time through the age of existing
properties.
Northampton is an important civic, educational, industrial, and commercial center at the junction of
regional routes from Springfield and Pittsfield to northern and western New England. Historically,
Northampton has been the principal focus for settlement in the mid-section of the Connecticut River
Valley, a broad central valley flanked by the Worcester Highlands to the east and the Berkshire Hills
to the west. Situated twenty miles north of Springfield and fifty-six miles west of Worcester,
Northampton is bordered by Williamsburg on the north, Hatfield on the north and northeast, Hadley
and the Connecticut River on the east, Easthampton on the south, and Westhampton on the west.
Fertile Connecticut River floodplain in the easternmost section of the city is considered to be some of
the most productive cropland in New England. Mill River, a western tributary of the Connecticut River,
crosses Northampton from the northwest to the southeast. Prominent elevations, concentrated
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toward the west, include Roberts Hill, Saw Mill Hills, and Mineral Hills. State Route 9 is part of a
regional artery passing through the mid-valley from east to west, crossing the Connecticut River
between Northampton and Hadley and connecting the central business district to villages at Florence
and Leeds. U. S. Route 5/State Route 10, along with the later Interstate 91, provide the major north-
south connections. State Route 66 branches from Route 9 west of the central business district, linking
to settlements at Pine Grove and West Farms.
Contact Period (1500-1620)
The Connecticut River Valley was a principal focal point for native settlement during this period, and
the Norwottuck were the dominant native group in Northampton and Hadley. The prevalence of large
tracts of fertile agricultural land in Northampton suggests the area was the site of extensive native
horticulture. Concentrated native settlement probably extended as far west as Round Hill. The
Connecticut and Mill rivers would have provided native residents with large quantities of fish. Small
short-term hunting camps were probably established in lowland marshes as well as uplands west and
north of probable native settlement nodes. Additional areas of likely native settlement include the
Clark Brook intervale in the Roberts Meadow vicinity and the Mill River intervale in the vicinity of
Spring and North Main streets. Regionally important trails through Northampton connected the west
bank of the Connecticut River with western uplands and the Housatonic Valley.
Plantation Period/First European Settlement (1620-1675)
Permanent European settlement of the Connecticut River Valley began at Springfield in 1636 and, by
the 1650s, spread north through the valley’s mid- section. In May 1653, twenty-four persons
petitioned the General Court for permission to “plant, possess and inhabit” Nonotuck (Norwottuck),
later the town of Northampton. Early families traveled up the valley from Springfield as well as
Hartford, Windsor, and Wethersfield, Connecticut, joined a few years later by settlers from eastern
Massachusetts.
Nonotuck proprietors laid out a meetinghouse lot spacious enough to include a burial ground, a
minister’s ten-acre tilling lot, common agricultural land, and house lots. Elements of the original town
plan survive in the location of Court Square, the house lot grid along the Main Street-Bridge Street
axis, and Bridge Street Cemetery (1661, NRDIS). Built at the intersection of King and Main streets, the
first meetinghouse (ca. 1655, demolished) was subsequently used as a school. The second
meetinghouse (ca. 1661, demolished) to the west was built on what would become Meetinghouse
Hill, later Main Street. By the end of the period, an institutional core had emerged in the present
downtown area. House lots were taken up along King, Pleasant, Market, and Hawley streets, and
extended to Bridge, West, and Elm Streets, all of which originated as Native American pathways.
Aside from the Springfield vicinity, the Northampton area, including neighboring towns Hadley (1661)
and Hatfield (1670), was the most important economic and political center in the Connecticut Valley.
The first ferry service across the Connecticut River to Hadley operated in the late 1650s. With its
extensive agricultural land, the area became a major agricultural producer in Massachusetts. Locally
produced grain, flour, malt, and pork were sent by cart or boat to Springfield, Boston, Hartford, and
New Haven in exchange for goods or payment of taxes and debts. Northampton’s regional importance
was underscored by its designation as a joint shire town, with Springfield, after 1661, though the
community apparently did not have a courthouse until the early nineteenth century.
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Colonial Period (1675-1775)
Northampton and vicinity saw the most substantial Colonial-period development in the Connecticut
Valley. King Philip’s War (1675-1676) initially kept Northampton’s settlement concentrated within a
defensible perimeter, encompassing the area known as the Plain as well as Bridge Street, Hawley
Street, and the Bridge Street Cemetery.
Much of the last quarter of the seventeenth century was devoted to rebuilding and re-fortifying the
settlement after the war. The eastern end of Main Street (now Bridge Street) was part of a regional
throughfare through the center village leading to a new ferry landing (1685) to Hadley. Following
agriculture, important local industries included lumbering; trading of native furs, port, and grain; and
brickmaking. Alluvial flood plains along the Connecticut River that had been set off as 15- and 3-acre
lots were essential to the success of local agriculture, and houses lots along Hawley and Bridge streets
were well located for access to riverside meadows. Channeling of the Mill River (1710-1720) around
Manhan Meadows reoriented the main highway from Springfield through Pynchon Meadows as Old
Springfield Road. Division of common lands at West Farms and North Farms led to scattered upland
agricultural settlement on connecting roads in the early eighteenth century. In 1685, Robert Lyman
of Northampton discovered lead in the form of galena along an outcrop near the Manhan River in the
area later known as Mineral Hills. For the next two centuries, various mining companies worked the
claim. A parcel on Westhampton Road contains the last known remnants of a lead mine in
Northampton.
The oldest of Northampton’s architecturally significant buildings are Colonial-period dwellings, with
most surviving examples located downtown: The Manse-Stoddard House, 54 Prospect Street (1684/c.
1750, NRIND 1976); the Nathaniel Parsons House, 58 Bridge Street (ca. 1730, NRDIS 2001); and the
Charles Clapp House, 148 South Street (ca. 1753, NRDIS 1989). In addition to its associations with the
theme of exploration and settlement, Bridge Street Cemetery possesses significance in art for its
preservation of several Colonial-period grave markers and table stones associated with known
Connecticut Valley carvers.
By the mid-eighteenth century, Northampton rivaled Springfield as a center of wealth and influence
in the region. As new towns continued to be established farther north and west, Northampton’s
importance as a distribution center grew. Northampton and its smaller neighbors, Hadley and
Hatfield, controlled some of the best agricultural land in the Connecticut Valley and were major
exporters of livestock, salted beef, and other agricultural products to markets in Boston and
elsewhere. While Northampton grew as a trade and marketing center in the eighteenth century,
religious fervor accelerated during the ministry of Jonathan Edwards, whose preaching in the third
meetinghouse (1737, demolished) sparked the religious revivals of the Great Awakening in the 1740s.
In 1765, Northampton numbered 188 dwellings, 203 families, and 1,285 individuals, eleven of whom
were Black. Population figures for the native Norwottuck population have not been identified.
Federal Period (1775-1830)
The Connecticut River Valley was the fastest growing region in Massachusetts during this period, and
river towns like Northampton saw increased commercial and industrial development. Following
considerable economic upheaval and a post-Revolutionary War depression that led to Shay’s
Rebellion (1786), unprecedented agricultural prosperity starting in the 1790s and the beginning of
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successful manufacturing after 1800 provided the basis for renewed expansion. Northampton grew
rapidly during the rest of the period, at twice the rate of Hampshire County as a whole, despite
portions of its territory being set off to form the new towns of Westhampton (1778), Southampton
(1778), and Easthampton (1785). The population in 1790 was 1,628 persons, increasing to 3,613 by
1830. Northampton maintained its traditional role as the seat of Hampshire County, following a
realignment of county boundaries that set off Franklin County (1811) and Hampden County (1812) on
the north and south, respectively.
Northampton’s center village began to acquire a more urban character during the Federal period,
displaying defined civic, commercial, and residential areas. County and town institutional buildings
were clustered at Meetinghouse Hill and adjacent Court Square on Main Street at Center Street.
Construction of the first bridge (1809) over the Connecticut River to Hadley fueled growth. The
burgeoning business center grew in scale and density, with construction of banks and hotels (none
extant) and its earliest three-story masonry commercial stores. Affluent residential development first
centered in the Hawley Street vicinity, shifting west along Elm Street to Round Hill in the early
nineteenth century. A cluster of five residences at Fort Hill, 124, 130, 134, 135, and 144 South Street
(NRDIS 1989), is an important collection of Federal-period dwellings occupied by farmers and artisans.
Local mason Seth Strong built his own residence at 32 Conz Street (1829), distinctive architecturally
for its brick construction on a circular plan with a conical roof and pair of interior chimneys.
The town gained a reputation as a center for architectural innovation, attracting renowned architect-
builders then working in the Boston area, chief among them Greenfield native Asher Benjamin (1771-
1845) and Isaac Damon (1781-1862) of Weymouth. Benjamin designed Northampton’s Federal-style
fourth meetinghouse, the First Congregational Church (1810-1812, burned 1876) on Meetinghouse
Hill, though his most lasting influence on vernacular building, both locally and nationally, was achieved
indirectly through his publication of seven architectural pattern books from 1797 to 1843. By contrast,
Isaac Damon’s impact on the Connecticut Valley was both direct and long-lived. He arrived in
Northampton in 1811 to take over the job of completing the First Church, constructed his own
residence at 46 Bridge Street (ca. 1813, NRDIS 2001); and remained in the region for forty years,
working exclusively on bridge design from 1831 onward. Damon’s work in Northampton includes the
pair of granite-faced commercial buildings across the street from the First Church at 108 Main Street
and 110-112 Main Street (both 1828, NRDIS 1976, and since remodeled), the 1813 Hampshire County
Courthouse on Main Street (demolished 1886), and the 1814 Town Hall on Main Street (demolished
1872). He reportedly designed and built only one other Northampton residence aside from his own,
the John Hopkins House, 101 King Street (ca. 1830).
Agriculture continued as Northampton’s primary economic activity, principally along the Connecticut
River meadows with secondary upland grazing at West Farms and North Farms. Most large-scale
manufacturing during the Federal period took place on the upper Mill River at Leeds, though J. S.
Kingsley produced broadcloth at his Manhan River woolen mill at Loudville, and paper mills (1817,
demolished) opened on the Mill River at Bay State. Federal-period industries operating at the center
village included a large tannery and sail cloth factory.
First settled in the late eighteenth century as a cluster of large farms associated with James Smith,
Calvin Clark, and Luke Day, Leeds proved to be an ideal location for water-powered manufacturing.
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Both cotton and woolen mills were built from 1808 to 1812. Col. James Shephard established a woolen
mill in 1809, later known as Shepherd Woolen Manufacturing Company, the first fully developed
factory on the Mill River and the most important Federal-period woolen mill in the Connecticut Valley
due to its technological innovations. Using a power loom patented in 1816 and built in 1822, the
company greatly reduced the cost of producing fine broadcloth. The Shepherd company imported
Merino sheep, experimented with raising Saxony sheep, and later reduced expenses by replacing its
all-male work force with women and girls and paying them lower wages. A small community grew up
around the mill buildings, including boarding houses, private dwellings, a schoolhouse, and a company
store. Known initially as Shepherd’s Hollow, the village was later renamed for Leeds, England,
hometown of its first postmaster, Thomas Musgrave. The Shepherd company closed in 1857.
Early Industrial Period (1830-1870)
During this period, Northampton grew 181 percent, recording a population of 10,160 persons in 1870.
The greatest increase occurred between 1855 and 1870. In 1855, nearly one-quarter of the population
had immigrated to the United States from Ireland, with smaller numbers from England, Scotland,
Germany, and Canada. Many immigrants would work in mills.
Industrial growth was modest during the first part of this period and focused on the Mill River.
Opportunities for large-scale shipping of produce and manufactured products on the Connecticut
River were limited, as high falls several miles to the south necessitated that cargo shipped by boat be
transported overland around the falls. Construction of the New Haven-Northampton Canal between
1825 and 1834 was intended to address this problem. Not opened in its entirety until 1835, the canal
entered Northampton from Easthampton, crossed Main Street, and continued along the current path
of State Street. The canal ceased operations in 1847 with the introduction of railroads, never having
been profitable.
Railroad connections enhanced Northampton’s traditional role as the distribution center for goods in
the mid-section of the Connecticut Valley, connecting farmers, businesses, and industry to their
markets in a faster and more profitable manner than the canal allowed. The Connecticut River
Railroad (1844-1847) opened a north-south through-route across Oxbow and meadowland from
Holyoke to Hatfield. Two shorter routes connecting downtown opened later: the Hampshire and
Hampden Railroad (1855), along South Street from Easthampton, and the Mill River or Williamsburg
Branch Railroad (1868) to Williamsburg, via Florence and Leeds. The latter two roads were
consolidated as the New Haven & Northampton Railroad.
On the axis from downtown Northampton northwest to Williamsburg, industrial villages had formed
by 1870 at Leeds (about 4½ miles from downtown), Florence (about 3 miles), and Bay State (about 1½
miles), producing silks, woolens, cotton, buttons and sewing machines, as well as machinery and
cutlery. Each village encompasses dams and bridges on the Mill River, industrial buildings, associated
worker housing, private residences, and community buildings connected by established roads and the
new branch railroad.
Primarily a farming community until the 1830s, Florence grew around the Northampton Silk Company
factory organized by Samuel Whitmarsh in 1836, later taking its name from the famous silk-producing
city in Italy. Within a year, the company produced nearly three-quarters of silk production in
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Massachusetts, with financial backing from investors in Middletown, Connecticut (chief location of
that state’s silk industry) and New York. Whitmarsh’s success prompted a run on the Morus
multicaulus strain of mulberry tree, tempered only by a hard winter in 1839-1840 and a blight in 1840
that strained the industry.
The Northampton Association of Education and Industry acquired the Whitmarsh holdings at Florence
and continued silk production. George W. Benson, Jr., president of a cotton factory bearing his name
in the village, was a founder of this Utopian community in 1841, one of several in New England at the
time that espoused progressive ideals of nonresistance, nondenominationalism, manufacture,
temperance, education, and equal rights. Though short-lived, the community served as a local center
of abolitionist and feminist sentiment. Once enslaved and nationally known speaker Sojourner Truth
(Isabella Van Wagenen) from New York lived in Florence from 1844 to ca. 1857, residing in the 1850s
in the house she owned at 35 Park Street . Two properties in the village have been listed in the
National Register to date for their associations with the community and the Underground Railroad in
Massachusetts: the Basil Dorsey – Thomas H. Jones House, 191 Nonotuck Street (1849/1854,
NRIND/NRMPS), residence of two notable fugitives from slavery, and the Samuel L. Hill – Austin Ross
Farm, 123 Meadow Street (ca. 1825, NRIND/NRMPS), residence of two important assistants on the
Underground Railroad effort in the 1840s. Hill was also a founder of the community. Research is
underway to record additional properties in Florence associated with abolitionist activity. Samuel Hill
went on to establish the Nonotuck Silk Company, producers of silk thread for sewing machines, as
well as a sewing machine factory.
By 1865, the sewing silk and sewing machine factories of Florence led in the total value of goods
manufactured in Northampton, though mills producing cotton cloth, paper, buttons, and agricultural
implements figured prominently in the town’s industrial economy. Following the 1857 closure of the
Shepherd woolen business at Leeds, English immigrant Alfred P. Critchlow purchased one of the mills
and manufactured vegetable ivory buttons from palm nut imported from Panama and South America.
The Nonotuck Silk Company at Florence acquired substantial acreage on and adjacent to Grove Hill at
Leeds, leading to construction of management dwellings as well as worker tenements at 7-9, 15-17,
and 25-27 Water Street (1860s). The Northampton Emery Wheel Company, which started in Florence
in 1867, moved to Leeds in 1870.
Previously a location for paper mills in the 1830s, the village of Bay State takes its name from the Bay
State Tool Company (1854), which employed 150 men in the manufacture of edge tools and
agricultural implements in 1855. Guns and bayonets were manufactured here during the Civil War.
The separate Bay State Hardware Company (1859-1870) later became Northampton Cutlery,
producers of fine quality knife blades into the early twentieth century. Also operating at Bay State was
the International Screw Nail Company, 20 Ladd Street (1866), later owned by Clement Cutlery
Company. With its mansard roof, this historic mill is one of Northampton’s finest examples of
nineteenth century industrial design. Bay State also retains several examples of worker housing built
in the 1860s.
During the Early Industrial period an institutional core emerged at the rural settlement of West Farms
(Lonetown), where Northampton’s second oldest burial ground, West Farms Cemetery, 200 West
Farms Road, had been established by 1788. A Greek Revival-style chapel (ca. 1835) associated with a
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local Methodist society and a brick public school (ca. 1860, possibly earlier) joined the burial ground
on West Farms Road. This upland community, also notable for its agricultural landscapes, anchored
Northampton’s dairy farming activity into the twentieth century. A gravel quarry of undetermined
vintage operated on nearby Turkey Hill Road at Mineral Hills into the twenty-first century.
Farming at the town’s center village was largely abandoned by the mid-nineteenth century as land
proved more valuable for residential development. An affluent residential neighborhood expanded
from its original Hawley Street axis to Pomeroy Terrace (1847, NRDIS 2018) toward the Connecticut
River meadows. Developed from ca. 1850 to 1885, this neighborhood is considered one of
Northampton’s finest historic residential areas. The first residents – merchants, lawyers, railroad
executives, ministers, farmers, and bankers – were part of a growing middle class in Northampton
who were building new and in the latest architectural styles of the period. Development here
contributed to the rise of the architectural profession in Northampton, as many residents hired skilled
carpenters and architects to design their houses.
A new area of residential development on the south slope of Round Hill featured spacious architect-
designed houses in estate settings. Known for its magnificent vistas but largely unsettled until the
early nineteenth century, Round Hill was transformed during the Early Industrial period, serving in
succession as the site of the experimental Round Hill School for Boys (early 1820s), a water cure
retreat, a popular hotel, and ultimately new quarters, from 1870 onward, for the Clarke School for
the Deaf.
In relocating from Gothic Street to Round Hill, Clarke School for the Deaf (1867, NRDIS 2022, LHD
2013) joined a belt of institutional campuses immediately west of the business district that would be
more fully developed through the end of the nineteenth century. The first school for the deaf
chartered in Massachusetts, Clarke School was a leader in the education of deaf students and training
of educators for the deaf. The school curriculum emphasized the acquisition of oral skills rather than
the teaching sign language. Nearby on Rocky Hill, Northampton State Hospital (1855, NRDIS/NRMPS
1994) opened as the Commonwealth’s third facility in a hospital system devoted to treatment of the
mentally ill. Its hilltop site, landscaped grounds, and architectural design reflected the most up-to-
date hospital planning of the period, a program that incorporated outdoor farm work and recreation
to help effect cures.
Relative affluence during the Early Industrial period is reflected in the volume of construction. This is
the first period for which clearly delineated neighborhoods of housing survive for different socio-
economic groups. The city retains an uncommonly high number of picturesque Gothic buildings from
the mid-nineteenth century, chief of which is Town Hall (later City Hall), 210 Main Street (1848-1849,
NRDIS 1976). Local architect William Fenno Pratt made major contributions to the building stock,
ranging from the Town/City Hall to the Renaissance Revival-style Smith Charities Building, 51 Main
Street (1865, NRDIS 1976), and the old Northampton National Bank, 135 Main Street (1866, NRDIS
1976) with its cast iron front. By the end of the period, Main Street was lined with three- and four-
story brick commercial blocks largely of Italianate design, sizable institutional campuses were under
construction just beyond the center, and outlying industrial villages and agricultural settlements
encompassed houses of worship and municipal buildings.
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Late Industrial Period (1870-1915)
Northampton’s population grew 113 percent during this period, propelled by the establishment of
Smith College (1871), continued industrial expansion along the Mill River, and electrification of
previously horse-drawn street cars (1893), all of which attracted new residents and generated greater
development in areas outlying the center. Immigrants comprised about one-quarter of the
population, largely Irish with an influx of French Canadians and Poles in the early twentieth century.
In response to this growth, Northampton was incorporated as a city in 1883. While manufacturing
dominated the local economy, Northampton remained a major agricultural producer in the region.
Tobacco farming was the primary agricultural activity along the Connecticut River meadows, and
dairying and poultry farming were present at West Farms and North Farms. Lumber rafting on the
Connecticut River, initially supplanted by the railroads, resumed in earnest after 1870 when the
railroads could not keep up with the demand for spruce timber. Lumber rafting also proved less
expensive than railroad transport. The Connecticut River Lumber Company at the Oxbow was a major
collection point for spruce timber and built worker housing on Island Road.
Funded through the will of Sophia Smith of Hatfield, Smith College was chartered as a women’s college
in 1871 and opened in 1875. The present central campus encompasses more than 125 acres, an
appreciable number of high-style architect-designed historic campus buildings, and eleven extant
historic houses that predate the opening of the college. The core 12-acre campus featured College
Hall, 10 Elm Street (1874, NRDIS 1976, LHD 1994), designed in the High Victorian Gothic style by
Boston architects Peabody and Stearns. The firm would design seven more academic and dormitory
buildings for the College by 1882. Additional dormitories were built on Green Street in the 1880s, all
designed by William C. Brockelsby of Hartford, Connecticut, though by that time the College trustees
had already acquired land to expand the campus northward on Elm Street. Brocklesby designed nine
campus buildings between 1885 and 1900, including Alumnae Gymnasium (1891, NRIND 1976). By
the end of the Late Industrial period, the campus encompassed much of the land between Elm Street,
Green Street, the Mill River, and Kensington Street. Substantial buildings campaigns would enlarge
the campus in the 1920s.
Establishment of the college generated residential development up Elm Street to Round Hill and
anchored the western limits of the center village to Elm and West streets. Architects involved in
building the college campus were also commissioned to design new buildings beyond the college
grounds. Peabody and Stearns designed First Church of Christ, 123 Main Street (1876, NRDIS 1976;
Peabody and Stearns, architect), following an 1870 fire that destroyed the third meetinghouse. A
second fire that year burned a number of Main Street commercial blocks, which were rebuilt in the
early 1870s as three- and four-story buildings. While working at the college, William C. Brockelsby
designed important municipal buildings for the city: the Renaissance Revival-style Academy of Music,
260 Main Street (1891, NRDIS 1976), reportedly the first municipal theater in the nation, and the
Romanesque Revival Forbes Library, West Street (1894, NRDIS 1976). These buildings joined Memorial
Hall, 240 Main Street (1872, NRDIS 1976; James McLaughlin, architect), Northampton’s most
prominent example of the Second Empire style, then used as a meeting hall and museum. A new
Renaissance Revival-style high school, the D. A. Sullivan School, 17 and 25 South Street (1895, NRDIS
1976; Gardner, Pyne and Gardner, architect), rounded out the municipal presence at this location.
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In Northampton’s sparsely settled northeastern section, 1872 brought the opening of Laurel Park as
the Springfield District Camp Meeting associated with the Methodist Church. Access to the camp
improved greatly with new railroad service in 1881, when the New Haven & Northampton Railroad
built its own branch line next to the Connecticut River Railroad tracks, extending service northward
from the center to Conway Junction (later known as Shelburne Junction). The railroad reportedly
transported thousands each summer; visitors walked up the hill from the station in Hatfield near the
town line. Wood-frame summer cottages and a Chautauqua-style educational and cultural program
replaced the open-air religious camp meetings and tent structures by the late 1880s. The program
remained active until ca. 1917. A closely settled community with about 100 cottages, a tabernacle
(meeting) building, dining hall, and common grounds, Laurel Park is distinguished from other historic
neighborhoods in Northampton. The cottages display a range of Stick, Victorian Gothic, and Queen
Anne-style details.
Manufacturers built at Leeds, Florence, and Bay State, generating concomitant residential and
institutional development in these villages. At Leeds, extensive new construction followed a
catastrophic flood on May 16, 1874, caused by the failure of an earthwork and masonry reservoir dam
on the upper Mill River at Williamsburg. At least fifty-one of 139 known deaths in the river valley that
day occurred at Leeds, where the flood hit with tidal-wave force before spreading and slowing in the
meadows south of the village. The highly successful Nonotuck Silk Company built a new plant at Leeds
in 1880. One of the largest silk manufacturers in the nation, the Florence-based company reportedly
employed one-half of Northampton’s work force during this period. Nonotuck Silk Company adopted
the name Corticelli for some of its products in the late nineteenth century, and the business as a whole
in 1922. Important Florence-based industries included the Florence Manufacturing Company, 221
Pine Street (1866, later known as the Pro-phy-lac-tic Brush Company); and Norwood Engineering
Company, 28-32 North Maple Street (ca. 1870), maker of industrial water filters. A village business
district and civic core emerged in Florence, including the Alfred Lilly Public Library, 19 Meadow Street
(1890, Charles H. Jones, architect).
Bay State continued to grow as a knife and cutlery center with the operations of Northampton Cutlery
Company, 320 Riverside Drive (1871) and Clement Manufacturing Company. At their peak in the 1880s
and 1890s, these companies employed 350 to 400 men. E. E. Wood, a former superintendent of
Northampton Cutlery, took over the old paper mill at Bay State and established his own cutlery firm
in 1889. A small business district formed on Riverside Drive.
Downtown Northampton attracted industries that relocated to the community. Horace Lamb moved
his wire manufacturing business to Northampton from North Hadley in 1873, working out of a brick
mill at 51-53 Clarke Avenue (late nineteenth century, altered). Belding Brothers of Connecticut
established a large silk mill in 1876, with worker housing surviving on Isabella Street. Belding’s own
box maker, Kingsbury Box Company, relocated to Northampton in 1879, and later built a factory at 84
North Street (1885-1890), producing both wood and paper boxes.
Further institutional development occurred outside the villages. Northampton Country Club, 135
Main Street, Leeds (1898), eventually encompassed a nine-hole golf course, with the present
clubhouse added by 1960. Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School, 80 Locust Street (1908) was
the first vocational technical school to open in the Commonwealth. Built by the City of Northampton,
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the school was funded by the will of Oliver Smith (d. 1845), who established Smith Charities.
Hampshire County built a sanatorium for consumptive patients (ca. 1914, demolished) on River Street
at Leeds near the Williamsburg town line, now the location of a rehabilitation and hospice facility.
Construction in 1871, 1883, and 1894 of dams and reservoirs associated with Northampton’s public
water supply system contributed to the decline of Roberts Meadow village in the northwest part of
town, located principally along Roberts Meadow Brook and Chesterfield Road west of Kennedy Road.
The rural settlement once encompassed farmsteads, a public school, taverns, and small-scale
industry, including a carding factory, sawmill, tannery, and blacksmith shop. The City of Northampton
discontinued active use of the reservoirs in 1905 after building larger facilities in Whately and
Williamsburg. Only Todd Farm, 64 Kennedy Road (ca. 1775), and the Clapp House, 1031 Chesterfield
Road (ca. 1800) remain. The Upper Reservoir dam was partly dismantled in 2018.
Residential construction during this period ranged from high-style architect-designed dwellings
associated with estates and affluent neighborhoods to more modest single-family cottages and the
camp dwellings at Laurel Park. Rowhouses, double houses, and two-families were the most common
multiple-family dwellings, the latter two appearing in the 1880s and 1890s and often constructed as
investment properties with their owners sometimes, but not always, living elsewhere. Very few three-
deckers were built in Northampton, and some apartment blocks were constructed by the end of the
period. Residing in Northampton at this time was Vermont native, Amherst College graduate, and
attorney Calvin Coolidge (1872-1933), whose home from 1906 was 19-21 Massasoit Street (1900,
NRIND 1976). Coolidge served as a city councilor then mayor of Northampton (1910-1912), moving
on to become Governor of Massachusetts (1919-1921), Vice-President of the United States (1921-
1923) under Warren G. Harding, and President of the United States (1923-1929). Returning to
Northampton in retirement, Coolidge resided at The Beeches, 16 Hampton Terrace (1914).
Early Modern Period (1915-1940)
This period brought significant industrial activity associated with World War I, establishment of the
Veterans Hospital, expansion of the Smith College campus, and residential growth through the 1920s.
Business reversals associated with the Depression era slowed the local economy in the latter part of
the period, with the population increasing only 1.7 percent between 1930 (24,381 persons) and 1940
(24,794 persons). In 1917, Northampton sent 771 soldiers to fight in World War I; twenty-six died in
service.
Poles remained one of Northampton’s largest immigrant groups and were closely associated with the
city’s agricultural activity. By 1940, four-fifths of Northampton farms reportedly were owned by
residents of Polish descent. Agriculture continued as a primary activity along the Connecticut River
meadows toward Easthampton and Hadley. Uplands at West Farms and North Farms supported dairy
farms.
World War I boosted local industry, especially silk production, toothbrushes, the cutlery plants, and
Norwood Engineering. Contractions in manufacturing after the war contributed to the end of silk
production and the manufacture of baskets and industrial filters. Pro-phy-lac-tic Brush Company, 221
Pine Street (1866-1902), the city’s largest employer in 1930 with 1,000 employees, was recognized as
the world’s largest manufacturer of brand-name toothbrushes. The company did not change its name
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from its original Florence Manufacturing Company, however, until 1924. Automobile ownership in the
1920s created new businesses devoted to car sales and repair, delivery services, and trucking. As a
result, garages were built throughout Northampton. Though the Depression slowed industry, farming
continued.
Major institutional campus construction occurred in Northampton in the 1920s and 1930s. In health
care, the Northampton Veterans Administration Hospital, 421 North Main Street, Leeds (1922-1950,
NRDIS/NRMPS 2012) opened in 1924 as a neuropsychiatric hospital serving veterans of all New
England states except Connecticut. The campus was designed with multiple buildings in the Colonial
Revival style and ample acreage for farming operations conducted as therapy for the patients.
Northampton’s was the first veteran’s hospital built in Massachusetts by the Veterans Bureau of the
Federal government.
Private and public education buildings were built on the Elm Street axis. Smith College added twenty
new buildings and structures to its campus from 1918 to 1939, designed chiefly in revival styles. In
addition to the Grecourt Gates, Elm Street (1924, NRDIS 1976, LHD 1994), the college completed the
ten-dormitory Quadrangle, 186 Elm Street (1922-1936) in the Georgian Revival style, for the first time
housing all boarding students on-campus. The Boston architecture firm of Ames, Putnam and Dodge
or its partners or successor firm designed the Quadrangle, the Colonial Revival President’s House, 8
Paradise Road (1920), and Scott Gymnasium, Belmont Avenue (1924).
Other notable academic and administration buildings of this period include Sage Hall, Green Street
(1924; Delano and Aldrich, architect) and Alumnae House, 33 Elm Street (1938, NRDIS 1976, LHD 1994;
Frederick J. Woodbridge, architect). One of very few high schools built in the Connecticut Valley during
the Early Modern period, Northampton High School, 380 Elm Street (1939), is perhaps the city’s finest
example of municipal construction in the Stripped Classical Modern mode. J. Williams Beal and Sons,
the same Boston firm that designed the Stripped Classical First National Bank downtown (1928), also
designed the high school.
Major engineering works were completed during this period. Like the High School, another important
example of Depression-era construction is Calvin Coolidge Memorial Bridge (1939; Maurice
Reidy/Desmond and Lord, architects) crossing the Connecticut River to Hadley. Funded under the
Hayden Cartwright Act, one of numerous Federal aid programs to provide jobs during the Depression,
the bridge replaced an earlier bridge damaged by disastrous flooding that occurred March 14-16,
1936. An ice jam on the Connecticut River between Northampton and Holyoke with ensuing rains
flooded the river meadows, Island Road at the Oxbow, Bridge Street neighborhoods, and the
downtown business district as far west as City Hall. From 1939 to 1941, the U. S. Army Corps of
Engineers constructed a flood control system to protect a large portion of Northampton from flooding
of the Connecticut and Mill rivers. As part of this construction, the path of the Mill River was diverted
from its original channel (through Veterans Field and behind City Hall) to a diversion channel that
empties into the Oxbow at the Connecticut River.
New construction of several noteworthy buildings occurred in the central business district. The
Northampton Institute for Savings, 109 Main Street (1916, NRDIS 1976; Thomas M. James Co.,
architect), and the First National Bank, 1 King Street (1928, NRDIS 1976; J. Williams Beal and Sons,
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architect), were designed by Boston firms. Taken together they illustrate how approaches to classical
design evolved from the traditional to the Stripped Classical Modern mode that came to be associated
with commercial and municipal architecture of the 1930s.
A significant addition to the business district was the Colonial Revival-style Hotel Northampton, 36
King Street (1927, NRDIS 1976; H. L. Stevens Company, architect), built after a five-year subscription
drive by the city’s Chamber of Commerce to sponsor a prominent local hostelry for business purposes.
Smaller hotels had been built in the business district in the late nineteenth century.
Residential growth continued through the 1920s, and areas of new construction included the western
end of South Street, upper Prospect Street, and Bridge Road in Florence. Most were single-family
dwellings, some architect-designed; very few workers’ or multiple-family houses were built. Revival-
style house predominated, though the number of bungalow house types is noteworthy, especially in
period neighborhoods such as Hubbard Avenue, Swan Street, and Marshall Street. Concrete block
construction was introduced during this period – the bungalow at 18 Cedar Street (1916) is a notable
example – though most commonly used in garages.
Among Northampton’s most significant open spaces from the Early Modern period is Frank Newhall
Look Memorial Park, 289 Main Street (1928-1930). Located on the Mill River adjacent to Northampton
County Club, the park includes a fountain (1928) and a Mission-style former pool building now known
as the Garden House (1930). At the Connecticut River meadows near the Coolidge Memorial Bridge,
Lafleur Airport (Northampton Airport), 160 Old Ferry Road, opened in 1929. Three County Fairground,
Bridge and Fair streets, occupies the former site of the Northampton Driving Park Association horse-
racing track. Racing continues to be a major part of the fair. The fairground also encompasses exhibit
buildings and playing fields.
Modern Period (1940-ca. 1975)
Approximately 2,900 men and women from Northampton served in World War II; ninety died in
service. The city’s population peaked at 30,058 persons in 1960, with the greatest period of growth
(17.2 percent) occurring in the 1940s. Beginning in 1970, the city recorded gradual population losses
for the next forty years. New residential neighborhoods were developed with capes, ranches, and
split-level houses. Among the residential subdivisions built in the 1950s and 1960s were the Spring
Grove Avenue neighborhood off Bridge Road in Florence, and several neighborhoods near Ryan and
Burts Pit roads, around Westwood Terrace, Cahillane Terrace, Forest Glen Drive, Deerfield Drive,
Acrebrook Drive, Gilrain Terrace, and Pioneer Knolls.
The City of Northampton built new schools at Jackson Street downtown (1951), Leeds (1952), Florence
(Kennedy Junior High, 1964), and Ryan Road (1967). Smith College added nine buildings to its campus
from 1955 to 1972. Prominent buildings on Elm Street designed by New York architects and still extant
are the traditionally styled Helen Hills Chapel, 123 Elm Street (1955, LHD 1994; William and Geoffrey
Platt, architects), and the paired International-style dormitories, Cutter House and Ziskind House, 79
Elm Street (1957, LHD 1994; Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill, architects).
In commercial construction, Northampton retains notable examples of prefabricated diners
manufactured by Worcester Lunch Car Company from the 1930s to 1950. The former Miss
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Northampton Diner, 6 Strong Avenue (ca. 1930, NRDIS 1976), reportedly is the longest operating diner
in the Connecticut River Valley. Miss Florence Diner, 99 Main Street, Florence (1941, NRIND/ NRMPS)
is a fine example of a diner remodeled and expanded by the Worcester company within a decade of
its original construction. A barrel-roofed diner attached to a larger restaurant on U. S. Route 5 north
of downtown, the Bluebonnet Diner, 324 King Street (1950), is one of few Worcester diners in the
state manufactured in the 1950s.
Transportation-related improvements of this period left an indelible mark on Northampton, especially
in the Connecticut River meadows. With the construction of Interstate 91, several bridges were built
between 1963 and 1965, carrying the highway over Island Pond Road, Mount Tom Road (U. S. Route
5), Hockanum Road, Old Ferry Road, Bridge Street (State Route 9), Damon Road, and the Boston &
Maine Railroad. As highway construction accelerated, railroads ended passenger service. The
Shelburne Falls branch past Laurel Park was suspended in 1943. New York, New Haven & Hartford
Railroad cut back service on the Williamsburg branch line to Florence in 1962 and ended service from
Easthampton in 1969. Only the Boston & Maine Railroad, formerly the Connecticut Valley Railroad
line, remained in operation, terminating local passenger service in 1966 but offering high-speed
Amtrak service by 1972. The City of Northampton opened an Industrial Park off Damon Road, selling
its first parcel for development on Industrial Drive in 1974. The industrial park provides easy access to
U. S. Route 5/State Route 10 (North King Street) and Interstate 91, with the Boston & Maine Railroad
corridor abutting the park on the west.
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2.3. History of Preservation Planning in Northampton
Northampton has a rich history honored in written accounts, building preservation, and the continued
cultivation of historic preservation plans. Located in the Pioneer Valley, Northampton histories are
nested within the histories of the Pocumtuc, Nipmuc, and Nonotuck people as well as European
settlers and those after. Efforts within the City of Northampton are conducted by an active Historical
Commission that is supported closely by the Office of Planning and Sustainability as well as a vibrant
Historic Society (Historic Northampton).
Historic preservation planning for Northampton has been done through local plans and policies, with
additional guidance from regional and state plans and policies. There has been less emphasis on the
historic, cultural landscapes in various forms including open space, recreational environments, and
trails.
Local Plans
Historic Preservation Plan (1992)
The Northampton Office of Planning and Development and the Northampton Historical Commission
engaged in one historic preservation plan process in 1992, with prior preservation efforts led by the
Historic District Commission beginning in 1973. At the time of the 1992 Historic Preservation Plan, few
historical properties were recognized or protected through formal preservation policy.
The 1992 Plan outlined several goals and objectives, including:
• Facilitate the inventory and update of historic resources.
• Encourage and coordinate opportunities for community education and an increased public
awareness around local history
• Strengthen the role of the Historical Commission in City Government
• Expand the preservation of historic materials and oral histories.
• Engage growth policies and planning to prevent damage to local heritage.
As a result of the local historic preservation plan and advocacy by residents and organizations alike,
the City initiated preservation activities and achieved many goals outlined in the 1992 plan through
zoning ordinances and community action. The recognition of the Elm Street Historic District in 1994
and its expansion in 2013 to include the Round Hill neighborhood marks the increased protection of
historic resources under local ordinance. Federal recognition of the Pomeroy Terrace Neighborhood
as a Historic District in 2018 was the culmination of resident’s success supported by local city
government to further protect architectural significance and the notability of previous residents.8
Since the adoption of the historic preservation plan, architectural standards and protection districts
were created for both downtown and West Street, with the Central Business Architecture District
Ordinance established in 1999 and the West Street Architecture District Ordinance established in
2011.
8 Northampton’s Pomeroy Terrace neighborhood earns historic designation (gazettenet.com)
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Northampton adopted a Demolition Delay Ordinance in April 2005 with the aim to protect and
preserve significant buildings for an additional year so alternatives to demolition could be identified.
Regulated structures under the Ordinance include all properties built in 1900 or earlier, and a
selection of properties built between 1901 and 1939, identified by the Historical Commission
following the Ordinance’s adoption.
An additional policy implemented in 2005 was the adoption of the Community Preservation Act (CPA)
which enables the City to add a surcharge to local property taxes and apply for matched funding from
the Community Preservation Trust Fund to be used to support the creation or maintenance of the
following:
• Open Space: Parks, Playgrounds, Recreational Fields
• Affordable Housing
• Historic Preservation of Buildings & Resources
The Community Preservation Committee (CPC) acts as the managers of local CPA funding and
stewards these causes. To date, over fifty historic preservation projects have been funded through
this program in the City of Northampton.9 Additional preservation actors include the Northampton
Historic Commission that merged with the Historic District Commission, begun in 1973, as of 2013.
The Northampton Historical Commission is charged with the “preservation, promotion and
development of the historical assets of the city,” their projects include:
• Completing the Downtown Florence Historical Survey
• Compiling a registry of public monuments
• Presenting Historic Preservation Awards since the 1970s to recognize historically appropriate
rehabilitations and new projects
• Partners with the Department of Public Works on the City’s four historic cemeteries
An ongoing partnership between the City’s Planning Department and Northampton Historical
Commission is focused on the ongoing inventory of historic resources preservation of historic
materials, community education and awareness campaigns, and continued preservation policy.
Open Space, Recreation & Multi-Use Trail Plan (2018-2025)
The Open Space, Recreation and Multi-Use Plan identifies significant scenic resources and unique
environments that include notable viewsheds, or vistas, from roads, water bodies, protected open
space, and historic districts. Archeological sites are not specifically identified to protect them. The
National Trust named City of Northampton as one of the Dozen Destinations of Distinction for Historic
Preservation.10
9 Community Preservation Coalition, CPA Projects Database
10 Open Space, Recreation & Multi-Use Trail Plan, 2018, 93
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The City has worked with the Corps of Engineers to evaluate alternatives to restore a riverine
migratory corridor to the historic Mill River. The City has been acquiring land along the Historic
Corridor.11 This Plan also includes a list of Preservation Restrictions.12
One of the goals in the Open Space, Recreation and Multi-Use Plan is to “create and preserve high
quality, built environments in the downtown and village centers.” A recommendation to help meet
this goal is to encourage and create incentives to maintain the distinctions and historic precedents
that define the downtown and other more densely developed locations or in targeted growth zones.13
Another goal is to preserve natural and cultural resources and the environment with
recommendations to have the City lead in protecting architectural and cultural history as well as
consistently apply the criteria for preservation of the environment and resources across all
neighborhoods and areas.
The historic resource’s goal is to protect and preserve the City’s heritage resources by:
• Educating and informing decision makers and the community about heritage resources, and
• Protect the heritage resources from degradation or destruction by public or private actions or
inactions.
This plan also includes goals and priorities for specific greenways, rivers and burial grounds that are
protected and are of value to the history as well as future character of the City. Bridges and scenic
roads are of historical significance in Northampton as well but have not been documented in as much
detail in this plan. In addition, the seven-year action plan provided in this plan states (under #11 Honor
History in the Landscapes) that there has been less emphasis on the living and outdoor landscapes,
especially cemeteries, historically significant landscapes, and historical farms and other working
landscapes. Goals are to:
• Preserve historic cemeteries
• Develop the historic mine site, the Galena Mine in the Mineral Hills
• Add historic interpretation for Mill River and other historic sites
• Develop heritage landscape histories to bring the history alive for users
Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive Plan (2008; 2021)
Northampton’s most recent comprehensive plan, Sustainable Northampton, focuses on various
aspects with historic preservation layered throughout its chapters. One of the guiding principles is to
“Recognize and foster the unique history, character and function of each residential, commercial,
mixed use, and open space neighborhood.” The plan identifies goals to preserve historical resources
as well as objectives, strategies, and actions to achieve such through the Heritage Resource chapter.
The City identified the continued stewardship of heritage resources through their protection and
preservation.
11 Open Space, Recreation & Multi-Use Trail Plan, 2018, 143.
12 Ibid, 177
13 Ibid, 183.
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The objectives of the Heritage Resources chapter included:
• Identify, document, and evaluate heritage resources
• Educate and inform decision makers and the community about heritage resources
• Protect the heritage resources from degradation by public or private actions or inactions
• Adopt and act on preservation programs that employ field surveys and archival research, provide
economic and technical assistance, are coordinated with community policies and ordinances, and
operate with sound and explicit standards.
This recent master plan echoes the continuation of the community’s education and participation
called for in 1992. To encourage the preservation and protection of historical resources requires and
increased awareness among residents, commercial interests and stakeholders. The community’s
engagement and support of this updated supplementary historic preservation may serve as a
foundation for knowledge of current resources and active preservation.
City of Northampton Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan 2020 Update
This plan states that mitigation efforts undertaken by communities will help to minimize damages to
buildings and infrastructure, including cultural and historic resources.14 The City has a number of
historical buildings that could be damaged or destroyed if a large enough earthquake were to happen.
A loss of these historic buildings could represent a loss of Northampton’s history and culture. There
have been no studies done to determine how Northampton’s critical infrastructure would fair in an
earthquake.15
Site-Specific Plans
Historic Northampton has had reports done for each of their three houses:
• Isaac Damon House16
• Nathaniel Parsons House17
• Shepherd Barn18
Both the Isaac Damon House report and the Nathaniel Parsons House report provides a thorough
documentation of the structures’ origins and changes over time. The Shepherd Barn report provides
information on the construction and carpentry of the barn focusing on evidence of its original purpose
and use and how it has been modified to its current form. This report is intended to both aid in the
interpretation of the barn and serve as a guide to its future re-use as part of the museum.
MHC Reconnaissance Survey Town Report (July 1982)
The MHC Report provides a historic overview, a description of topography, and political boundaries.
The report concludes with survey observations that evaluate the town’s existing historic properties
14 City of Northampton 2020 Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan Update, 1.
15 Ibid, 90.
16 Report on Building Archeology at the Isaac Damon House, for Historic Northampton and the Institute for Museum
Services, prepared by Gregory Clancy, Architectural Conservator, and John Leeke, Preservation Consultant, 1992.
17 Report on Building Archeology at the Nathaniel Parsons House, for Historic Northampton and the Institute for Museum
Services, prepared by Gregory Clancy, Architectural Conservatory, and John Leeke, Preservation Consultant, 1992.
18 A Preliminary Report on the Shepherd Barn, Historic Northampton, 2020. By Jack A. Sobon, Architect.
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inventory and highlight significant historic buildings, settlement patterns, and present threats to these
resources. The Survey Observations note that, “Northampton’s survey is well documented and almost
every building of outstanding character is included. Virtually all of Northampton’s industrial buildings
have been identified. There remains opportunity for National Register Districts, especially at Bay
State, Leeds, and Florence.”
Regional Plans
Historic & Archeological Resources of the Connecticut River Valley: A Framework for Preservation
Decisions, Massachusetts Historical Commission, February 1984.
Several recommendations from this plan have been accomplished for Northampton, including:
• Encourage local historical commissions to expand the range of buildings, structures, and sites they
include in their inventory. As recommended, the City has included vernacular housing, industrial
buildings, important structures such as bridges and dams, and locally known archaeological sites
(both prehistoric and historic).
• Encourage local historical commissions to view completion of their inventory as the beginning
rather than the end of their preservation efforts. Assist them in using inventory information as
the basis for ongoing preservation activities such as public education, selection, and nomination
of properties to the National Register, preparation of local historic districts, and coordination with
town planning boards and officials to protect important sites, structures and landscapes.
• Continue to work with the cities and larger towns to find new ways to reuse existing historic
buildings, especially obsolete industrial and civic structures.
• Continue to integrate archaeological and historic preservation concerns into local as well as
regional planning efforts.
Recommendations from this plan that have not been fully accomplished but are important in terms
of historic preservation of the City are:
• Focusing preservation activities on the identification, evaluation, and protection of historical
landscapes and streetscapes. Protection of historical context in broad as well as specific terms
should be a priority.
• Encourage the adoption of a statewide open space plan that would coordinate agricultural as well
as public and private conservation policies with the protection of rural and low-density historic
landscapes.
• Continue to work with the Department of Environmental Management, the Metropolitan District
Commission, and other public agencies to incorporate historic preservation priorities into all
planning for state parks, forests and watershed management areas.
State Plans
The Massachusetts State Historic Preservation Plan 2018-2022, Massachusetts Historical Commission,
July 26, 2018.
Northampton was not specifically mentioned in this plan as the City seemed to have accomplished
many of the recommendations set forth in the previous two State Plans.
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The Massachusetts State Historic Preservation Plan 2011-2015, Massachusetts Historical Commission,
February 14, 2011.
This plan states that the National Trust for Historic Preservation has now recognized Northampton as
one of five communities in Massachusetts as distinctive destinations. This program recognizes both
the preservation efforts of the community and the memorable experiences for the visitor.
Per recommendations in this plan for the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission (PVPC) staff
preservation planners to assist local municipalities, the PVPC has assisted on several projects that
were initiated by the City of Northampton. These include:
• Historic Inventory (Form B) update project
• Pomeroy Terrance National Register nomination
• Elm Street Historic District design manual
• Northampton-New Haven Canal Historic Documentation; a cooperative effort with all canal
communities
The PVPC also serve as the review authority for local historic district appeals, of which there has been
only one.
This plan describes how the Department of Conservation and Recreation partnered with 108
communities and regional organizations to implement the Heritage Landscape Inventory Program,
but Northampton was not one of the participating communities, therefore does not have a Heritage
Landscape Inventory completed for the City.
The Massachusetts State Historic Preservation Plan 2006-2010, Massachusetts Historical Commission,
September 2006.
This plan states that the most notable professional targeted survey project in the region since the
2000 State Plan has been the Smith College update of inventory information on the historic buildings
of its Northampton campus. Additional mentions of Northampton in this plan are that registration
activity and context developed through National Register nominations include areas of secondary
development in Northampton and a nominated resources having to do with African American history,
includes the Dorsey-Jones House, listed as the first designation under the Underground Railroad in
Massachusetts context (MPS).
Northampton has accomplished many of the preservation planning and protection recommendations
set forth in this plan:
• Recognizes the need for local historic preservation planning
• Has an active local historic commission and is supported by MHC in preservation planning
activities
• Cooperate with regional planning agencies on preservation planning activities
• Encourage local historic districts in downtowns, village centers, and neighborhoods
• Adopt demolition delay ordinances, particularly in more urbanized communities
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This plan also includes a recommendation for the City of Northampton to become a Certified Local
Government.
2.4. Preservation Partners
Historic Northampton
Historic Northampton is an active historical society that provides historic preservation advocacy and
education. It operates a museum for collecting and preserving Northampton’s material, social, and
environmental history for the benefit of the greater community. While it is a private, non-profit
organization, Historic Northampton seeks to encourage the growth of civic identities through the
study of local history. The organization manages four properties on Bridge Street from the eighteenth
and early nineteenth centuries, including the Nathaniel Parsons House (1719), the Isaac Damon House
(1813), the Pomeroy-Shepherd House (1797), and the Shepherd Barn (1803-1806). Collections include
extensive historical photographs with an online digital catalog.
https://www.historicnorthampton.org/
Downtown Northampton Association (DNA)
DNA focuses on improving the cultural and economic strength of the downtown corridor through
maintenance, marketing, and advocacy. Direct maintenance and day-to-day beautification occur in
tandem with municipal efforts. The group also works with local businesses to design and maintain
greenery during the warmer months and focuses on holiday decorations during the winter. The DNA
team organizes downtown events and advertises them through social media platforms and other
means. Overall, this organization advocates for the health and vitality of Downtown Northampton and
facilitates communication between City officials and the downtown business community.
http://www.northamptondna.com/
Pioneer Valley History Network
This network is a consortium of the Pioneer Valley region’s historical institutions (including Historic
Northampton). It connects history-minded individuals, organizations, and museums through a free
membership and promotes communication, collaboration, and an appreciation of the region’s history.
https://pioneervalleyhistorynetwork.org/
David Ruggles Center for History and Education (Northampton)
Located in the village of Florence, the David Ruggles Center for History and Education highlights the
history of abolition in the small village where people chose to live by shared values of racial, class,
gender-based, and religious freedom. The organization offers educational walking tours, a permanent
museum with rotating exhibits, historical archive and library services, and special events.
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Committee for Northampton, Inc.
This is a non-profit umbrella organization of the David Ruggles Center for History and Education. The
Committee for Northampton recently received Community Preservation funds to preserve 225
Nonotuck Street and study additional properties for nomination to the National Register of Historic
Places under the Underground Railroad of Massachusetts.
https://davidrugglescenter.org/
Forbes Library Public Library (Northampton)
The Forbes Library supports growth and life-long learning for the greater Northampton Community.
Not only does the library provide a place for enjoyment of multimedia and a meeting place, but it also
provides extensive resources for local history and personal genealogical research for Hampshire
County and houses the Calvin Coolidge Presidential Library and Museum.
https://forbeslibrary.org/info/
Smith College
As a major landowner in the Elm Street Local Historic District and an institution dating to 1871, Smith
College is an integral part of historic Northampton and an archival presence. Smith College is well
represented in the historical inventory of the city and is an important stakeholder and data source for
architecture, landscape design, education, and social history in Northampton.
https://www.smith.edu/about-smith
Pioneer Valley Planning Commission - Historic Preservation
As a regional planning organization throughout the Pioneer Valley, PVPC has worked with
communities in the region for over 30 years to preserve and appreciate local history under the
guidance of state and federal regulations. Although the PVPC historic preservation team is not an
active participant in this process, they fund historic ventures in Northampton and remain a
stakeholder as historic advocates.
https://www.pvpc.org/projects/historic-preservation
Community Preservation Committee
In 2005, Northampton adopted the Community Preservation Act (CPA) and subsequently established
the City’s Community Preservation Committee (CPC). The committee utilizes funds from a 3 percent
surcharge on real estate taxes to protect, create, or provide open space and recreation, historic
preservation, and community housing. https://northamptonma.gov/1048/Community-Preservation-
Committee
Central Business Architecture Committee
The Central Business Architecture Committee is an appointed volunteer board composed of varying
interests from real estate to architecture and the construction industry. Its charge is to preserve and
enhance the historical and architectural features and pedestrian scale of Northampton’s downtown.
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The committee administers the Central Business Architecture Ordinance, established in 1999 under
Northampton’s Code of Ordinances, c. 156. It is active through technical assistance and conducting
design review for downtown-area renovations or construction.
https://northamptonma.gov/1044/Central-Business-Architecture-Committee
Northampton Historical Commission
Established in 1973, the Northampton Historical Commission is the municipal board charged with
identifying, evaluating, and protecting the city’s historic and archaeological resources per G.L. c.40
§8D. The Historical Commission and a separate Historic District Commission were merged in 2013 to
“preserve, promote, and develop the city’s historical assets.” The responsibilities of this commission
include the permitting of projects within the Elm Street Local Historic District (1994, expanded 2013)
under G. L. c.40C, as well as historic building demolition review, since 2005, under Northampton’s
Code of Ordinances, c. 161. The Historical Commission partners with the Public Works Department to
preserve city-owned cemeteries.
https://www.northamptonma.gov/1052/Historical-Commission
Northampton Planning Board
Northampton’s Planning Board is responsible for the adoption of comprehensive and study plans as
well as all zoning and subdivision regulations. In addition to these planning activities, since 2011, the
Planning Board has continued to administer design review and permitting of projects in the West
Street Architecture District under Northampton’s Code of Ordinances, c. 156.
https://northamptonma.gov/1087/Planning-Board
City Staff
Wayne Feiden, FAICP – former Director, Planning & Sustainability
Sarah LaValley AICP – Assistant Director, Planning & Sustainability
Carolyn Misch AICP – Director, Planning & Sustainability
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List of Sources
Section 2.2
“Chronology of Northampton.” Unattributed list (prepared ca. 2001). City of Northampton, Office of
Planning and Sustainability. Accessed May 2022.
https://northamptonma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/832/CHRONOLOGY-OF-
NORTHAMPTON1?bidId=.
Community Preservation Project Application, Critical Open Space Acquisitions: Mineral Hills – Mining
Heritage and Rocky Hill Addition. Northampton Conservation Commission and Office of
Planning and Sustainability. September 15, 2017.
Elm Street Historic District: Round Hill Road Extension. City of Northampton, Historic District
Commission. Final Study Report (Approved April 1, 2013).
Historic and Archaeological Resources of the Connecticut River Valley: A Framework for Preservation
Decisions. Massachusetts Historical Commission State Survey Team: Sarah Zimmerman, Neill
DePaoli, Arthur J. Krim, Peter Stott, and James W Bradley. Boston, MA: Massachusetts
Historical Commission, Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth. February 1984
(reprinted 1988, 2007).
https://www.sec.state.ma.us/mhc/mhcpdf/regionalreports/CTValley.pdf.
Historic Northampton Online Collection Catalog. https://www.historicnorthampton.org/online-
collections-catalog.html.
Karr, Ronald Dale. The Rail Lines of Southern New England. A Handbook of Railroad History.
Pepperell, MA: Branch Line Press, 1995.
Lincoln, Eleanor Terry and John Abel Pinto. This, the House We Live In. The Smith College Campus
from 1871 to 1982. Northampton, MA: Smith College, 1983.
Local Historic Districts Final Report. City of Northampton, Local Historic District Study Committee.
1991. No districts created.
Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System (MACRIS). Massachusetts Historical
Commission, Boston, MA. https://mhc-macris.net with companion mapping at MACRIS
Maps, https://maps.mhc-macris.net.
National Register of Historic Places nominations. Massachusetts Historical Commission (accessible
online through MACRIS database above):
Clarke School for the Deaf Historic District (NRDIS 2022)
Dorsey-Jones House, 191 Nonotuck Street, Florence (NRIND/NRMPS 2005)
Downtown Historic District and District Boundary Increase (NRDIS 1976, 1985)
Fort Hill Historic District (NRDIS 1989)
Northampton State Hospital (NRDIS/NRMPS 1994)
Parsons, Shepherd. Damon Houses Historic District (NRDIS 2001)
Pomeroy Terrace Historic District (NRDIS 2018)
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Ross Farm (NRDIS/NRMPS 2008)
The Underground Railroad in Massachusetts, 1783-1865 (NRMPS 2005)
Raber, Michael S. and Carl E. Walter. Survey and Inventory of the Hampshire and Hampden Canal
(New Haven and Northampton Canal) for a Proposed National Register of Historic Places
Nomination. Prepared for the Towns of Southwick, Westfield, and Southampton,
Massachusetts. November 2002.
Reconnaissance Survey Town Report: Northampton. Massachusetts Historical Commission, Boston.
1982. https://www.sec.state.ma.us/mhc/mhcpdf/townreports/CT-Valley/nth.pdf.
Sharpe, Elizabeth M. In the Shadow of the Dam. The Aftermath of the Mill River Flood of 1874. New
York, NY: Free Press, 2004.
Women of Florence History Trail, 1840-1900. Florence, Massachusetts. Florence, MA: The
David Ruggles Center, undated.
Section 2.3
Historic Preservation Plan, City of Northampton Office of Planning & Development and the
Northampton Historical Commission, 1992.
Historic & Archeological Resources of the Connecticut River Valley: A Framework for Preservation
Decisions, Massachusetts Historical Commission, February 1984.
Massachusetts State Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan, Submitted to the National Park Service
by the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, 2017.
Open Space, Recreation & Multi-Use Trail Plan (2018-2025), 2018.
Reconnaissance Survey Town Report: Northampton. Massachusetts Historical Commission, Boston.
1982. https://www.sec.state.ma.us/mhc/mhcpdf/townreports/CT-Valley/nth.pdf.
Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive Plan (2008 amended to 2021).
The City of Northampton Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan, prepared by The Northampton Hazard
Mitigation Committee and Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, 2020.
The Massachusetts State Historic Preservation Plan 2018-2022, Massachusetts Historical Commission,
July 26, 2018.
The Massachusetts State Historic Preservation Plan 2011-2015, Massachusetts Historical Commission,
February 14, 2011.
The Massachusetts State Historic Preservation Plan 2006-2010, Massachusetts Historical Commission,
September 2006.
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Section 3. Investigation and Analysis
3.1. Overview of Issues and Challenges
Northampton has a wide range of residential, social and institutional, commercial, agricultural, and
industrial resources reflecting more than three centuries of historic growth and development. The
types of historic resources found here include areas, buildings, structures such as bridges, objects such
as statues, and open spaces such as cemeteries, parks, and other designed landscapes, and
agricultural landscapes. Most historic resources are sited in cluster settings, among them villages,
residential neighborhoods, institutional campuses, and business districts.19
Measures to identify, protect, and plan for Northampton’s historic resources can help to preserve the
City’s unique character by avoiding, minimizing, or mitigating losses to historic resources. In the
absence of effective advocacy, funding, staff capacity, and preservation protections enacted and
enforced at the local level, preservation of historic resources tends to be eclipsed by other municipal
19 See Section 3.2, Historic Properties Inventory.
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and community priorities. Ideally, preservation goals are integrated with those of sustainability, land
use and development, economic development, housing, infrastructure, transportation, municipal
governance, and social equity, beyond the environment, arts/culture, and education goals with which
preservation is more commonly associated. The need to integrate historic preservation with all of
these other valid City concerns is why Northampton decided to prepare a Historic Preservation
component of the City’s Comprehensive Plan. Doing so can Historic Preservation on an equal footing
with other valid community planning concerns.
Unfortunately, Northampton has lost some important historic resources despite the efforts of the
Historical Commission, City staff, and others. For example, Northampton State Hospital was listed in
the National Register of Historic Places in 1994 as a historic district with seventy-five buildings, sites,
structures, and objects dating from the 1850s to the 1960s. However, all but five were demolished
when the campus was sold and redeveloped for residential and commercial uses. In addition, the
construction of townhouse units on the site of Saint John Cantius Polish Catholic Church Rectory
(1913), located at 10 Hawley Street in the Pomeroy Terrace National Register Historic District, points
to the challenges of aligning residential infill development with the character and scale of historic
neighborhood streetscapes. Finally, removal of the City-owned Roberts Meadow Upper Reservoir
Dam (1883) off Chesterfield Road, an important feature in a potential historic district deemed
National Register-eligible by the Massachusetts Historical Commission in 2012, highlights
interconnected issues of stewardship, fiscal considerations, and public safety.
This section identifies ongoing and anticipated issues and challenges inherent in preserving
Northampton’s historic resources. While this preservation planning study focuses on “above ground”
resources, brief reference is made to the need for a separate planning study addressing the
identification, evaluation, and protection of historic and prehistoric archaeological sites.
Growth, Development, and Comprehensive Planning
Enhancing the city’s historic character through sensitive treatment of historic areas
Encouraging new development that complements historic character of neighborhoods
● Public misunderstanding of the limits of preservation planning goals and tools, which apply to the
built or designed environment, including landscapes of historic and cultural significance, but do
not extend to the conservation of wetlands, trees, wildlife habitats, and other natural resources.
● Reconciling zoning measures adopted with public input under the requirements of the state
Zoning Act (G.L. c. 40A) and concerns from abutters and other City residents with the form and
siting of infill (new) construction currently permitted under the Zoning Ordinance.
● Grassroots demand for greater neighborhood input on infill (new) construction in historic
neighborhoods, yet little demonstrated interest in pursuing design review controls available
under the state Historic District Act (G. L. c. 40C)
● Perception that rehabilitation and adaptive reuse of historic buildings is associated principally
with commercial entities provides little benefit to residential neighborhoods, and leads to
gentrification.
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● Current ordinances do not require requests for comments from the Historical Commission about
proposed new development or infill development in or adjacent to historically sensitive areas, or
for the City’s acquisition of new preservation restrictions. Notification tends to occur by referral
or word of mouth.
Preservation Regulation and Administration
Guiding and monitoring the impact of public and private actions on historic resources
● Limited effectiveness of Demolition Ordinance in preserving historic resources; many property
owners wait out the one-year delay, if imposed, or do not engage with the Historical Commission
on mitigation efforts.
● Interest in developing guidelines or expectations for what constitutes a good-faith effort on the
part of property owners in collaborating with the Historical Commission to explore alternatives to
demolition.
● Desire by the Historical Commission and Central Business Architecture Committee for better
historical data on buildings proposed for demolition, to facilitate informed decision-making. Lack
of inventory forms or details in existing forms for buildings proposed for demolition is a common
occurrence.
● Insufficient documentation of ancillary buildings on residential properties (e.g., barns, carriage
houses, garages) hampers Historical Commission review under the Demolition Ordinance.
● For buildings and structures not already listed in the National or State Registers of Historic Places,
perceived inconsistency in determining whether a building or structure is significant under the
Demolition Ordinance.
● In the absence of design review procedures, demolished buildings are replaced with new
construction that conforms to zoning and building codes but may not complement existing
building stock.
Resource Development
Improving documentation of historic resources through inventory and designation efforts.
Ensuring Northampton’s inventory is the starting point for planning and funding decisions.
Integrating information on the inventory/designation status of historic resources with the City’s
planning, assessing, and mapping functions.
● Need to promote Northampton’s historic properties inventory as the foundation for local
preservation planning and funding efforts. Recent additions to the inventory tend to follow, rather
than precede, local permitting activity or document resources after they have become
endangered. Inventory forms are lacking or outdated for resources that have received Community
Preservation funding.
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● Misperception that all inventoried resources are historically significant, and any resources still
absent from the inventory do not possess historic value. This lack of identification,
documentation, recognition, and efforts to protect increases the risk of losing historic resources.
● Uneven distribution of inventoried resources citywide, focusing on the Central Business District
and downtown neighborhoods, while outlying villages and many residential neighborhoods are
underrepresented and at risk of inappropriate, unwanted change.
● Emphasis in the inventory on high-style examples of the City’s architecture, while noteworthy
concentrations of more modest historic buildings, especially residential, have yet to be included.
● Inventory must be sufficiently comprehensive to support local planning activities, yet is never
“finished” or complete. Multiple high-priority additions and updates are needed.
● To facilitate coordination between the Historical Commission and municipal agencies, inventory
forms or updated inventory forms are needed for all pre-1975 buildings, parks, cemeteries,
bridges, and related resources owned by the City of Northampton.
● Great demand for understanding and disseminating the stories associated with historic resources,
though most historical narratives on inventory forms have not been updated and expanded in
forty years.
● Updates to inventory are needed to help identify new districts and individual properties that merit
historic designation, and to justify boundaries for proposed districts.
● Need to develop additional historic contexts for the city, especially indigenous history, women’s
history, LGBTQIA+ history, ethnic history, social or political movements, and civil rights, to identify
more areas and individual resources for inclusion in the inventory.
● Ambiguity between National Register-eligible and National Register-recommended properties,
the former used as one factor in the Historical Commission’s determination of significance under
the Demolition Ordinance; neither status confers a historic designation for preservation planning
purposes or provides protection and qualification for incentive programs.
● Decentralized collections of data on inventoried and designated historic properties (e.g.,
inventory forms, National Register nominations, local district studies, preservation restrictions),
making it cumbersome for property owners, residents, realtors, and other interested parties to
compile a complete picture of a specific property or area’s history, designation status, and
applicable regulations.
● Limited information regarding areas of archaeological sensitivity (i.e., areas with known or
potential historic and prehistoric archaeological sites). There is no local review process in place
for assessing impact on archaeological sites of privately funded projects utilizing only City licenses
and permits.
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Private and Public Stewardship of Historic Resources
Recognizing role of maintenance in the long-term protection of historic resources
Encouraging responsible stewardship through financial incentives and/or regulation
● Potential examples of demolition-by-neglect involving residential, institutional, and commercial
property are apparent in several areas of Northampton.
● Historic religious buildings, other historic buildings in not-for-profit ownership, and potentially
government-owned buildings tend to suffer from deferred maintenance that accelerates the
decline of a building’s structural integrity and increases the likelihood of a demolition proposal.
● Not enough incentive for private property owners to maintain and preserve historic (pre-1975)
buildings with their setting intact when market conditions and zoning allow for a more profitable
redevelopment solution.
● Absence of a coordinated pro-active effort for monitoring preservation restrictions citywide, to
ensure property owner compliance with the terms of each restriction (and the necessary funding
to conduct and document compliance reviews). Preservation restrictions acquired by the City of
Northampton through planning and zoning approvals or sale of surplus buildings should be
included in this monitoring and compliance-review process.
● Need for formal liaisons between the Historical Commission and other municipal agencies
charged with the care and maintenance of City-owned historic properties, especially Central
Services and the Department of Public Works.
● Preservation-related financial incentives to assist owners with maintenance and repair of their
historic properties favors income-producing buildings or buildings under not-for-profit ownership.
Virtually no funding is available to assist homeowners.
● Need for clearer policies to determine eligibility for CPA funds to rehabilitate, preserve, or restore
historic buildings or structures, especially for City-owned real property. Work that may be
considered routine maintenance on a newer building may be essential for preserving a historically
significant one.
● There is no comprehensive needs assessment, prioritization, and capital improvements plan for
the City’s historic properties.
Preservation and Economic Development
Incentivizing rehabilitation/reuse of historic buildings and preservation of open space
● Economic benefits of preservation in Northampton are not widely known or promoted, and
should be analyzed and reported.
● Perception that outside investment and profit-driven development are major factors in the
declining historic character of residential neighborhoods.
● Limited financial incentive for property owners to rehabilitate their historic buildings in a manner
consistent with the building’s historic character.
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● Lack of financial assistance to encourage small business owners to maintain and improve exteriors
of commercial buildings (e.g., signage, painting, re-glazing of storefronts) in a manner compatible
with historic architectural features.
● To date, limited use of state and federal historic rehabilitation tax credits for certified
rehabilitations of historic buildings, aside from recent large-scale activity on the campus of the
former Clarke School for the Deaf.
● Financial disincentive for preservation of agricultural land and other historically and culturally
significant open space and heritage landscapes. Large tracts present opportunities for residential
development.
Preservation/Heritage Education and Tourism
Fostering Northampton’s historic sense of place
Utilizing Northampton’s surviving historic resources to tell the City’s story
Continuing tourism through local and regional cooperation
● Limited ability of Northampton’s Historical Commission to undertake planning and public
education activities due to merger in 2013 with the City’s Historic District Commission. Regulatory
reviews under the Demolition Ordinance and Elm Street (Local) Historic District Ordinance tend
to be the highest priority given their time-sensitive nature.
● Need for a public-private partnership to provide preservation planning education and technical
assistance to property owners and residents citywide, promoted through various media channels.
Historic Northampton, a not-for-profit organization, receives frequent requests for guidance from
neighborhoods.
● Lack of a citywide task force or coalition of municipal entities and not-for-profit organizations to
provide a unified voice for historic preservation and local history year-round, including
reactivating the City’s annual Preservation Awards program; planning for national Preservation
Month (May), national history and heritage months, and the 250th anniversary celebration of the
United States (2026); or developing a citywide interpretive program to educate the public about
Northampton’s historic resources.
● Desire to expand the longtime preservation focus on historic places and architecture to highlight
the personal stories represented by those resources, thereby building more community support
for preservation.
3.2. Historic Properties Inventory
Communities conduct comprehensive surveys to record the location, form, appearance, condition,
and history of their historic resources. The product of the survey is known as the inventory. Resources
selected for documentation are generally at least fifty years old at the time of survey. The inventory
provides the baseline documentation needed to evaluate the significance of the resources and
establish priorities for preservation. Funding constraints often limit the number of resources
documented in a survey project, and each year more resources reach the fifty-year mark. For these
reasons, a survey may be considered community wide and comprehensive but is rarely complete.
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The Inventory of Historic and Archaeological Assets of the Commonwealth, maintained by the
Massachusetts Historical Commission (MHC), currently records about 1,734 historic buildings, areas,
structures, objects, and burial grounds in Northampton.20 Inventory forms and related preservation
planning documents, including National Register of Historic Places nominations, are available through
the MHC’s Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System (MACRIS) database at https://mhc-
macris.net, with online mapping at https://maps.mhc-macris.net. Per MHC historic properties survey
methodology, the City of Northampton has duplicate sets of inventory forms filed in various locations,
including Historic Northampton, Forbes Library, and City Hall.
The inventory records both unique and representative examples of Northampton’s historic
development and demonstrates how historic resources are concentrated. The most intact or best
preserved resources are the highest priority for documentation. To meet MHC standards that the
inventory be both communitywide and comprehensive, the process of identifying resources for survey
is guided by the goals of recording resources:
• in each geographic area of Northampton;
• reflecting the range of historic resource types (areas, neighborhoods, buildings, structures,
objects, landscapes, burial grounds, etc.) present in the city;
• reflecting the range of historic uses (e.g., residential, commercial, industrial, private
institutional, educational, municipal, etc.) present in the city; and
• illustrating the range of time periods and associations with important themes, events, or
persons in the city’s history and development.
Communities compile their inventories using MHC inventory forms, completed to MHC survey
standards. Only forms submitted to MHC are included in the statewide inventory. Inventory forms
may include recommendations, if appropriate, for listing in the National Register of Historic Places,
per National Register criteria.
Survey Activity in Northampton to Date (Existing Inventory)
Northampton began recording its historic resources in 1970. The Historical Society (now Historic
Northampton) initially documented 139 resources citywide, submitting the inventory forms to MHC
in 1972. Northampton Historical Commission assumed responsibility for survey work upon its
establishment in 1973. Under the chairmanships of Dr. C. Keith Wilbur and Helen Searing, professor
of architectural history at Smith College, the Historical Commission greatly expanded the inventory to
more than 1,100 resources by the early 1980s, with many forms prepared by trained volunteers
working with consultants C. Dubie and Edmond Lonergan. Northampton was commended for the
quality and comprehensiveness of this early inventory, described in 1982 as:
20 As of July 2022, some Northampton inventory forms filed with MHC have not yet been processed and are not included
in this total. Note this analysis of Northampton’s inventory is limited to above-ground (i.e., nonarchaeological) historic
resources. An assessment of the city’s archaeological sites inventory must be undertaken in a separate project with the
guidance of professional archaeologists who coordinate with the State Archaeologist and staff archaeologists at the MHC.
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…exceedingly well documented. Almost every building of outstanding character, either
historical or architectural, is included along with representative examples of all major building
types and styles present in the city. Historical significance is particularly sensitively treated.21
Also known in Northampton as the legacy survey, the early inventory yielded numerous
recommendations for historic districts and individual National Register listings at the city center,
Florence, Bay State, Leeds, Laurel Park, West Farms, and Oxbow. In addition to providing the
framework for subsequent update projects, the legacy inventory preserves photograph views of
Northampton’s historic resources as they appeared ca. 1970 through the early 1980s. This
documentation is invaluable for illustrating how recorded resources have been modified in recent
decades.
Northampton Historical Commission produced inventory forms in the late 1970s for the Smith College
campus, a sizable concentration of high-style, architect-designed buildings. C. Dubie and Ann
Gilkerson prepared the forms on the commission’s behalf. Preservation consulting firm Boston
Affiliates, Inc. conducted a campuswide survey update in 2002, adding updated photographs, street
address corrections, and minor notations on building alterations that had occurred since the 1970s.
The Northampton Commission also completed the first cultural resource survey of the State Hospital
campus in 1980-1981. Consultant Edmond Lonergan recorded buildings from the 1840s through the
late 1960s, providing an important and early record of the campus with buildings that have since been
demolished. This local survey was followed by a 1984 statewide survey of state hospitals and state
schools, and a statewide multiple property National Register of Historic Places nomination on the
same theme. Inventory forms from both the city and state surveys are available through MACRIS.
From the 1980s through the late 1990s, project planners, consultants, and volunteers produced a
number of inventory forms for Northampton resources; some were updates of earlier forms. Stephen
J. Roper, Historic Bridge Specialist for Massachusetts Department of Public Works/ Highway
Department (now the Highway Division of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation)
recorded several bridges in Northampton. Volunteer survey efforts included documentation of the
Soldiers and Sailors Monument by Save Outdoor Sculpture (SOS). The Public Archaeology Laboratory
(PAL) completed an updated inventory form for Park Street Cemetery in Florence, prepared for the
Museum of African American History.
The City substantially updated the legacy survey in 2010-2011, in a project completed by planners
Bonnie Parsons, Jayne Bernhard, and staff at Pioneer Valley Planning Commission. Since the original
communitywide survey was completed, Northampton had established design review districts and a
demolition ordinance, and more detailed information on the appearance and condition of historic
resources was needed to support preservation planning decisions. Inventory forms for many
individually recorded resources were amended with new photographs, location sketch maps utilizing
online mapping, and narrative architectural descriptions. The latter were a significant addition to the
city’s inventory because inventory forms from the 1970s and early 1980s did not require descriptions
in a data field separate from the historical narrative. In most cases, form updates restated the
21 Massachusetts Historical Commission Reconnaissance Survey Town Report: Northampton (July 1982), 24.
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historical narratives from the original forms, with minor corrections. Several resources from the legacy
survey were confirmed to be demolished, and their inventory forms marked accordingly in the
statewide inventory and MACRIS database.22 Restorations and renovations also were noted.
New forms were prepared in 2010-2011 for properties not documented in the legacy survey.
Examples include post-World War II residences and new construction in the Elm Street Historic
District, additional buildings on adjacent Round Hill that would later be added to the district, and
buildings in a potential expansion of the Fort Hill National Register historic district. In these cases,
where historic resources were being added to the inventory for the first time, forms included
architectural descriptions and detailed historical narratives.
Property-specific preservation and development projects have added a limited number of new forms
to the Northampton inventory in recent years. Most were associated with review and compliance,
establishment of preservation restrictions, or efforts to list additional properties in the National
Register of Historic Places.
As survey projects are completed, inventoried resources are evaluated against National Register of
Historic Places criteria to identify areas and individual resources potentially eligible for listing in the
National Register. See Designated Historic Properties in Northampton for further information on the
National Register program. MHC staff evaluates recommendations upon request, decides whether a
resource is eligible or not eligible, and often asks for more information before issuing an opinion. A
positive National Register eligibility opinion from MHC does not confer any official historic designation
on an area or property, though the Northampton Historical Commission does consider such properties
significant for the purposes of demolition review (see Municipal Ordinances and Regulations).
Geographic Distribution of Inventoried Resources
The statewide historic properties inventory identifies seven places in Northampton where historic
resources are concentrated: Northampton (72.5% of the total), Florence (15.5%), Leeds (7.8%), Bay
State (3%), West Farms (0.9%), Laurel Park (0.2%), and Pine Grove (0.1%). Other places of historic
interest in Northampton include North Farms, Oxbow (Island Road), and Loudville. The inventory does
not fully reflect the density of historic development citywide, principally because villages and
subdivisions beyond two miles of downtown have not been inventoried as intensively. (See Map 3.1,
Existing Inventory.)
A heavy concentration of architecturally significant buildings downtown is one factor in the uneven
distribution of inventoried resources citywide. Another is the early 1980s completion date of
Northampton’s legacy survey, a time when inventories focused on recording resources individually.
By the late 1980s, MHC survey methodology had shifted to a cultural landscape approach that used
area forms as the principal vehicle for recording concentrations of historic resources. Rather than
prepare individual forms for unique and representative resources in the geographic area, the new
approach recorded the architecture, setting, and history of the area, and the resources within, as a
whole. The legacy survey delineates boundaries for areas such as Water Street at Leeds (NTH.W),
22 When an inventoried resource is demolished, a notation is added in MHC files, but the corresponding inventory form
remains in the statewide inventory and MACRIS database for reference.
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Laurel Park (NTH.N), and Loudville (NTH.D), though information on the number, character, and
condition of historic resources in those areas is limited. In mill villages and other settlement clusters
at Bay State, Florence, Leeds, and Oxbow, detailed area forms are now desirable to provide a more
complete accounting of the resources present.
An area form for Florence Village has been drafted and is currently (July 2022) in the preliminary
stages of review by MHC for a potential National Register of Historic Places multiple property
nomination project using Community Preservation funds.
Resource Uses and Types Represented in Inventory
Northampton’s inventory is notable in Massachusetts for the wide range of historic uses represented.
Single-family dwellings, multiple-family dwellings, apartment houses, and workers housing comprise
just over 55 percent of the building uses identified, a comparatively low percentage for cities. A
substantial number of identified buildings, therefore, were not residential historically, indicating
diversity among the types of historic resources recorded. Roughly eighty outbuildings also have been
identified to date.
Table 3.2.1. Current Distribution of Resource Types in the Northampton Inventory
Resource Examples Total Count and
Percent of Inventory
Buildings Residential, commercial, industrial, agricultural, municipal,
institutional (e.g., educational, religious)
1,565 total
(90.3% of inventory)
Structures Bridges, dams and other waterpower features, railroad
features, parks and landscapes (including fairgrounds)
102 total
(5.9% of inventory)
Areas National Register of Historic Places districts
Elm Street Historic District (under G.L. c. 40C)
Residential neighborhoods/subdivisions
Industrial complexes
Institutional campuses (e.g., schools, hospitals,
religious properties)
37 total
(2.1% of inventory)
Objects Statues, markers, monuments, fountains 21 total
(1.2% of inventory)
Burial grounds Includes cemeteries 9 total
(0.5% of inventory)
Source: MHC Town Profile, Northampton (May 2022)
Landscapes – including agricultural landscapes and designed landscapes such as parks and campuses
– appear to be especially underrepresented as a resource type in Northampton’s inventory. Legacy
survey forms for Pulaski Park (NTH.911) and Look Memorial Park (NTH.904) no longer meet
preservation planning standards for parks and landscape documentation. A more recent area form
for Three County Fairgrounds (NTH.AF) requires more detailed mapping, photographs, and
descriptions of the historic resources present. Many opportunities exist for adding a variety of
landscapes to the inventory.
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Most of the nine cemeteries in the Northampton inventory have legacy survey forms that provide
historical details but lack the descriptive information necessary to support current preservation
planning decisions. General descriptions of cemetery and marker design, along with assessments of
current condition and representative photographs, are needed, though 1970s-era stone-by-stone
recording of birth and death dates is no longer expected. Bridge Street Cemetery is well documented
due to recent preservation activity.
For preservation planning and public information purposes, all pre-1975 historic buildings, parks,
cemeteries, bridges, and related resources owned and maintained by the City of Northampton should
be included in the inventory. The Seth Thomas Street Clock on Main Street, relocated and restored
with Community Preservation funds, merits inclusion in the inventory as well.
Historic Periods and Themes Represented in the Inventory
MHC’s Town Profile for Northampton shows inventoried resources with approximate construction
dates from 1660 to 2010. Later dates tend to reflect either non-contributing resources in historic
districts, or contemporary resources (such as a fence) present on an inventoried property. MHC
currently encourages documentation of historic resources in place by ca. 1975, though the statewide
inventory and MACRIS database can accommodate above-ground resources of any age.
Roughly 75 percent of Northampton resources date to the period from 1850 to 1920, with about half
of these associated with growth during the Late Industrial period (1870-1915). A comparatively
limited number of pre-1850 resources indicates well-preserved examples are likely to be of
communitywide significance. About 6 percent of the inventoried resources date to 1950 and later.
Aside from architecture, the top historic themes represented in Northampton’s inventory to date are
education, commerce, health and medicine, industry, agriculture, religion, recreation, and
transportation. A resource may illustrate more than one historic theme or area of significance. Further
survey work can be expected to document additional resources associated with these themes. A high
priority for survey is resources associated with underrepresented themes in Northampton, among
them ethnic history, the Underground Railroad, and several themes under the broad category of social
history: disability history, labor history, LGBTQIA history, traditional cultural history, women’s history,
and civil rights.23
Quality of Inventory Documentation
Prepared from the 1970s through 1981, Northampton’s legacy survey is uncommon among early
communitywide surveys for its comprehensiveness. The inventory captures unique and
representative examples of historic development throughout the city, includes a wide range of
resource types from different historic periods, and is strong in historical research. The inventory forms
exceeded MHC survey standards in effect at the time of submittal.
MHC survey methodology and standards continued to evolve to meet preservation planning needs,
and inventory form documentation became more detailed and complex. The 2010-2011 survey
23 Historic themes recorded by MHC correspond to areas of significance per the National Register of Historic Places and
National Park Service, Area of Significance Legacy and Current (May 2021, rev. August 23, 2021).
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update project addressed new survey standards introduced since the completion of the legacy survey,
by amending the forms with narrative descriptions of each resource, updated photographs, and
location sketch maps from digital mapping sources. New inventory forms were added for certain post-
World War II buildings in design review districts, and select apartment buildings owned by Smith
College. Beyond new area forms for the Nonotuck Mills, 296 Nonotuck Street, Florence (NTH.AB) and
Norwood Engineering Company, 28-32 North Maple Street (NTH.AD), the structure of the legacy
inventory was largely maintained, with an emphasis on recording individual properties.
Using the Northampton Inventory
For the most up-to-date accounting of the full Northampton inventory, users are urged to consult
MHC’s MACRIS database and companion mapping site, which include the MACRIS identification
numbers currently assigned to inventoried properties. As the central repository for the statewide
inventory, MHC receives forms for Northampton resources that are not produced locally and
therefore may not be included in local collections on paper and online. In addition, MHC has unique
inventory numbering requirements that caused some legacy forms, especially those originally
numbered in the 800s and 900s range, to be renumbered during the MACRIS data entry process. Use
of the MACRIS database going forward will streamline communication on historic properties, allow
users to see all inventory forms submitted to MHC for a single property over time, and eliminate the
need for local repositories to update the numbering of inventory forms in their possession.
3.3. Designated Historic Properties in Northampton
Properties that have received one or more local, state, or federal designations based on their historical
or archaeological significance are listed in the State Register of Historic Places, published annually by
the Massachusetts Historical Commission (MHC). The State Register includes all Massachusetts
resources listed in the National Register of Historic Places; located in local historic districts (under G.L.
c. 40C); designated as local, state, or national landmarks; or for which a preservation restriction (i.e.,
preservation easement) has been recorded at the Registry of Deeds. The State Register is distinct from
the Inventory of Historic and Archaeological Assets of the Commonwealth analyzed in Section 3.2,
which is a much larger database that identifies historic resources present in the community, some of
which may merit designation in the future.
Designated historic properties in Northampton are protected in various ways. The MHC reviews any
new construction projects or renovations to existing buildings that require funding, licenses, or
permits from any federal or state agency, to determine the potential impact on historic properties
and archaeological sites and avoid, minimize, or mitigate any adverse effects.24 The MHC conducts its
review in consultation with the Northampton Historical Commission and other interested parties.
While not design review programs, these mechanisms provide limited protection from federal and
state actions. State Register listing makes a property eligible for certain matching state restoration
grants, when available, and certain tax benefits for certified historic rehabilitation projects.
24 In compliance with the following federal and state statutes and regulations: Section 106 of the National Historic
Preservation Act of 1966 and 36 CFR 800, G.L. c. 9, § 26-27C as amended by Chapter 254 of the Acts of 1988 and 950
CMR 71.00; and the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA).
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Ultimately, the strongest protections are implemented at the local level, typically in the form of c.40C
local historic districts and preservation restrictions.
This section examines National Register listings, the Elm Street Historic District, and preservation
restrictions in Northampton. The city’s Central Business-Core District and West Street Architecture
District are not listed in the State Register because they are not local historic districts designated
under c. 40C. For further information on these districts, see Section 3.6 and Table 4.
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the nation’s official list of buildings, sites, structures, objects,
and districts worthy of preservation and significant on the local, state, and/or national level. An
essential tool for preservation planning, the National Register recognizes unique and irreplaceable
historic resources that convey a sense of time and place, and contribute to community character. The
National Register also is an important public information tool that increases awareness of our
irreplaceable resources and promotes preservation and revitalization of historic properties. National
Register listing, also known as registration, provides limited protection from federal and state actions,
but does not involve design review and does not guarantee that historic and cultural resources will be
preserved.
Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (NHPA) and administered by the National
Park Service, U. S. Department of the Interior, the National Register is part of a federal program to
coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect the nation’s
historic and archaeological resources. Section 106 of the NHPA requires federal agencies to consider
the effects on National Register-listed properties of projects they undertake, assist, fund, permit,
license, or approve. Properties determined eligible by the Secretary of the Interior for listing in the
National Register are also afforded this review.
As the State Historic Preservation Office, the MHC conducts the National Register program in
coordination with the National Park Service, and both agencies have a role in approving nominations.
MHC staff also evaluates individual properties and districts to see whether they meet the National
Register criteria before nominations are prepared. Massachusetts properties listed in the National
Register are automatically listed in the State Register of Historic Places (see above).
Financial incentives are available to encourage private-sector rehabilitation and reuse of certain
income-producing properties (such as commercial, industrial, and rental residential buildings) listed
in the National Register. Both the Federal Historic Preservation Tax Incentives program and the
Massachusetts Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit program allow tax credits for substantial
rehabilitation projects that meet the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation, as
certified by the National Park Service (for federal credits) and the MHC (for state credits). These tax
credits are intended to help pay the unique costs associated with rehabilitation of historic properties.
Listing of their property in the National Register places no constraints on what owners may do with
private property using private funds and local permits, unless some state, regional and/or local
ordinance or policy is in effect. If owners use state or federal funds to alter their property or need
state or federal permits, the proposed alteration will be reviewed by MHC staff. The review is
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triggered by the funding or permitting source, not by the historic designation. Local funding and
permitting do not trigger MHC review.
Under the city’s Demolition Ordinance (Code of Ordinances, c. 161), the Northampton Historical
Commission considers buildings or structures listed in the National Register, individually or as part of
a district, as one of the factors to be considered when determining whether a building is significant
for the purposes of demolition review. It is important to note, however, that all buildings or structures
built in 1900 or earlier, and all principal buildings or structures built between 1901 and 1945, are
already regulated under the provisions of the Demolition Ordinance. Any future National Register
designation of pre-1946 buildings or structures, therefore, would not subject their owners to
additional regulatory requirements beyond those already in place when private funds and local
permits are used.
National Register Activity in Northampton
Northampton has listed historic resources in the National Register for nearly fifty years (see Table
3.3.1 and Map 3.1). Growing enthusiasm for local history and historic preservation generated by the
nation’s bicentennial celebration in 1975-1976 led to listing of several individual properties and the
sizable downtown historic district within a decade. Most of the earliest listings were concentrated in
or near the downtown area.
Important firsts in Northampton’s nascent preservation planning activities included the city’s earliest
individual property and historic district listings in the National Register. Both citizens and alumnae
advocated for the preservation of Smith College Alumnae Gymnasium (NRIND 1976), which had been
slated for demolition in 1975. The building was subsequently relocated to a new foundation at 83
Green Street and converted for use as the college archives. Listing of the Downtown Historic District
(NRDIS 1976) was a major accomplishment, encompassing the city’s commercial and institutional core
with Main Street as its spine. Extending roughly from Pearl Street to Bedford Terrace and from West
Street to the Boston & Maine Railroad right-of-way, this district was expanded in 1985 to add buildings
on Bridge Street and Market Street east of the railroad right-of-way.
Architecturally significant residential buildings began to be added to the National Register with
nominations for The Manse (Stoddard House), 54 Prospect Street (NRIND 1976), associated with a
prominent Connecticut Valley family, and the Calvin Coolidge House, 19-21 Massasoit Street (NRIND
1976), the first and longtime Northampton home of the U. S. President and Massachusetts Governor.
The Dimock Estate-Grove Hill Mansion, 1 Florence Street, Leeds (NRIND 1982), residence of
industrialist Lucius Dimock, was Northampton’s first nomination connected with a certified historic
rehabilitation using federal tax credits. Another early certified historic rehabilitation project was the
Dr. Silas Cooley Row Houses, 8 through 12 Graves Avenue (NRIND 1985). The small Fort Hill Historic
District (NRDIS 1989) on South Street features six residences of early settlers and builders in
Northampton, from the mid-eighteenth century to ca. 1830.
Five properties in Northampton were listed in the National Register from 1994 to 2012 as part of
statewide thematic nominations. From a single commercial building to multiple-acre institutional
campuses, these resources were recognized for their contributions to historical and architectural
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development at the state and even national levels. The thematic nomination format allows future
nomination of additional properties associated with the theme.
Representing the institutional campuses, the nomination for Northampton State Hospital (NRDIS
1994) stemmed from a 1984 thematic survey of state hospitals and state schools managed by the
Commonwealth’s mental health and public health agencies; survey and subsequent registration of
the most significant properties in the system assisted state agencies in fulfilling their review
responsibilities under state and federal preservation statutes. A comparable nomination project
undertaken at the federal level listed the Northampton Veterans Administration Hospital (NRDIS
2012) within a thematic study of United States Second Generation Veterans Hospitals (built 1919-
1950). The Secretary of the Interior had previously determined the Northampton Veterans Hospital
eligible for the National Register in 1980.
Other thematic National Register nominations were intended to raise public awareness and
encourage preservation of significant resources. Through the Diners of Massachusetts multiple
property submission, the Miss Florence Diner, 99 Main Street, Florence (NRIND 1999), joined twenty-
one other well preserved diners that, as a group, represented the range of diner designs,
manufacturers, and business operators in Massachusetts through ca. 1970. Two properties were
listed for their associations with the Underground Railroad of Massachusetts (1783-1865): the Basil
Dorsey-Thomas H. Jones House, 191 Nonotuck Street, Florence (NRIND 2005), and Ross Farm, 123
Meadow Street, Florence (NRIND 2008). The Underground Railroad thematic nomination
demonstrates the importance of the Utopian communal society in Florence as a destination and
residence for fugitives from slavery in the mid-nineteenth century. The thematic overview identifies
additional properties in Florence that will be nominated in the future as part of a Florence abolition
and reform historic district, pending additional research. This work is underway.
National Register listing of the Parsons, Shepherd, and Damon Houses Historic District (NRDIS 2001)
encompassed the three museum houses owned by Historic Northampton and operated as a local
history museum and repository for Northampton and Connecticut Valley collections. The nomination
coincided with major restoration work and helped facilitate acquisition of Community Preservation
funds for further renovations to the historic buildings. Abutting the museum complex, Pomeroy
Terrace Historic District (NRDIS 2018) is the largest National Register district of privately owned
property created in Northampton since 1976. Pursued principally by property owners and residents
as an honorary designation to encourage preservation of the neighborhood, the nomination traces
development from the late seventeenth century through the 1960s, highlighting a number of
architecturally notable residences and the work of local carpenters and architects, as well as known
stone cutters and artists at Bridge Street Cemetery.
Most recently, Clarke School for the Deaf Historic District (NRDIS 2022) was listed in the National
Register in connection with certified historic rehabilitations of six campus buildings using state and
federal historic rehabilitation tax credits. All buildings in this National Register district are also within
the boundaries of the Elm Street Local Historic District, as expanded in 2013, and a Preservation
Restriction area designated in 2016 (see below).
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Properties Recommended or Evaluated for the National Register
Since the 1970s, a number of historic areas and individual properties in Northampton have been
recommended for listing in the National Register of Historic Places through the survey and inventory
process. Some of these areas and properties were evaluated further by MHC staff and found to
possess, at the time of review, sufficient significance and historic integrity to warrant proceeding with
a National Register nomination.
It should be noted that a positive National Register eligibility opinion from MHC does not confer any
official historic designation on an area or property, though the Northampton Historical Commission
considers listing or eligibility as one of the criteria by which a building may be determined significant
for the purposes of demolition review (see Municipal Ordinances and Regulations). Only properties
for which National Register nominations were completed and approved by the National Park Service
may be considered to have a National Register designation. (For further information on properties
recommended or evaluated for National Register listing, see Survey Activity in Northampton.)
Elm Street (Local) Historic District
Historic districts created and administered at the local level generally provide the strongest form of
preservation protection on a neighborhood scale in Massachusetts. The local historic district
acknowledges the historic and architectural integrity of a neighborhood, and establishes project
review procedures to protect this character from inappropriate alteration and demolition. Elm Street
Historic District is included in the State Register of Historic Places by virtue of its establishment, in
1994, as a local historic district under G.L. c. 40C. The district ordinance, adopted as Chapter 195 in
the City of Northampton Code of Ordinances, regulates exterior architectural features visible from
the public way for nearly 100 properties, many owned by Smith College.
Design standards adopted in 2010 facilitate administration of the Elm Street Historic District by
providing guidance to owners who improve and/or alter their properties. The standards also help
ensure consistency of review decisions involving the appropriateness of those improvements and
alterations. Many local historic districts in Massachusetts lack design guidelines tailored to the unique
features of the district, making Northampton’s design standards manual – prepared with Community
Preservation funds – a model for other communities.
Elm Street Historic District preserves significant residential and institutional buildings dating from the
early eighteenth through the mid-twentieth centuries that form the gateway to downtown
Northampton from the northwest. Initially limited to properties fronting the Elm Street corridor,
district boundaries were expanded to their present position in 2013 to add twenty properties on
Round Hill and Bancroft Roads, most associated with the former campus of Clarke School for the Deaf.
Northampton Historical Commission serves as the City’s Local Historic District Commission, having
merged in 2013 with the Historic District Commission to reduce administrative costs and centralize
communications.
Preservation Restrictions
The strongest form of long-term protection for an individual historic property is a preservation
restriction, a legally binding agreement (typically an easement) between a property owner and
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another party that prohibits or conditions specified physical changes or uses of the property by
current or future owners. The other party (grantee) may be a government entity or a qualified
charitable corporation or trust whose purposes include the preservation of historically significant
properties with the power to acquire an interest in land. Preservation restrictions may be conveyed
in perpetuity or for a term of years and must be recorded at the Registry of Deeds to be generally
binding on future owners. Preservation restrictions may regulate repair and maintenance, alteration,
demolition, and moving of the historic resource.
The legal procedures for conveying a preservation restriction are outlined in G.L. c. 184 § 31-33. MHC
must approve all preservation restrictions conveyed under c. 184, which are ultimately added to the
State Register of Historic Places. For preservation restrictions held by a charitable corporation or trust,
the city also must approve the preservation restriction. To confirm a property qualifies for a
preservation restriction, MHC uses the National Register of Historic Places eligibility standard by
reviewing a recently completed inventory form with photographs and applying the National Register
criteria. Preservation restriction documents must reference the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards
for the Treatment of Historic Properties with Guidelines for Preserving, Rehabilitating, Restoring, and
Reconstructing Historic Buildings. Additional information on establishing a preservation restriction is
available from the MHC.
Active Preservation Restrictions in Northampton
The State Register of Historic Places currently records nine (9) active preservation restrictions in
Northampton meeting the statutory requirements of G.L. c. 184 § 31-33. These restrictions govern
six individual buildings, the Bridge Street Cemetery, the three-building museum property on Bridge
Street owned and operated by Historic Northampton, and the Round Hill Road campus formerly
associated with the Clarke School for the Deaf. The City of Northampton holds five of the preservation
restrictions, and the MHC holds four. See Table 2.
State and federal preservation programs usually require a preservation restriction be conveyed by the
property owner to protect the public interest in a historic property restored or rehabilitated with
taxpayer dollars. Sources of this grant funding in Northampton have primarily been the MHC’s
Massachusetts Preservation Projects Fund (MPPF). If Community Preservation Act (CPA) funds are
used to acquire a historic property, a preservation restriction is required by statute. If significant CPA
funds are utilized for restoration or rehabilitation of a property, a preservation restriction is typically
required as a condition of funding. In most cases, Northampton properties with preservation
restrictions are listed in National Register historic districts: the Academy of Music, 274 Main Street
(PR 1986); First Church of Christ Congregational, 129 Main Street (PR 2008); Parsons, Shepherd, and
Damon Houses, 46, 58, and 66 Bridge Street (PR 2015); Smith Charities Building, 51 Main Street (PR
2018, PR 2021); Hampshire County Courthouse, 99 Main Street (PR 2019); Bridge Street Cemetery,
156 Bridge Street (PR 2019); and 20 Hawley Street, former St. John Cantius. Final execution was
expected to occur in June 2023. The City holds a restriction under G.L. c. 184 (condition of CPA
funding).
Municipalities may require a restriction to protect a significant historic property as a condition of
granting a permit or variance, or in connection with declaring a municipal building surplus before its
sale to a private party. The restriction for West Farms Chapel, 185 West Farms Road (PR 1987), was
negotiated with Zoning Board of Appeals approval to convert the chapel to residential use. Slough Hill
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School a/k/a Hatfield Street School, 52 Hatfield Street (PR 2002), was sold to a private party for
residential use. Owners of the former campus for the Clarke School for the Deaf, 40 to 54 Round Hill
Road (PR 2016) conveyed a preservation restriction to the City of Northampton as a condition of the
zoning used and site plan approval for rehabilitating the campus buildings into residential apartments.
A growing number of preservation restrictions granted for Northampton buildings do not meet the
statutory requirements of G.L. c. 184 § 31-33, which require signature approvals from both the MHC
and the City of Northampton (see Table 3). Consequently, these properties are not listed in the State
Register of Historic Places, unless they have some other historic designation described above. The
Committee for Northampton, Inc. acquired the David Ruggles Center Building, 225 Nonotuck Street,
Florence, with a grant of Community Preservation funds, and the city holds the 2009 preservation
restriction. The 2013 preservation restriction for the Florence Grammar School, 140 Pine Street,
Florence was conveyed in connection with the sale and adaptive reuse of the building and runs for 30
years. City staff report that under a development agreement with the City (2022), a preservation
restriction has been recorded for Florence Congregational Church, 130 Pine Street, as part of
expanded reuse of the property. For the Northampton Community Music Center, a local restriction
was scheduled to be recorded in 2023, a condition of CPA funding. These properties with preservation
restrictions would not be included in the State Register unless or until they are listed in the National
Register or designated as part of a local historic district.
MHC is currently reviewing the 2002 preservation restriction on the former Masonic Street Fire
Station, 60 Masonic Street, located in the downtown National Register historic district. The restriction
document incorporates a signature approval from the MHC, yet does not appear in the State Register.
The City of Northampton, by and through the Central Business Architecture Committee, holds the
restriction, which was conveyed to ensure preservation after the building’s sale as surplus.
Historic Northampton (formerly the Northampton Historical Society) holds preservation restrictions
on The Manse (Stoddard House), 54 Prospect Street, and Hortense Clapp Pollard House, 70 Old
South Street. The Manse was individually listed in the National Register in 1976 and therefore is
included in the State Register, though its 1986 preservation restriction is not. While the restriction is
stated to run in perpetuity, ordinarily preservation restrictions conveyed apart from G.L. c. 184 § 31-
33 have a statutory limit. Hortense Clapp Pollard bequeathed her residence at 70 Old South Street to
Historic Northampton, and the organization sold the house in 2004 with a thirty-year preservation
restriction that also is not included in the State Register.
Table 3.3.1. Northampton Listings in the National Register (by listing date)
MHC ID Historic Name Address Designation/Date
NTH.743 Smith College Alumnae
Gymnasium
83 Green St
(Smith College campus)
NRIND 1976 (Apr)
NTH.A Northampton Downtown
Historic District
(see map)
Main St and area roughly
bounded by Hampton Ave,
Pearl St, Strong Ave,
railroad tracks, Bedford Ter,
Elm St, and West St
NRDIS 1976 (May)
NTH.625 The Manse (Stoddard House) 54 Prospect St NRIND 1976 (Oct)
NTH.294 Calvin Coolidge House 19-21 Massasoit St NRIND 1976 (Dec)
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MHC ID Historic Name Address Designation/Date
NTH.22 Dimock Estate-Grove Hill Mansion 1 Florence St, Leeds NRIND 1982
NTH.L Downtown Historic District
Boundary Increase
2 and 8-10 Bridge St;
1 to 30 Market St
NRDIS 1985 (Jul)
NTH.2034 Dr. Silas Cooley Row House 8-22 Graves Ave NRIND 1985 (Nov)
NTH.K Fort Hill Historic District 124, 130, 134, 135, and 144
South St
NRDIS 1989
NTH.Q Northampton State Hospital 1 Prince St NRDIS/NRMPS 1994
NTH.111 Miss Florence Diner 99 Main St, Florence NRIND/NRMPS 1999
NTH.T Parsons, Shepherd, and Damon
Houses
46, 58, and 66 Bridge St NRDIS 2001
NTH.2439 Dorsey-Jones House 191 Nonotuck St, Florence NRIND/NRMPS 2005
NTH.V Ross Farm 123 Meadow St, Florence NRDIS/NRMPS 2008
NTH.M Northampton Veterans
Administration Hospital
421 North Main St, Leeds NRDIS/NRMPS 2012
(NRDOE 1980)
NTH.AI Pomeroy Terrace Historic District Pomeroy Ter, Phillips &
Butler Pls, Bixby Ct, Hawley,
Hancock & Bridge Sts;
includes Bridge Street
Cemetery
NRDIS 2018
NTH.AH Clarke School for the Deaf
Historic District
40 to 54 Round Hill Road NRDIS 2022
Table 3.3.2. Northampton Properties with Preservation Restrictions
Listed in the State Register of Historic Places (by restriction date)
MHC ID Historic Name Address Designation
NTH.794 Academy of Music 260-274 Main St PR 1986
in Downtown NRDIS
NTH.2173 West Farms Chapel 185 West Farms Rd PR 1987
NTH.140 Slough Hill Public School
a/k/a Hatfield Street School
52 Hatfield St PR 2002
NTH.717 First Church of Christ
Congregational
129 Main St PR 2008
in Downtown NRDIS
NTH.T Parsons, Shepherd, and Damon
Houses
46, 58, and 66 Bridge St PR 2015
also NRDIS
NTH.AH Clarke School for the Deaf
Historic District
40 to 54 Round Hill Rd PR 2016
also NRDIS and in
LHD
NTH.2057 Smith Charities Building 51 Main St PR 2018, PR 2021
in Downtown NRDIS
NTH.2055 Hampshire County Courthouse 99 Main St PR 2019
in Downtown NRDIS
NTH.AJ Bridge Street Cemetery 156 Bridge St PR 2019
in Pomeroy Ter NRDIS
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Table 3.3.3. Additional Northampton Properties with Preservation Restrictions
MHC ID Historic Name Address Designation
NTH.625 The Manse (Stoddard House) 54 Prospect St PR 1986
also NRIND
NTH.769 Masonic Street Fire Station 60 Masonic St PR 2002
in Downtown NRDIS
NTH.2004 Alvin and Mabel Clapp House
a/k/a Hortense Clapp Pollard
House
70 Old South St PR 2004
NTH.2533 David Ruggles Center 225 Nonotuck St, Florence PR 2009
NTH.2689 Florence Grammar School 140 Pine St PR 2013
NTH.205 Florence Congregational Church 130 Pine St PR pending
Table 3.3.4. Design Review Districts in Northampton (by date established)
MHC ID Historic Name Address Designation
NTH.P Elm Steet Historic District
Parcels fronting Elm St from West St-
Main St intersection to 345 (odd) and
354 (even); includes one property with a
Bedford Ter address
Added in 2013:
83 and 93 Bancroft Rd
12 to 96 Round Hill Rd
LHD 1994, 2013
--- West Street Architecture
District**
(See Sec. 3.6 for additional
information)
Parcels fronting west (odd numbered)
side of West St from 43 to Mill River;
includes 64 Belmont Ave and portion of
Smith College parcel on Berenson Pl
2011
--- Central Business-Core
District***
Parcels fronting Main, Bridge, King, and
Pleasant Sts at core of central business
district, roughly bounded by Merrick Ln
and Hawley, Pearl, and Elm Sts; includes
Crafts Ave and Strong Ave
2022
** Per the City of Northampton Code of Ordinances, c. 156, § 2, the West Street Architecture District is an
“architecturally controlled” district as envisioned by G.L. c. 143, § 3A. Created under municipal home rule authority, this
district is not a local historic district as outlined under G.L. c. 40C, and therefore not listed in the State Register of
Historic Places.
*** Defined in the city’s Zoning Ordinance, c. 350 of the Code of Ordinances, the Central Business-Core District replaces
a larger architecturally controlled Central Business Architecture District created in 1999. Design review here supplements
form-based (character-based) zoning adopted in 2022 for downtown Northampton. This district is not a local historic
district as outlined under G.L. c. 40C, and therefore not listed in the State Register of Historic Places.
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3.4. Local Public Awareness and Engagement Analysis
The Historic Preservation planning process, conducted by the City’s Office of Planning and
Sustainability and guided by the Historical Commission, included consultants from Barrett Planning
Group and architectural historian and preservation consultant Kathleen Broomer. A subcommittee of
three historical commission members worked with City staff to provide context and feedback on the
consulting team’s approach.
There is vital overlap between historic preservation and the other elements of the Sustainable
Northampton Master Plan, such as sustainability, housing, and economic development. The Historic
Preservation element aims to guide the preservation planning process through the identification,
evaluation, and protection of Northampton’s historic resources, informed through the analysis of
national and local historic property inventories, review of local policies, and community engagement
geared for all levels of knowledge and experience in historic preservation.
At the outset of this process, the consultants created an engagement plan to focus and guide
engagement efforts with the approval of the Historic Preservation Commission. The plan outlined an
outreach strategy over several months with multiple avenues to target year-round residents,
students, and seasonal groups. The engagement process was designed to address three key principles
of equity in community planning:
• Engaging a range of residents, community groups, and private organizations,
• Encouraging Northampton to identify and value its historic and cultural resources, and
• Recognizing Northampton and its many neighborhoods are changing in the context of history and
culture.
People who live and work in and around Northampton bring an irreplaceable perspective to the
planning process. Including a range of voices in the conversation about Northampton’s future
increases the potential for community support when implementing recommendations upon the plan’s
completion. Interested residents could participate in a variety of ways and formats, such as
community forums and outreach activities and through outreach in institutions they already
frequented. Upon the approval of the engagement plan, active public outreach began, including the
opportunities below.
Community Engagement & Outreach
Outreach during the Northampton Historic Preservation process took the forms of community forums
and targeted stakeholder outreach, supported by local institutions. The team spread awareness about
the process at local Grow Food Northampton farmer’s markets and learned about ongoing historic
preservation efforts through local organizations.
Grow Food Northampton Tuesday Market (8.30) Tabling Outreach w. interactive activities
Historic Northampton Introductory Meeting Introduction to Staff, resources, and programs
Grown Food Northampton Wednesday Market (9.28) Tabling Outreach w. interactive activities
Community Forum 1 (9.29) Zoom forum w. interactive activity
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Grow Food Northampton Tuesday Market (8.30) Tabling Outreach w. interactive activities
Forbes Library Comment Wall (10.7 – 10.26) Interactive Comment Wall w. map
Forbes Library Archival Visit (10.12) Introduction to archival resources & Staff
Community Forum 2 (10.12) In-person forum w. interactive activities
Historic Northampton Site Visit (10.13) In-person site visit
Lily Library Comment Wall (11.22 – 1.3) Interactive Comment Wall w. map
Community Survey (1.10 – 2.1) Community-wide survey about HPE
Grow Food Northampton Market Tabling
Equitable engagement includes meeting community members in the public sphere at events they
frequent, including the well-attended seasonal markets conducted by Grow Food Northampton. Grow
Food Northampton facilitates farmer’s markets throughout the year behind Thorne’s Marketplace, on
Gothic Street, and at the Florence Civic Center. After establishing a relationship with Grow Food
Northampton, the consulting team attended a Farmer’s Market at Thorne’s in late August at the start
of the process and an additional market in Florence in late September to prepare for and generate
interest in the first community forum.
Stakeholder Outreach
The historic preservation planning process does not occur in a vacuum. Many organizations,
community groups, and community members simultaneously work toward historic preservation
goals. At the start of this process, the consulting team collaborated with the City to identify
stakeholders, advocates, and a subcommittee comprised of Historical Commission members.
Historic Northampton Northampton City Council
Downtown Northampton Northampton Historical Commission
Downtown Northampton Association David Ruggles Center for History and Education
Forbes Public Library & Calvin Coolidge Museum Lilly Library
Smith College Florence Business Association
Site visits by the consulting team in Northampton specifically included a tour of the Calvin Coolidge
Presidential Museum, a walkthrough of Forbes Library Archival resources, and a visit to Historic
Northampton. Due to community initiative and local leadership, existing historical resources and
networks are substantial in Northampton.
Community Forum #1: September 30, 2022
After a presentation outlining the Historic Preservation Element scope in the context of Sustainable
Northampton and elements of the plan, virtual participants could provide feedback to a range of
questions proposed by the consulting team through a platform called Mentimeter. The consulting
team asked multiple-choice and open-ended questions to understand the public’s perspective on
historic preservation practices. This meeting format allowed the City Staff and consultant team to
analyze the view of attendees and identify themes to guide the second in-person community forum.
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Individuals could provide additional feedback and in-depth comments through an online comment
card.
Forum Questions
In a word, how would you describe current historic preservation efforts & mechanisms in
Northampton?
If you could describe your aspirations for historic preservation in Northampton, what would they
be?
How do you view historic preservation in Northampton today?
Which individual properties, geographic areas, or thematic property types would you highlight?
What additional aspects of Northampton should be valued in this historic preservation planning
process?
For results of Community Forum #1, see Appendix.
Community Forum #2: October 12, 2022
The second forum expanded on the findings and trends from the September 30, 2022, virtual
community forum. The City invited the public to attend the second forum in the City Council Chambers
on October 12, 2022, in an open house format from 5:30 pm to 8:00 pm that aimed to provide a space
for small group discussions with members of the consulting team with respect to COVID-19
precautions.
Upon entering the Chambers, participants could review findings and trends from forum one and
educational information relative to the historic preservation process. Resources ranged from
sustainability policy to inventoried structures and sites in Northampton. Aside from the education
assets, attendees filtered through four activity stations individually or as part of a small group. The
four activities were also available in a take-home packet posted on the Office of Planning and
Sustainability’s website and distributed by some City Councilors.
Community Forum Activities
Activity 1 – Individuals or small groups identified sites and landscapes of interest for future
prioritization by labeling buildings, structures, objects, and neighborhoods with blue dots and
landscapes with green dots, then providing a name or description of the attribute. Participants could
boost others’ responses by adding a sticker to the attribute’s name or description.
Activity 2 – “Take me on a tour;” the team asked participants to imagine they were expecting house
guests excited to visit Northampton for a week. This friend happened to be a local history buff and
wanted a walking tour of their neighborhood and general highlights of Northampton. Individuals
would then generate a multi-day tour they would take this individual on throughout the weekend.
Locations and landscapes to consider included museums, historic residences, Smith College, mill
villages, Florence, Leeds, religious institutions, Downtown Northampton, and locations with vibrant
social histories. Planning and historic preservation are rooted in local histories and storytelling.
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Institutionalizing these stories in neighborhood walking tours and peer-reviewing them is one of the
first steps in their conservation.
Activity 3 – This activity aimed to highlight historical trends often not captured in history books,
libraries, or museums. Attendees thought about local histories collaboratively: what trends,
occurrences, or locations with social history, local lore, or nearly forgotten stories to be told.
Representatives from Historic Northampton noted they are working on a similar project; these points
went on to Historic Northampton.
Activity 4 – The final exercise aimed to provide a collaborative dialogue about language. When
discussing planning and historic preservation, it is easy to talk past one another without standard
definitions or referencing vague language in the existing policy. Participants reflected on the
definitions of historical character, culture, good-faith effort, and re-use.
For results of Community Forum #2, see Appendix.
Comment Walls
Comment boards featured a map with the Massachusetts Historical Commission Inventory points,
historic districts, permanent open spaces across the city, and one of the following prompts.
Participants responded to one of two prompts; “what spaces, structures, or landscapes would you
prioritize for historic preservation in Northampton?” or “What do you think Northampton will look
like in the next 10-20 years if we don’t make any changes to existing ordinance or policy?”. Comment
Walls remained posted long-term in Forbes Library (10.7 – 10.28) and Lilly Library (11.22 – 1.3) and
elicited comprehensive feedback that related across Sustainable Northampton elements, including
sustainability, economic development, and housing.
Historic Preservation Scavenger Hunt
Throughout the fall, residents could elect to participate in an interactive social media campaign
leading to events, historic sites, and new personal discoveries through biweekly clues on social
media profiles. Local organizations, including the Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce,
Forbes Library, Historic Northampton, and Grow Food Northampton, posted hints for residents to
identify sites such as the Bridge Street Cemetery and the Smith Charities Building. This aspect of
the historic preservation planning engagement scope sought to help get the community involved,
invested, and learning in order to identify and protect key sites like these in Northampton.
Community Survey
In January 2023, the consultants conducted an online survey on the City’s behalf to gauge the public’s
interest in and knowledge of historic preservation and to gauge interest in specific historic
preservation policies. The feedback received throughout outreach activities in the Fall of 2022 shaped
the questions included in the survey, which remained open from January 10 – February 1, 2023. There
was a resounding response from longtime residents; of the 155 responses received, 70 percent had
lived in Northampton for more than 15 years. Many respondents, 73 percent, did not live in a
designated local or National Register district but were still invested in the process.
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The survey results can be found in the Appendix.
3.5. Analysis of Existing Municipal Ordinances and Regulations
Zoning Ordinance
Zoning ordinances are a city’s primary tool for regulating land use. They divide a municipality into
different zones or districts that each regulate the types of allowable uses and the physical
characteristics of buildings (e.g., maximum building height or minimum distance from the road). While
most sections of Northampton’s zoning ordinance do not contain explicit references to issues of
historic preservation, the use and dimensional regulations of zoning districts could affect the
character of development in historic areas.
Northampton’s zoning ordinance establishes sixteen zoning districts and five overlay districts, but this
section of the report is concerned only with those that overlap with the City’s local and national
historic districts, listed in Table 1 (at end of document). (See Map 3-2, Zoning Map)
Use Districts
The Urban Residential districts where the Elm Street Local Historic District is located allow most
housing types by right as long as the development consists of not more than six units. A special permit
is required for larger projects. The Suburban Residential District (encompassing most of the Veterans
Administration Hospital near Florence Center) allows primarily one- and two-family dwellings.
The Farms, Forests and Rivers (FFR) District allows limited development but is mostly meant to
conserve open space. Development rights for a lot in the FFR District may be transferred to land in
the Planned Village (PV) District, essentially allowing development that could have occurred in the
FFR to be relocated to the PV, i.e., transfer of development rights. The FFR District at the state hospital
site is all permanently protected open space, so no new development may occur there.
The reuse of historic educational or religious buildings for residential or office space is allowed with
site plan review25 in any district. The new use must be within the building’s existing footprint and the
property owner must grant the City a historic preservation restriction to preserve “key character-
defining” features.
Overlay Districts
Overlay districts are regulatory areas that are superimposed on top of underlying zoning districts and
introduce additional regulations to an area. The Educational Uses overlay is located on the Smith
College campus and overlaps with a portion of the Elm Street Local Historic District. This overlay
exempts the college from most dimensional regulations, consistent with G.L. c. 40A, § 3, with the
exception that building height may not exceed 85 feet.
25 Site plan review is a process by which the Planning Board can impose limited conditions on a use that is nonetheless
allowed by right.
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Form-Based Districts
In 2022, the Northampton City Council adopted “form-based” or “character-based” zoning provisions
for downtown Northampton and Florence Center. Character-based zoning is intended to further the
goals of the Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive Plan, ensure cohesive design between the
public and private realm, create more detail and predictability for design standards, and increase
flexibility for mixed-use development. Crucially for historic preservation, a key goal is to:
[Shrink] the area subject to Central Business Architecture Committee review to the historic core of
downtown Northampton [and expand] the area that is subject to a more detailed review of
architecture via the existing site plan review process by the Planning Board.
-City of Northampton Zoning Ordinance, §350-21
The first part of Northampton’s Character-Based Zoning Sections describes a general set of standards
applicable to all character-based zoning districts. The section breaks a streetscape down into five
components, starting from the center of road itself:
1. Vehicle Throughway – this is the roadway, which must meet the standards of the Department
of Public Works.
2. Furnishing and Utility Zone – adjacent to the road, contains street trees, benches, lighting,
and/or fire hydrants.
3. Pedestrian Throughway Zone – separated from the road by the Furnishing and Utility Zone,
pedestrian sidewalks are located here.
4. Public Frontage Zone – between the sidewalk and the lot line, this zone may not be present
at all on a particularly narrow street. It provides a space between a building and an active
sidewalk for people to linger momentarily.
5. Lot Frontage Zone – usually private property, this zone may include plazas, storefronts,
gardens, and other privately owned but public facing areas.
Every Character-Based Zone has a minimum and maximum setback that a building’s façade must be
located between, called the Build-to-Zone. There is also a minimum width for buildings (called Building
Frontage Occupancy), based on a percentage of the lot’s frontage. This is meant to avoid large gaps
in the streetscape. Other elements with design guidelines include a building’s roof, façade, storefront
configuration, windows, and landscaping. Use of green infrastructure is also strongly encouraged.
The second part of the Character-Based Zoning Sections contains zone-specific regulations. The
Central Business District, which overlaps with the Downtown National Register Historic District and
the eastern extreme of the Elm Street Local Historic District, is divided into three sub-districts with
different form-based requirements. The subdistricts include the Central Business- Core (CB-Core)
Central Business- Side Street (CB-Side Street), and Central Business- Gateway (CB-Gateway).
None of the Central Business (CB) districts have minimum required lot sizes, frontage, or setbacks,
instead relying on design guidelines to maintain a consistent and desirable built form in the area.
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Projects involving nonconforming structures and lots (those that already exist but do not conform to
zoning standards) need only comply with character-based regulations.26
The CB districts have similar use regulations, with residential uses being generally more permissible
farther from the CB-Core. Mixed use development is allowed by right in all CB districts – including
residential located above the first floor – as are retail and personal service uses. Nursing homes or
assisted living residences require site plan review, while manufacturing is allowed with a special
permit. Ground floor residential uses, including multifamily, are allowed by right in the CB-Side Street
(with site plan review) and CB-Gateway districts. Ground floor residential may be permitted in CB-
Core if the property does not abut a public way or public park.
Off-street parking requirements are much less intensive than in other zoning districts. The reuse of
existing buildings does not require the addition of any new parking spaces unless development results
in an expansion of the existing building in the CB-Gateway district. The City also accepts a payment in
lieu of any number of required parking spaces in any CB district. Bicycle parking is required for some
commercial and industrial uses.
Other Zoning Regulations
Alterations to nonconforming structures in residential zones may be performed as-of-right under any
of the following conditions:
• If the change itself complies with zoning requirements;
• If a nonconforming use is being converted to a residential use; or
• If the change does not increase the existing nonconformity.
The Zoning Ordinance contains general regulations for lighting, signs, preserving significant trees, and
nuisance emissions and noises.
Finally, the Planning Board may issue a special permit to change dimensional requirements if they are
in line with surrounding properties and the project provides “infill development, open space for public
use, or affordable housing units.”
Demolition Ordinance
(Code of Ordinances, Chapter 161)
Enacted in 2005 and amended through 2022, the Demolition Ordinance applies to historic resources
in Northampton proposed for total demolition and located outside the Elm Street Local Historic
District and the Central Business-Core zoning district, two areas where demolition applications are
reviewed under separate ordinances. The Demolition Ordinance regulates buildings and structures
built in 1900 or earlier, and principal buildings and structures constructed on a parcel between 1901
and 1945. Ancillary buildings and structures from the 1901 to 1945 period, such as outbuildings,
sheds, garages, and fences, are not regulated under this ordinance.
26 This applies only to properties with dimensional nonconformities; nonconforming uses in any district are governed by
Section 350-9 of the City’s zoning ordinance.
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In general, the Northampton Historical Commission reviews applications for total demolition in most
parts of the city.27 Building permit applications for total demolition of regulated buildings and
structures are reviewed to determine whether the resources are historically significant to the city and
preferably preserved. If a regulated building or structure is deemed both significant and preferably
preserved as defined by the ordinance, the Historical Commission may impose a demolition delay of
up to twelve months to allow sufficient time to explore alternatives to demolition. The Historical
Commission then advises the Building Commissioner and works with the applicant to identify
alternatives or reasonable efforts to mitigate the effects of demolition. These measures are intended
to protect the public interest in preferably preserved resources.
Northampton’s age-based demolition ordinance recognizes that potentially significant buildings and
structures have yet to be recorded in the city’s historic properties inventory. The provisions of the
ordinance ensure that an inventory form for a historic resource, while ideal, is not required to conduct
the necessary demolition review. Many communities with demolition ordinances or bylaws attempt
to survey historic properties as ownership changes or a demolition application is filed. This approach,
typically driven by market conditions rather than objective planning analysis of historic resources in a
communitywide context, is not recommended.
Most regulated buildings and structures that already meet the significance criteria due to their listing
in the National Register of Historic Places may be identified through the Massachusetts Historical
Commission’s MACRIS database (https://mhc-macris.net) and companion mapping site
(https://maps.mhc-macris.net). Another measure for determining significance is whether the
Massachusetts Historical Commission (MHC) has found a historic resource eligible for the National
Register of Historic Places. Coordination with MHC staff is needed to confirm resources with positive
eligibility opinions. It should be noted that MHC reserves the right to revise its opinions of National
Register eligibility over time, especially if the historic integrity of the resource has been compromised
due to subsequent alterations. The Northampton Historical Commission may delegate authority to
make initial determinations of significance to one or more members of the Commission or to a
municipal employee, in this case the city’s preservation planner.
The Northampton Historical Commission has taken a pragmatic approach to demolition review. Of
approximately 100 demolition applications reviewed through 2021, the Commission deemed twenty-
one resources to be preferably preserved, though a demolition delay was not imposed on all. Most
preferably preserved resources were demolished following the delay period, while some were moved,
restored, or converted to museum use. To lift a delay before the end of the twelve-month period, the
Commission considers alternate plans and mitigation efforts such as photographic documentation
and architectural salvage. Nearly 75 percent of the demolition applications submitted have been for
buildings historically in residential use, or residential outbuildings such as carriage houses.
27 Demolition in the Elm Street Local Historic District is reviewed by the Northampton Historical Commission, serving as
the Historic District Commission under G.L. c. 40C and the city’s Historic Districts Ordinance, Chapter 195 of the city
code. Demolition in the Central Business-Core zoning district is reviewed by the Central Business Architecture
Committee under the Central Business and West Street Ordinance, Chapter 156 of the city code.
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Table 3.5.2. Demolition Review in Northampton
Location of Property Type of
Demolition
Regulating Board/
Authority
All areas of the city except
as noted below **
Total Northampton Historical Commission
Demolition Ordinance, c. 161
Elm Street Historic District Total or partial Northampton Historical Commission
as the city’s Historic District Commission
G.L. c.40C and
Historic Districts Ordinance, c. 195
Central Business-Core District Total or partial Central Business Architecture Committee
Central Business and West Street
Architecture Ordinance, c. 156
Chapter citations refer to Northampton Code of Ordinances unless noted
** See also Demolition Ordinance, c. 161, § 4, Exemptions
Central Business and West Street Architecture Ordinance
(Code of Ordinances, Chapter 156)
Established under municipal home rule authority in 1999, the Central Business Architecture Ordinance
and associated Design Guidelines Manual (1999, revisions forthcoming) preserves and enhances the
historic, architecturally rich, and pedestrian-scale character of downtown Northampton, helping to
sustain economic vitality and protect the investments of property and business owners. The ordinance
provides a flexible tool to encourage building design downtown that is compatible with the existing
historic streetscape.
Under this ordinance, the Central Business Architecture Committee issues permits for construction,
alteration, or demolition of buildings and structures within the Central Business-Core District defined
in the city’s Zoning Ordinance (Code of Ordinances, Chapter 350). The Central Business-Core District
replaces a larger architecturally controlled district created in 1999. With the adoption in 2022 of form-
based (character-based) zoning in downtown Northampton, certain design standards have now been
integrated with the new zoning regulations governing the larger area. At the smaller historic core, the
Central Business Architecture Committee continues to conduct design review, in accordance with its
revised Design Guidelines Manual, as a supplement to the form-based code.
The illustrated Design Guidelines Manual articulates character-defining features of the district’s
architecture and provides examples of designs that are compatible, or incompatible, with those
features. Certain projects as defined in the ordinance are exempt from review, focusing the
Committee’s attention on projects that could permanently detract from the historic visual character
of downtown. The ordinance allows applicants to design their projects to meet prescriptive design
guidelines set out in the manual, or propose non-traditional designs that may not meet specific
guidelines but are consistent with the district’s character-defining features. Typical applications
reviewed by the Central Business Architecture Committee have proposed façade modifications,
addition or expansion of porches, window replacement, mural painting, addition of universal access
ramps, demolition, and new construction.
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In 2011, the City of Northampton amended the Central Business Architecture Ordinance with
establishment of the West Street Architecture District. The Planning Board issues permits for new
construction and alteration of existing buildings in the West Street district, to ensure building and
landscape design is consistent with the existing streetscape and Smith College campus. Architectural
review in this area is more limited, focusing on a building’s massing, scale, placement on the parcel,
and site treatment rather than the composition of the building elevations. Applications for total
demolition of a building or structure in the West Street Architecture District are reviewed by the
Northampton Historical Commission under the Demolition Ordinance (Code of Ordinances, Chapter
156).
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I
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Table 3.5.3. Significant Zoning Districts in Designated Historic Areas
Zoning District Relevant Historic
District
Description Min. Lot
Size (sq.
ft.)
Min.
Frontage
(ft)
Min. setbacks
(front/rear/side,
in feet)
Max
height
(ft)
Open
space %
Central
Business Core
Downtown National
Register District
“The zoning standards are intended to
maintain and enhance the district as the
premier center of walkable mixed-use
commercial, residential, civic, and
institutional activity in Northampton and the
region. Standards focus on: (1) Enhancing the
safety, comfort, and attractiveness of the
public realm for all users; (2) Maintaining
high-quality building and site design;
(3) Preserving and enhancing the historic
integrity of the district's architecture;
(4) Providing predictable and efficient permit
review; and (5) Encouraging targeted
redevelopment, especially of underutilized
sites.”
---- ---- ----
Plus build-to
zone of 0-5 feet
front
70 max
30 min
----
Central
Business Side
Downtown National
Register, Pomeroy
Terrace National
Register District
“This district is a high-density mix of
commercial, institutional, and residential
uses set within an eclectic mix of buildings,
including historic commercial and industrial
buildings, historic residential structures,
many of which have been repurposed for
commercial use, and new commercial
buildings.”
---- ---- -----
Plus build-to
zone of 0-10 feet
70 max
30 min
Upper-
story
setback
at 50’
-----
Urban
Residential B
(URB)
Elm Street “Primarily residential with single-, two-,
three-family units allowed in different
development patterns, including townhouse
units. New homes should consist of units that
maintain orientation, rhythm, setback
pattern and street frontage green patterns of
the surrounding block face.”
3,750* 50 10/20/15 35 40%
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Zoning District Relevant Historic
District
Description Min. Lot
Size (sq.
ft.)
Min.
Frontage
(ft)
Min. setbacks
(front/rear/side,
in feet)
Max
height
(ft)
Open
space %
Urban
Residential C
(URC)
Elm Street “Primarily residential with range of building
and unit configurations allowed: single, multi-
family, townhouse, home businesses
allowed. Some mixed uses and institutional
uses allowed.”
3,750* 50 10/20/10** 50 30%
Suburban
Residential
(SR)
Northampton
Veterans
Administration
Hospital
“Lower density residential and agricultural
land. Conservation cluster design is
encouraged. Areas are typically not within
walking distance of goods/services; some
private and water services required.”
30,000 or
80,000***
125 30/30/15 35 70%
Planned
Village (PV)
Northampton State
Hospital
“[A] project [in this district] serves as a
pedestrian scale mixed village, and not an
automobile-oriented collection of
independent uses.”
0
0 0
Farms, Forests
and Rivers
(FFR)
Northampton State
Hospital
“[The district’s purpose is] to protect
sensitive open space and ecologically
important features, to preserve the farms,
forests, river corridors, ecological habitat,
and recreational lands of Northampton, and
to allow landowners the ability to develop
their property in a manner that is sensitive to
these unique resources.”
N/A 20/20/15 35 85%
Central
Business (CB)
Downtown National
Register, Elm Street
See Table X.X
Source: City of Northampton Zoning Ordinance
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3.6. Municipal Policy, Management, and Capital Improvements
Analysis
This section provides an overview of municipal policy and the organizational elements of the City’s
management structure through which historic preservation issues are recognized and addressed. This
section also details capital improvements for historic preservation purposes through an examination
of the previous five years of Capital Improvement Program (CIP) plans submitted to the City Council.
Municipal Policy
Historic preservation matters have become an integral component of community planning and public
policy in Northampton. Many community members recognize the key role that historic character and
resources play in community wellbeing and quality of life. Northampton is prepared to advance
capacity to incorporate historic preservation principles into municipal policy and processes.
The regulations, ordinances, and organization of municipal processes, such as adoption of CPA and
CIP plans, represent a significant policy commitment by the City to plan for long-term maintenance of
historic resources. These resources have enabled significant funding for numerous historic
preservation projects and initiatives.
Municipal Organization and Management
City Departments and Offices
Municipal policy is implemented and managed by a variety of City departments and offices under
direction of the Mayor. Numerous City departments are involved in municipal policy relative to
historic preservation matters. These departments include:
Arts & Culture works to fund, promote and present high-quality, community-based arts programming
for the benefit of artists, residents and visitors to the City of Northampton. The department
coordinates the Paradise City Cultural District, and provides administrative, clerical and technical
support to the Northampton Arts Council.
Building Department: charged with enforcing the state building code, plumbing and gas code,
electrical code, and the architectural access code. This department provides administration for
applications under the demolition review ordinance.
Central Services: ensures the integrity and functionality of city facilities for staff and the public. The
department oversees grounds, maintenance, heating/cooling, plumbing, electrical, security, fire
detection / protection, custodial, renovations, and construction operations for city and school
buildings, including many municipally owned historic properties.
Mayor’s Office: The Mayor is the City’s chief executive officer and is responsible for the administration
of all city departments. This office is responsible for the enforcement of city laws and ordinances, the
implementation of economic development and community development initiatives, the appointment
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of some department heads and members of many boards and commissions, and budget submission
to the City Council.
Parks & Recreation: works to promote the well-being of the community by providing an array of
recreation and fitness programs and activities. This department works to ensure continued
programming and maintenance of public parks, playgrounds and fields, and recreation programs.
Planning & Sustainability works to identify and implement a community vision for a sustainable and
resilient future, overseeing matters related to climate adaptation and mitigation, mobility, and
community development.
Public Works: responsible for the maintenance and improvement of public infrastructure, including
public streets and ways, sidewalks, bicycle paths, bridges, street trees, athletic fields, parks, and
cemeteries. This department manages operations and assets in the Water, Sewer, Stormwater/Flood
Control and Solid Waste Divisions.
Boards, Commissions, and Committees
The City of Northampton employs numerous boards, commissions, and committees charged with
overseeing and managing aspects of the City’s historic interests.
Northampton Arts Council: works to support and nurture the arts in the city of Northampton. The
Council awards grants twice yearly to artists and arts groups from state and locally raised funds and
seeks to improve public awareness of the arts. Its goals include maintaining and preserving
Northampton's rich and diverse cultural heritage, programming annual events of interest to the
community,
Community Preservation Committee (CPC): responsible for administering the City’s participation in
the Community Preservation Act, reviewing applications from qualified applicants and recommending
projects for approval for funding by City Council.
Central Business Architecture Committee: oversees the Central Business Architecture Ordinance to
preserve and enhance the pedestrian-scale character, culture, economy of downtown Northampton
by preserving historic and architecturally valuable buildings and features, and by encouraging
compatible building design.
Historical Commission: established by city ordinance in 1973 and updated in 2013 with the merger
with the Historic District Commission, the Northampton Historical Commission (NHC) is charged with
the “preservation, promotion and development of the historical assets of the city.” The NHC oversees
applications under the City’s demolition review ordinance, which covers all properties built in 1900
and earlier and all principal structures constructed from 1901 - 1945. The commission also oversees
the Elm Street Local Historic District, and works with the Department of Public Works to preserve and
protect the City’s four historic cemeteries.
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Parks and Recreation Commission: a volunteer commission that sets policy and advises the parks and
recreation department on development and implementation of recreational programming for parks,
playgrounds, playfields, indoor recreation centers and other recreation areas and facilities owned or
controlled by the city.
Planning Board: responsible for overseeing implementation of the City’s zoning, subdivision, and land
development ordinances, as well as adopting comprehensive study plans for the community.
Zoning Board of Appeals: a quasi-judicial body appointed to review applications for relief from
aspects of the City’s zoning ordinance.
Capital Improvements Analysis
Municipal Properties - Maintenance and Capital Improvements
The City of Northampton owns and maintains a number of historic buildings and landscapes including
several of the City’s most historically significant properties. Overall responsibility for the management
and maintenance of City property is under the authority of the Mayor and is conducted by the
Department of Central Services and Department of Public Works. The City implements long-term
financial planning through a Capital Improvement Program (CIP) for capital improvements, which are
defined as a physical public improvement project involving a City-owned facility, parcel of land, or
piece of equipment costing more than $10,000 and has an estimated useful life of five years or more.
Capital Improvements Program
Under management of the Mayor, the City of Northampton City Council establishes a five-year Capital
Improvement Program (CIP) each new fiscal year. The program is reviewed and updated annually by
the Mayor in consultation with the Finance Director and an ad-hoc Capital Improvement Program
Committee. This committee coordinates with the various municipal departments to prioritize needs
and establish long-term funding plans for projects. The Mayor then uses the committee ranked
project submission to inform a final, five-year program based on projected ability and resources to
finance the necessary capital improvements.
Projects in recent history of CIP planning involving City-owned historic resources have heavily
integrated a sustainable approach to capital investment. This is exemplified through dedication of
resources in CIPs submitted to the City Council within the previous five years for projects that enhance
energy management systems, provide for structural upgrades, including features such as windows,
doors, fire suppression systems, building envelope design and structural enhancements, as well as
those projects that modernize heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems. These projects are
widely demonstrated in the recent capital planning for the numerous historic public school buildings
and libraries, as well as the Academy of Music, Memorial Hall, James House Community Center, City
Hall, and the historic Florence Fire Department Station.28
28 See Appendix for a detailed list of projects included in recent years of the CIP that involve historic City-owned
resources.
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City-Owned Historic Resources
The following table details City-owned historic resources, including facilities, parcels of land,
structures, parks, bridges, and cemeteries established prior to 1975. (See Map 3.3)
Table 3.6.1. City-Owned Historic Resources, Pre-1975 (by address)
MHC ID Historic Name Address/Parcel ID Designation(s)
NTH.903 New Haven & Northampton
Railroad Bridge over Arch Street
Arch St
John F. Kennedy Florence Junior
High School
100 Bridge Rd, Florence
16B-003-001
NTH.AJ Bridge Street Cemetery 156 Bridge St
25C-260-001
PR 2019, NRDIS 2018
in Pomeroy Ter
NRDIS
Bridge Street Elementary School Bridge St at Parsons St
32A-063-001
NTH.909 Clement Street Bridge – Bay
State Bridge over Mill River
Clement St
NTH.279 Northampton High School 380 Elm St
24C-042-001
Leeds Elementary School 20 Florence St, Leeds
10B-094-001
Leeds Memorial Park
(school bell-school site)
Florence St, Leeds
10D-022-001
NTH.713 Justus Boies House – James
House Community Center
42 Gothic St
31B-311-001
NRDIS 1976
in Downtown NRDIS
Northampton Water Treatment
Plant
Hockanum Rd
39A-039-001
Jackson Street Elementary School 120 Jackson St
24A-042-001
Smith Vocational and Agricultural
High School (farm landscape)
80 Locust St
23B-047-001
Northampton Public Works
Building
125 Locust St
23B-014-001
NTH.790 Northampton City Hall 210 Main St
31D-163-001
NRDIS 1976
in Downtown NRDIS
Municipal Building 212 Main St
31D-167-001
NRDIS 1976
in Downtown NRDIS
NTH.792 Memorial Hall 240 Main St
31D-165-001
NRDIS 1976
in Downtown NRDIS
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MHC ID Historic Name Address/Parcel ID Designation(s)
NTH.911 Pulaski Park (Main Street City
Park)
Main and New South Sts
31D-259-001
NRDIS 1976
in Downtown NRDIS
NTH.794 Academy of Music 274 Main St
31D-166-001
PR 1986, NRDIS 1976
in Downtown NRDIS
Trinity Row Park Main St/Trinity Row,
Florence
23A-109-001
NTH.952 Cooks Dam Bridge (A) – Main
Street Bridge over Mill River
Sluiceway
Main St, Leeds
NTH.951 Cooks Dam Bridge (B) – Main
Street Bridge over Mill River
Sluiceway
Main St, Leeds
Northampton Fire Department
Station 2 - Florence
69 Maple St, Florence
23A-063-001
NTH.134 Alfred Lilly Public Library 19 Meadow St, Florence
17C-278-001
NTH.934 Mulberry Street Bridge over
Mill River
Mulberry St, Leeds
NTH.998 Nonotuck Silk Company Mill
River Dam
296 Nonotuck St, Florence
Frank Newhall Look Memorial
Park
North Main St, Florence
16A-002-201
NTH.804 Spring Grove Cemetery North Maple St, Florence
12C-019-001
NTH.901 Leeds Hotel Bridge over Mill
River
Old Shepard Rd, Leeds
NTH.950 Old Springfield Road Bridge over
Mill River
Old Springfield Rd
NTH.802 Park Street Cemetery 44 Park St, Florence
23A-006-001
Northampton Survival Center
(only attached barn at rear of
building)
265 Prospect St
24C-013-001
Lower Roberts Meadow
Reservoir/ Leeds Reservoir
(Musante Beach)
85 Reservoir Rd, Leeds
10-006-001
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MHC ID Historic Name Address/Parcel ID Designation(s)
NTH.900 New Haven & Northampton
Railroad Bridge over Beaver
Brook
River Rd, Leeds
NTH.965 River Road Bridge over Mill River River Rd
Ryan Road Elementary School 498 Ryan Rd
29-104-001
Mineral Hills Quarry Turkey Hill Rd
34-002-001
NTH.497 Vernon Street School 56 Vernon St
31A-112-001
NTH.759 Forbes Public Library 20 West St NRDIS 1976
in Downtown NRDIS
NTH.960 West Street Bridge over
Mill River Diversion
West St
NTH.805 West Farms Cemetery West Farms Rd
35-015-001
NTH.958 Loudville Bridge over North
Branch Manhan River
Westhampton Rd
NTH.959 Westhampton Road Bridge over
Bassett Brook
Westhampton Rd
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HADLEYHATFIELDEASTHAMPTONSOUTH HADLEYWILLIAMSBURGHOLYOKEWESTHAMPTONSOUTHAMPTON§¨¦91£¤5")9INTERSTATE 91RYAN ROADBURTS PIT ROADBRIDGE ROADFLORENCE ROADWESTHAMPTON ROADPARK HILL ROADSYLVESTER ROAD
CHESTERFIELD ROADKENNEDY ROAD NORTH KING STREETSPRIN G STREETA U D UBON R OADNOOK ROADNORTH FARMS ROADRESERVOIR ROADMOUN T TO M RO AD
RIVER ROADHAYDENVILLE ROA D RIVERBANK ROADSOUTH STREETRIVERSIDE DRIVEEASTHAMPTON ROADTURKEY HILL ROADH O CKANUM RO A D
DAMON ROADROCKY HILL ROADOLD SPRINGFIELD ROADPINE STREETWE B B S H O L L O W R O AD
BRIDGE STREETPROSPECT STREETSTATE STREET
K I N G S TR E E T
GLENDALE ROADRAINBOW ROADNONOTUCK STREETHUNTS ROADISLAND ROADWEST STREETLOCUST STREETELM STREETMAIN STREET OLD WILSON ROADWEST FARMS ROADCHESTNUT STREETLYMAN ROADMEADOW STREETGROVE STREETDRURY LANEPYNCHON MEADO W ROADCONZ STREETRANGE ROAD
OVERLOOK DRIVEYOUNG RAINBOW ROADOLD TROLLEY ROADRICK DRIVEBLISS STR EE TINDUSTRIAL DRIVEHAW LE Y S TREETSTRONGS ROADDUNPHY DRIVEBOTTUM S ROADO L D Q U AR R Y RO A D
MONTAGUE ROADGLEASON ROADUPLAND ROADWHITTIER STREETCOUNTRY WAYBIRCH LANEBROOKWOOD DRIVEHENSHAW AVENUEMARIAN STREETWARD AVENUECROSBY STREETINTERSTATE 91°010.5MilesLEGENDNorthampton (City Limits)RailroadInterstateU.S. HighwayState RouteLocal RoadsMajor Ponds and RiversBrooks and StreamsOpen Space (Protected)Existing Buildings & StructuresCity-Owned HIstoric Resources"JBridges°010.5Miles
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The following actions and recommendations for implementation are identified as implementation
strategies to be considered by the City and should not to be construed as either adopted or mandated
simply as a result of the adoption of this plan.
Section 4. Goals & Recommendations
4.1. Historic Properties Inventory Recommendations
Overview
Opportunities exist for updating and expanding the inventory to tell a more complete story of
Northampton’s growth and development and better support preservation planning activity.
• Prepare detailed area forms for concentrations of historic resources outside downtown. The
early success of Northampton’s legacy inventory delayed the city’s shift to the cultural landscape
approach for survey, which documents important clusters or concentrations of historic resources,
including non-building resources such as landscapes. While a building-by-building inventory does
help facilitate design and demolition review, for broader preservation planning purposes the
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inventory should convey a better sense of the mill villages, agricultural settlements, and historic
residential neighborhoods present in the community. These resources in Northampton are under-
documented by today’s survey standards. Future updates could confirm boundaries, enumerate
the full range of historic resources in each area, and place them in the context of the area’s
physical and historical development. Ancillary buildings such as barns and garages are typically
recorded in area form documentation.
• Update and expand the inventory with historic resources from ca. 1930 to ca. 1975. When the
legacy inventory was completed, the typical cut-off age for historic resources to be considered
was ca. 1930; the current date is ca. 1975. Most of Northampton’s inventoried resources from
this period are buildings on school and hospital campuses; diners, churches, and bridges; or
noncontributing buildings in designated historic districts. Post-World War II residential
development is underrepresented. Many side streets and residential subdivisions off Bridge, Burts
Pit, Florence, Ryan, and Westhampton roads and Hatfield and North Main streets were developed
since ca. 1950 and merit consideration for survey.
• Add a range of landscape types from different historical periods to the inventory. Updated forms
are needed for Pulaski Park, Look Memorial Park, and Three County Fairgrounds. Additional
landscapes to consider (some in coordination with the city’s Open Space planning priorities)
include, but are not limited to, Childs Park, Northampton Country Club, the Connecticut River
Greenway and Meadows, Northampton (LaFleur) Airport, Turkey Hill Quarry, and Mineral Hills
(Galena Mines). Unless the city’s conservation activities warrant documentation of historic
landscapes individually, many could be recorded with related resources in area forms. Industrial
landscapes in the Mill River corridor are best recorded with their associated mill villages and
bridges. Campus landscapes are best recorded in area forms that integrate the buildings and
grounds in consolidated description and history narratives. Agricultural landscapes are ideally
recorded with their historically associated farmhouses and any extant outbuildings.
• Expand historical narratives to incorporate new research. With the emergence and growth of
online historical research in recent decades, accessibility to research records has improved
dramatically since the legacy survey was completed in 1981. Census records, immigration and
naturalization records, and city directories yield information on the personal relationships, ethnic
origins, and occupations represented in Northampton households through at least 1950. Since
many inventory forms from the 2010-2011 update project restated historical narratives from the
legacy forms, some research in Northampton’s inventory has not been appreciably updated or
expanded in forty years.
Further survey efforts would identify, and promote locally, new areas of preservation planning
interest in Northampton. New and updated inventory forms would also celebrate new research
findings for areas, neighborhoods, and non-building resources that have yet to be fully understood.
Goal HP-1
Improve Northampton’s inventory as the basis for preservation planning decisions by adding or better
recording areas of concentrated historic development per current statewide survey standards. See
Table 4.1.1 for recommended areas.
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Actions
• Add or update area forms for critical-priority neighborhoods that retain the greatest historic
architectural integrity and associations with historic development of citywide significance, for
future historic district evaluation.
• Update or expand the inventory for necessary- and important-priority neighborhoods to support
future historic district evaluation and broader citywide planning goals.
• Begin planning for survey of mid-20th century modern neighborhoods (ca. 1945-1975), tapping
the expertise of longtime residents and building support for preservation.
Goal HP-2
Expand inventory coverage of individual historic resources (Table 4.1.2), generally those located
outside recommended survey areas, except as noted below.
Actions
• Update inventory forms for critical-priority resources to facilitate future historic designation.
• Initiate a citywide survey of current and former houses of worship (pre-1975), expanding existing
inventories forms as needed to meet current standards.
• Conduct a reconnaissance-level survey of barns, carriage houses, sheds, shops, and other ancillary
buildings and structures located on parcels outside the Elm Street Local Historic District and the
downtown Central Business-Core District, using detail plates from Northampton’s 1895 atlas as a
base map. Results will guide the scoping of an intensive-level survey of pre-1901 buildings and
structures to support demolition review.
• Ensure the inventory records, to current survey standards, all pre-1975 city-owned or -managed
buildings, objects, burial grounds, structures, or landscapes (Table 3.6.1).
• Complete building forms for properties in the Central Business-Core design review district that
lack inventory forms for reference in review decisions.
• Require updated inventory forms for historic resources considered for Community Preservation
Act funding.
Goal HP-3
Add to Northampton’s inventory of archaeological resources for future consideration in the City’s
planning and permitting process. Note: All archaeological survey activity and documentation must be
coordinated with state archaeologists at the Massachusetts Historical Commission (MHC).
Information on archaeological resources is not a public record.
Actions
• Commission a citywide archaeological reconnaissance survey.
• Renew city efforts to inventory and pursue National Register listing for the New Haven and
Northampton Canal, in coordination with both MHC and municipalities along the canal path in
Massachusetts and Connecticut.
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• Add additional areas of cultural significance to Northampton’s inventory (Table 4.1.1),
coordinating with MHC staff to determine whether these areas are most appropriately
documented in the City’s above-ground inventory or inventory of archaeological assets.
Goal HP-4
Broaden Northampton’s inventory to reflect the community’s cultural diversity over time, telling a
fuller story of the City’s history through its historic places.
Actions
• Re-examine historical narratives prepared during Northampton’s legacy survey (completed in
1981) to identify opportunities for augmenting the inventory forms with census and immigration
data now widely available online, telling a fuller story of the City’s history through its historic
places.
• Review recent research on underrepresented historic themes in Northampton to identify
associated historic resources that merit inclusion in the city’s historic properties inventory. High-
priority themes include indigenous history; ethnic history; slavery, reform and abolition; and
several themes under the broad National Register significance category of social history, including
civil rights, disability history, labor history, LGBTQIA+ history, traditional cultural history, and
women’s history.
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Table 4.1.1. Areas Recommended for Inventory Action (by area name)
(See Map 4.1)
Area Name Street Addresses Recommended Action Priority
Allen St – Gothic St Allen St, 10 to 12 inclusive
Gothic St, 61
Cluster of five late 19th-century buildings associated with
owners and/or production of Bailey and Brown Brick Shop;
some recorded individually and previously recommended as
potential National Register district.
Critical
Bay State Village – Paper
Mill Village Industrial
Clement St, 21
Clement St – Bay State Bridge (NTH.909)
Federal St, 64 to 152 inclusive
Ladd Ave, 15 to 43 inclusive
Riverside Dr, 63 to 347 odd, 100 to 340 even
Core of mill village retaining historic integrity and setting
since first recommended for district designation in 1991.
Includes three industrial complexes, worker housing, engine
house, former Feiker School, and Clement St Bridge over
Mill River. See also Bay State Village Residential Area.
Critical
Florence Center Business Main St, 89 to 125 odd
Maple St, 76
North Main St, 3 to 29 inclusive
North Maple St, 16 to 30 inclusive
Park St, 90
Business and institutional core of Florence; includes
Norwood Engineering Company complex (NTH.AD). Abuts
Florence Abolition and Reform Historic District. See also
North Maple St Residential Area and South Main St – Trinity
Row Area, Florence.
Critical
Laurel Park Laurel Park Condo, 5 to 117 inclusive
North King St, parcel ID-08-064-001
Update and expand 1976 area form (NTH.N); include
neighborhood association map of cottages and explanation
of current address system for Laurel Park Condo.
Critical
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Area Name Street Addresses Recommended Action Priority
Leeds Center Audubon Rd, 5 to 74 inclusive
Florence St, 1 to 73 inclusive, 89, 92
Hotel Bridge (NTH.901)
Main St, 159 to 167 and 182 to 260 inclusive
Main St Bridges (NTH.951 and 952)
Mulberry St, 7 to 56 inclusive
Mulberry St Bridge (NTH.934)
Reservoir Rd, 14 to 36 inclusive, 45 to 57 odd
River Rd, 1 to 56 inclusive
Warner Row, 2 to 12 inclusive
Water St, 6 to 104 inclusive, 107 to 145 odd
Broad survey area recommended for refinement of
boundary if districts are pursued in future. Suggested
boundary includes the Chartpak Plant, 1 River St (1957);
Dimock House, currently known as 1 Florence St (1879, NR);
Leeds School; Leeds Memorial Park; and four bridges over
the Mill River.
Critical
North Farms North Farms Road, 326 to 372 even, 373 Cluster of late 19th and early 20th century dwellings. Critical
Oxbow Neighborhood Ferry Ave, 3 to 26 inclusive
Island Rd, 79 to 178 inclusive
Mount Tom Rd, 503
Select buildings were recorded individually; neighborhood
merits survey as a whole for associations with Connecticut
River Lumber Company and Mount Tom Sulphite Company.
See also Connecticut River Greenway and Meadows Area.
Critical
West Farms West Farms Rd, 173 to 245 odd, 178 to 288
even
West Farms Cemetery, parcel ID 35-015-001
Westhampton Rd, 959
Agricultural village center of 19th century chapel, public
school, cemetery, and farmhouses, with post-World War II
suburban infill development.
Critical
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Area Name Street Addresses Recommended Action Priority
Bay State Village Residential Federal St, 165 to end
Hinckley St, all
Lexington Ave, all
Liberty St, all
Maplewood Ter, 96 to 143, 147, 150, 155
Nonotuck St, 22
Norwood Ave, all
Nutting Ave, all
Riverside Dr, 21 - 53 odd, 24 - 64 even, 82, 90
Warner St, 4 to 138
Winslow Ave, all
Wood St, all
Broad survey area recommended for refinement of
boundary if districts are pursued in future. See also Bay
State Village-Paper Mill Village Industrial Area.
Necessary
Elm St North Arlington St, all
Bancroft Rd, 7, 9, and 4 to 102 even
Barrett Pl, all
Crescent St, all
Fifth Ave, all
Fourth Ave, all
Franklin Ct, all
Franklin St, all
Henshaw Ave, 29 to 81 odd
Hillside Rd, all
Langworthy Rd, all
Massasoit Ave, all
Massasoit St, all
Prospect St, 70 to 274 even
Round Hill Rd, 127 to 197 only
Sanderson Ave, all
Western Ave, all
Woodlawn Ave, 17 to 95 odd
Broad survey area recommended for refinement of
boundary if districts are pursued in future. Update and
expand 1976 area form (NTH.G) for this residential
neighborhood bound by Elm Street Local Historic District,
Woodlawn Ave (Childs Park), Prospect St, the former Clarke
School campus, and Smith College campus. Previously
recommended as a potential National Register district, with
boundaries to include Elm Street LHD and Elm Street South
Area (see separate recommendation).
Necessary
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Area Name Street Addresses Recommended Action Priority
Elm St South Dryads Green, all
Forbes Ave, all
Harrison Ave, all
James Ave, all
Kensington Ave, 11 to 75 odd, 64
Maynard Rd, all
Vernon St, 12, 17 to 145 inclusive
Ward Ave, all
Washington Ave, 8 to 112 inclusive
Washington Pl, all
Update and expand 1976 area form (NTH.F) for this pocket
of well detailed 19th and 20th-century dwellings bound by
Elm Street Local Historic District, Smith College campus, Mill
River, and Northampton High School campus; includes
former Vernon Street School. Previously recommended as a
potential National Register district, with boundaries to
include Elm Street LHD and Elm Street North (see separate
recommendation).
Necessary
Montview Henry St, all
Hockanum Rd, 22 to 96 inclusive
Montview Ave, all
Valley St, all
Williams St, 84 to 140 inclusive
Cluster of 19th and early 20th-century dwellings in under-
documented neighborhood.
Necessary
North Maple St Residential,
Florence
North Maple St, 81 to 205 inclusive Concentration of well detailed late 19th and 20th-century
dwellings. Select buildings were recorded individually.
Necessary
North St Neighborhood Highland Ave, all
Linden St, all
North St, 39 to 245 inclusive
Parsons St, 81 to 86 inclusive
Northern Ave, all
Woodbine Ave, all
Woodmont Rd, 19 and 25
Largely residential 19th and early 20th-century corridor
illustrating transition from agricultural to suburban
development, with period outbuildings; includes Twin
Cleaners and Dyers Cold Storage, 211 North St.
Necessary
South Main St – Trinity Row,
Florence
Berkshire Ter, 3
Locust St, 311 and 321
Main St, 1
South Main St, 98 to 168 inclusive
Trinity Row, 3 to 9 inclusive
Trinity Row Park
Cluster of late 19th and early 20th-century dwellings forming
gateway corridor to Florence Center and Trinity Row Park.
See also Florence Abolition and Reform Historic District Area
and Florence Center Business Area.
Necessary
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Area Name Street Addresses Recommended Action Priority
South St Neighborhood Cedar St, all
Charles St, all
Columbus Ave, all
East St, all
Fairview Ave, all
Fort Street, all
Hampden St, all
Hampton Ter, all
Harlow Ave, all
Hebert Ave, all
Lyman Rd, 11 to 75 even, 36 to 86 even
Madison Ave, all
Manhan St, all
Munroe St, all
Olive St, all
Reed St, all
Revell Ave, all
South St, 139, 145, 152 to 361 inclusive
Stearns Ct, all
Winthrop St, all
Well detailed late 19th and 20th-century dwellings on South
Street, many recorded individually, forming gateway
corridor to Fort Hill Historic District and downtown;
previously recommended as potential expansion of this
National Register district. Wider neighborhood abutting
South Street spine is under-documented, especially side
streets from Fort Street to Cedar Street. Broad survey area
recommended for refinement of boundary if districts are
pursued in future.
Necessary
Three County Fairgrounds Bridge St, parcels 25C-250-001, 25C-251-001
Fair St, parcels 32A-249-001, 32A-251-001,
and 32-001-001
Old Ferry Rd, parcels 25C-264-001 and
25-044-001
Update and expand NTH.AF with more detailed mapping of
historic resources, data sheet with building construction
dates, and photographs to distinguish pre-1975 construction
from later additions.
Necessary
Wright Ave Wright Ave, 6 to 41 inclusive Cluster of late 19th and early 20th-century dwellings in
under-documented neighborhood.
Necessary
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Area Name Street Addresses Recommended Action Priority
Connecticut River Meadows Two area forms:
#1 - Connecticut River frontage east of Bridge
St (Rte 9) and Mount Tom Rd (Rte 5)
#2 - Oxbow frontage between Mount Tom Rd
(Rte 5), Mill River, and South St (Rte 10)
Area forms would summarize both landscape character and
historic development aboveground. The forms should
address Native and European settlement, including
agricultural activity, transportation of people and goods,
and recreation. See also Oxbow Neighborhood Area.
Information on archaeological resources is not a public
record. Investigation or mapping of archaeological sites
requires coordination with Mass. Historical Commission
archaeology staff for the proper permits, and to ensure that
sites and their locations remain protected.
Important
New Haven & Northampton
Canal
Multiple cities and towns in Massachusetts
and Connecticut
Survey work in conjunction with the Mass. Historical
Commission (MHC) staff to record this historic
archaeological resource is currently inactive.
Information on archaeological resources is not a public
record. Investigation or mapping of archaeological sites
requires coordination with MHC archaeology staff for the
proper permits, and to ensure that sites and their locations
remain protected.
Important
Roberts Meadow, Leeds Vicinity of Roberts Meadow Brook, including
Chesterfield Rd
Kennedy Rd
Sylvester Rd
Area form recommended to incorporate recent research on
this late 18th to 19th-century settlement, encompassing 1031
Chesterfield Rd (NTH.45), 64 Kennedy Rd (NTH.46),
agricultural outbuildings, and sites and structures associated
with brook and former Upper Reservoir.
Information on archaeological resources is not a public
record. Investigation or mapping of archaeological sites
requires coordination with MHC archaeology staff for the
proper permits, and to ensure that sites and their locations
remain protected.
Important
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Area Name Street Addresses Recommended Action Priority
Florence Abolition and
Reform Historic District
(pending)
Beacon St, 74
Corticelli St, all
Florence Rd, 2 to 47 inclusive
Landy Ave, 11 to 39 odd, 40 to 54 even
Lilly St, 13 to 22 inclusive
Maple St, 3 to 35 inclusive
Meadow St, all
Nonotuck St, 129 to 251 odd,
180 to 296 even
Park St, 4 to 67 inclusive
Pine St, 71 to 221 odd, 98 to 176 even
Riverside Dr, 570 (Maines Field)
Riverside Dr, 591 to 660 inclusive
Ryan Rd, 15
Spring St, 17, 35 to 56, 130, 157
Spring St, 215 (Crimson & Clover Farm)
West Center St, 28 and 29
City-funded area form to nominate much of the 19th-century
village south of Main St and west of North Main St to the
National Register of Historic Places.
Pending
Notes
Numerous properties already inventoried are not referenced here. See https://mhc-macris.net and https://maps.mhc-macris.net for further information.
Area forms facilitate planning by:
describing the historic architecture and setting of the area as a cohesive whole (i.e., “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts”);
defining the geographic extent of the area with a boundary and data sheet/address list;
explaining the area’s history and significance to stakeholders as protection measures are considered; and
demonstrating whether protection measures should align with the area boundary as inventoried, or focus on a smaller cluster of the best preserved historic resources within that boundary.
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Table 4.1.2. Individual Resources Recommended for Inventory Action (by street address)29
See Map 4.2.
Street Address
Historic Name Recommended Action Priority
Audubon Rd (Leeds), 395 Calvin Clark House and Barn Consolidate forms for NTH.2 (house) and NTH.2208 (barn) and expand
with additional research to build on 2010 update for potential
National Register evaluation of former dairy farm
Critical
North Farms Rd, 549 William Judd House and Barn Expand building form for NTH.7 (house, plus barn as NTH.2209) with
additional research to build on 2010 update for potential National
Register evaluation of Federal-period farmstead
Critical
Prospect Heights, 305 Outlook Place
(Dr. Edward Denniston House)
Update 1980 building form (NTH.270) for potential National Register
evaluation
Critical
Conz St, 120 Shell Eastern Petroleum Products
Gasoline and Service Station
Building form for undocumented ca. 1935 gas station Necessary
Florence Rd, 1095 Ravenwold Greenhouses Building form for house with agricultural outbuildings Necessary
Florence Rd, 153 Building form for house with outbuildings Necessary
Main St
Parcel ID 31D-259-001
Pulaski Park Update NTH.911 to meet current standards for parks and landscape
documentation
Necessary
Main St (Leeds), 135
Main St (Leeds), golf course
Northampton Country Club Landscape form to include clubhouse Necessary
Main St, 212 Municipal Building Building form for city-owned property in Downtown National Register
district
Necessary
North Elm St, 71 Childs Park Landscape form Necessary
29 Numerous properties already inventoried are not referenced here. See https://mhc-macris.net and https://maps.mhc-macris.net for further information.
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Street Address
Historic Name Recommended Action Priority
North Main St, 300 and
Parcel ID 16A-002-001
Look Memorial Park Landscape form to record park with previously inventoried fountain
(NTH.904) and buildings, including superintendent’s house at 300
North Main St (NTH.48).
Necessary
Old Ferry Rd, 111 Early 20th century bungalow in under-documented area Necessary
Old Wilson Rd, 22 Building form Necessary
Old Wilson Rd, 297 Building form Necessary
Orchard St, 18 Affa Apartments Building form for brick apartment block Necessary
Pomeroy Ter, 58R College Church Building form for NTH.2669, a post-WWII church located within the
boundary of the Pomeroy Terrace Historic District
Necessary
Rocky Hill Rd, 188 Building form for rusticated concrete block bungalow Necessary
South St, 123 Mayfair Manor Building form for Classical Revival apartment block Necessary
Summer St, 43 Building form for house and store building with connected
outbuildings at rear of property, fronting State St
Necessary
Westhampton Rd
Parcel ID 41-078-001
Mineral Hills Galena Mine Landscape form Necessary
Westhampton Rd, 339 Update building form (NTH.2176) to include outbuildings Necessary
Westhampton Rd, 417 Pine Hill Farm Update 1980 building form for NTH.2175 (house, plus barn and silo as
NTH.2176) to provide more data on farm and outbuildings
Necessary
Westhampton Rd, 570 Building form for post-WWII dwelling Necessary
Westhampton Rd, 645 Building form for post-WWII dwelling Necessary
Westhampton Rd, 809 Building form for early 20th century cottage Necessary
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Street Address
Historic Name Recommended Action Priority
Button St, 10 Building form for NTH.2349, to support design review by Central
Business Architecture Committee where applicable
Important
Crafts Ave, 12-24 Roberts-Kinver-Maybury Building Building form for NTH.2359/2360, to support design review by Central
Business Architecture Committee where applicable
Important
Crafts Ave, 26-30 Building form for NTH.2358, to support design review by Central
Business Architecture Committee where applicable
Important
King St, 13-15 Building form for NTH.2281, to support design review by Central
Business Architecture Committee where applicable
Important
King St, 19 Calvin Theater Building form for NTH.2280, to support design review by Central
Business Architecture Committee where applicable
Important
Locust St, 80 Smith Vocational & Agricultural
High School
Building form recording school (1958) and grounds, including history
of institution as first vocational school opened in Massachusetts
(1908)
Important
Main St in front of
Pulaski Park
Seth Thomas Clock Object form for this resource, which received CPC grant funding, to
record history, restoration, and new location
Important
Main St, 100-104 Building form for NTH.2299, to support design review by Central
Business Architecture Committee where applicable
Important
Main St, 150 Thornes Marketplace Building form for NTH.2291, to support design review by Central
Business Architecture Committee where applicable
Important
Main St, 175 Building form for NTH.2356, to support design review by Central
Business Architecture Committee where applicable
Important
Main St, 193-195 Building form for NTH.2355, to support design review by Central
Business Architecture Committee where applicable
Important
Main St, 21-31 Building form for NTH.2421, to support design review by Central
Business Architecture Committee where applicable
Important
Main St, 274 Building form to support design review by Central Business
Architecture Committee where applicable
Important
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Street Address
Historic Name Recommended Action Priority
Main St, 297 Edwards Church of Northampton Building form to support design review by Central Business
Architecture Committee where applicable
Important
Main St, 4 Building form for NTH.2286, to support design review by Central
Business Architecture Committee where applicable
Important
Main St, 48 Building form for NTH.2270, to support design review by Central
Business Architecture Committee where applicable
Important
Main St, 84-92 Building form for NTH.2301, to support design review by Central
Business Architecture Committee where applicable
Important
Main St, 96 Building form for NTH.2300, to support design review by Central
Business Architecture Committee where applicable
Important
Masonic St, 18 Building form to support design review by Central Business
Architecture Committee where applicable
Important
Merrick Ln, 15 Building form for NTH.2279, to support design review by Central
Business Architecture Committee
Important
Merrick Ln, 22 Building form to support design review by Central Business
Architecture Committee where applicable
Important
Pearl St, 10 Building form for NTH.2317, to support design review by Central
Business Architecture Committee where applicable
Important
Pearl St, 7 Building form to support design review by Central Business
Architecture Committee
Important
Pearl St, 8 Building form to support design review by Central Business
Architecture Committee
Important
Pine St (Florence), 45 Father Mathew Temperance
Society Hall
Provide additional research to expand building form (NTH.211) for this
hall associated with a Roman Catholic temperance society; not
included within boundary of pending Florence Abolition and Reform
Historic District
Important
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Street Address
Historic Name Recommended Action Priority
Pleasant St, 110 Building form for NTH.2316, to support design review by Central
Business Architecture Committee where applicable
Important
Pleasant St, 13-23 Tillotson Block Building form for NTH.2275, to support design review by Central
Business Architecture Committee where applicable
Important
Pleasant St, 25-27 Harvey Kirkland Block Building form for NTH.2274, to support design review by Central
Business Architecture Committee where applicable
Important
Pleasant St, 42 Building form for NTH.2310, to support design review by Central
Business Architecture Committee where applicable
Important
Pleasant St, 48 Building form for NTH.2311, to support design review by Central
Business Architecture Committee where applicable
Important
Pleasant St, 58 Building form for NTH.2312, to support design review by Central
Business Architecture Committee where applicable
Important
Pleasant St, 71 Building form for NTH.2309, to support design review by Central
Business Architecture Committee where applicable
Important
Pleasant St, 76 Building form for NTH.2313, to support design review by Central
Business Architecture Committee where applicable
Important
Pleasant St, 84 The Jager Building form for NTH.2314, to support design review by Central
Business Architecture Committee where applicable
Important
Pleasant St, 96 The Lorraine Building form for NTH.2315, to support design review by Central
Business Architecture Committee where applicable
Important
State St, 210 Update 1980 building form (NTH.332) for one of oldest houses
following closure of New Haven & Northampton Canal
Important
State St, 218 Davis Haskins House Update 1980 building form (NTH.331) for house and the early 20th-
century market building to rear
Important
Strong Ave, 15-17 Building form for NTH.2283, to support design review by Central
Business Architecture Committee where applicable
Important
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Street Address
Historic Name Recommended Action Priority
Strong Ave, 19 Building form for NTH.2282, to support design review by Central
Business Architecture Committee where applicable
Important
Strong Ave, 5 Building form for NTH.2284, to support design review by Central
Business Architecture Committee where applicable
Important
Turkey Hill Rd, 398 Mineral Hills Quarry Landscape form Important
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4.2. National Register of Historic Places and Local Historic District
Priorities
Goal HP-5
Enable evaluation and designation of additional historic districts and individual resources by
expanding the inventory through goals and actions outlined in Section 4.1. Historic Properties
Inventory: Survey Priorities. Inventory data is essential to support and justify historic designation
activity.
Goal HP-6
Recognize, preserve, and protect areas and individual resources of demonstrated significance that
also retain integrity of historic design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association, using
National Register or Local Historic District (G. L. c. 40C) mechanisms.
Actions
• As an area inventory form is completed per phased recommendations (Table 4.1.1), gauge the
preservation planning protection measures best suited to the interests of the area property
owners and larger community at that time. See Table 4.2.1. for a comparison of district options.
In coordination with property owners, initiate the process for either evaluation of National
Register eligibility by Massachusetts Historical Commission, or formation of a local study
committee to create design review districts.
• Submit updated inventory forms for critical-priority individual resources (Table 4.1.2) to
Massachusetts Historical Commission for National Register evaluation. Evaluations for individual
National Register listings require documentation that the building retains integrity on both the
exterior and the interior (e.g., floor plan, historic trim, sash and doors, etc.).
• Pursue National Register evaluations and nominations for resources identified in future survey
efforts.
Goal HP-7
Confirm the suitability of Architectural Preservation Districts (APDs) or Neighborhood Conservation
Districts (NCDs) as a sustainable general or home-rule ordinance option for preserving historic
neighborhood character in areas of Northampton that may not qualify for National Register listing or
where local historic district (G.L. c.40C) designation is not desired. It is recommended that general
ordinances in Northampton be limited to APDs, and neighborhood conservation be accomplished
through zoning mechanisms.
Actions
• In coordination with the City’s legal counsel, evaluate recent Massachusetts case law on NCDs
indicating that general or home-rule ordinances cannot be used to regulate matters normally
regulated under the City’s zoning ordinance and G.L. c. 40A, the Zoning Act, such as the size, scale,
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setback, and density of new construction, and its impact on natural features of the streetscape or
parcels individually.30
• As area inventory forms are completed per phased recommendations (Table 4.1.1), develop a
prioritized list of neighborhoods for consideration as either APDs or form-based (character-based)
zoning districts.
Goal HP-8
Explore the designation of single-resource local historic districts (G. L. c. 40C) as a streamlined and
more cost-effective alternative to preservation restrictions for long-term protection of City-owned
resources and privately owned resources of citywide significance. This mechanism would have the
added benefit of ensuring that all resources with preservation restrictions held by the City of
Northampton would be included in the State Register of Historic Places.
30 Including Hancock Village I, LLC vs. The Town of Brookline (2019).
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Table 4.2.1. Preservation and Protection Options for Historic Areas
National Register of Historic Places District
Local Historic District Architectural Preservation District
(Neighborhood Conservation District)
Example Pomeroy Terrace Historic District Elm Street Historic District Central Business-Core Architecture **
Authority/
Establishment/
Administration
Federal designation authorized by the
National Historic Preservation Act of 1966
District cannot be listed if a majority of
private property owners submit notarized
objections. Every owner of record of
private property has one vote, regardless of
whether they own a single property,
multiple properties, or a portion of a
property
Administered by Secretary of the Interior
through Mass. Historical Commission
(MHC) as State Historic Preservation Office
G.L. c. 40C, Historic Districts
Established by two-thirds vote of City
Council after a local study process
Administered by the Northampton
Historical Commission as the City’s
Historic District Commission
General ordinance adopted under municipal
home rule (see below)
Established by majority vote of City Council
after a local study process
Administered by the Central Business
Architecture Committee
Districts adopted under home rule are not
included in State Register of Historic Places,
maintained by MHC
Protections
Limited protection from adverse effects of
federal- or state-involved actions, such as
federal or state funds, licenses, or permits
Regulatory review conducted by Mass.
Historical Commission in consultation with
Northampton Historical Commission
Strongest protection for historic areas
Binding review of proposed changes to
exterior architectural features visible
from a public way for compatibility with
the district
Exemptions to review are noted in City’s
historic districts ordinance (Chapter
195)
Binding review of proposed changes to
exterior architectural features visible from a
public way for compatibility with historic,
architectural, and pedestrian-scale character
of the Central Business-Core District
Exemptions to review are noted in City’s
ordinance (Chapter 156)
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National Register of Historic Places District
Local Historic District Architectural Preservation District
(Neighborhood Conservation District)
Effect on property
owners
Honorary designation placing no limits on a
private property owner’s handling of their
property with private funds and local
licenses or permits.
Certificate of Appropriateness,
Hardship, or Non-applicability from
Historical Commission required for
construction, alteration, or demolition
Permit from Central Business Architecture
Committee required for construction,
alteration, or demolition
Notes
It appears no new Neighborhood Conservation Districts have been created under municipal home rule in Massachusetts since 2019, when the Land Court invalidated
Brookline’s Neighborhood Conservation District (NCD) bylaw. See Hancock Village I, LLC vs. The Town of Brookline. While its effect on the establishment of new NCDs remains unclear, the decision held that a general or home-rule ordinance or bylaw cannot be used to regulate subjects traditionally classified as zoning under G.L. c. 40A (Zoning Act).
Neighborhood conservation in Northampton may be accomplished best through amendments to the City’s zoning ordinance. The Massachusetts Historical Commission currently recommends that a general or home-rule ordinance focus on architectural preservation.
**Features listed above apply to Northampton’s Central Business Core Architecture District only. Other general or home rule ordinances may differ in administration,
protections, and effect o. property owners.
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Table 4.2.2. Preservation and Protection Options for Individual Historic Resources
National Register of Historic Places Single Building Historic District Preservation Restriction
Example Miss Florence Diner,
99 Main St, Florence
n/a Smith Charities Building,
51 Main St
Florence Grammar School,
140 Pine St, Florence
Authority/
Establishment/
Administration
Federal designation authorized by
the National Historic Preservation
Act of 1966
No listing if owner objects
Administered by the Secretary of the
Interior through Mass. Historical
Commission (MHC) as State Historic
Preservation Office
Interior as well as exterior must
retain historic integrity and be
documented
G.L. c. 40C, Historic Districts Act,
allows for designation of one or
more buildings or structures as
single-resource historic districts
Established by two-thirds vote of
city council after a local study
process
Administered by Northampton
Historical Commission as the
City’s Historic District
Commission
Legally binding agreement between property owner and
government or non-profit entity that holds the restriction
Approved by MHC under
G.L. c. 184 § 31-33; also
approved by city if a
charitable corporation or
trust holds the restriction
Included in State Register of
Historic Places, maintained
by MHC
Approved/held by city as a
condition of granting a
permit or variance, or in
declaring a municipal
building surplus
Not included in State
Register of Historic Places
unless property is also listed
in National Register or
designated under c. 40C
Protections Limited protection from adverse
effects of projects using federal or
state funds, licenses, or permits
Regulatory review conduction by
Mass. Historical Commission in
consultation with Northampton
Historical Commission
Strong protection for individual
resources; binding review of
proposed changes to exterior
architectural features visible
from a public way
Exemptions to review are noted
in the City’s Historic Districts
Ordinance (Chapter 195)
Strongest protection for individual resources; restriction
holder must review and approve all changes
Prohibits or conditions specified physical changes to or
uses of the property; may regulate repair and
maintenance, alteration, demolition, or moving of the
resource
Review may include interior and portions of exterior not
visible from public way
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National Register of Historic Places Single Building Historic District Preservation Restriction
Effect on property
owners
Honorary designation placing no
limits on a private property owner’s
handling of their property with
private funds and local licenses or
permits.
Certificate of Appropriateness,
Hardship, or Non-applicability
from Historical Commission
required for construction,
alteration, or demolition
Binding on current and future owners in perpetuity or for a
term of years as defined in the restriction, which runs with
the land and is recorded at Registry of Deeds; all
restrictions must be actively and routinely monitored to
ensure compliance
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4.3. Public Awareness, Programming, and Education
Recommendations
Goal HP-9
Establish a public-private umbrella organization of Northampton preservation advocates (see 2.4
Preservation Partners), friends groups, and neighborhood associations, providing preservation
planning information, “how-to” resources for property owners and residents to repair and renovate
historic buildings, a historic marker program to encourage historic property research, and advocacy
on preservation matters citywide.
Goal HP-10
Promote awareness of alternatives to demolition.
Actions
• Revive preservation awards program to recognize privately funded preservation efforts, including
restoration, adaptive reuse, and historically sensitive new construction.
• Develop public information campaign highlighting alternatives to historic building demolition,
including examples of historically sensitive remodeling/renovation ideas within the region.
Goal HP-11
Improve public access to preservation planning resources.
Actions
• On the City’s website, add a link to the Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System
(MACRIS) to the Historical Commission’s landing page.
• On the City’s website, acknowledge Historical Commission support, regulatory review, and role in
environmental protection on the Planning & Sustainability Environment landing page.
• To the property-specific Parcel Details data field in Northampton’s GIS, upload and link PDFs of
Massachusetts Historical Commission (MHC) inventory forms and National Register of Historic
Places nominations (both districts and individual listings). Use only PDFs obtained from the
Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System (MACRIS) or otherwise supplied by MHC, as
many of the documents have been renumbered or amended since initially produced in
Northampton.
Goal HP-12
Expand collaboration with Smith College faculty and students to further preservation of historic
properties and neighborhoods. Research and study of Northampton’s built environment and historic
landscapes would be appropriate to the departments and programs of American Studies, Art,
Environmental Science & Policy, History, Landscape Studies, Urban Studies, and Women & Gender
Studies among others.
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Goal HP-13
Promote an outdoor exhibit program to encourage self--guided interpretive exhibits and wayside
exhibits throughout Northampton.
• Organize professional interpreters from existing historic and cultural organizations to prepare a
simple plan for a city-wide interpretive program.
• Promote and support walking tours, programs, and events to build public awareness and
understanding of city-wide historic resources, ideally in partnership with local or regional land
conservation groups.
• Develop a graphic identity and branding for Northampton’s interpretive program, building on the
Connecticut River, links with well-known historical figures associated with Northampton, the
Pioneer Valley, and the “Knowledge Corridor.”
4.4. Municipal Ordinances and Regulations Recommendations
Goal HP-14
Evaluate the impact of zoning measures on development patterns in historic neighborhoods that lack
historic preservation controls.
Actions
• Conduct a regulatory audit to understand the potential impact of Northampton’s zoning on
inventory action areas designated as critical or necessary priorities, especially those located
outside Downtown Northampton (See Tables 4.1.1 and 4.1.2).
• Consider creation of additional form-based (character-based) zoning districts or neighborhood
conservation districts to guide new construction that does not overwhelm historic development.
Note: Florence Village Center is regulated with form-based zoning.
Goal HP-15
Improve outcomes under the Demolition Ordinance, an effective preservation tool ensuring that
proposed total demolition of regulated buildings and structures is reviewed by the Northampton
Historical Commission.
Actions
• Amend Demolition Ordinance to lengthen the delay period from the current 12 months to 18 or
24 months to encourage the applicant’s active participation in identifying alternatives to
demolition.
• Consider adding an inventory option to the definition of Significant Building or Structure (§ 161-
2) to facilitate determinations of significance. This option would not mandate a building or
structure be included in the statewide historic properties inventory to be regulated under the
ordinance.
• Utilize the Historic Districts Act (§ 161-9) provision of the ordinance to initiate a landmark study
of a significant and preferably preserved building or structure, when the end of the 12-month
delay period is approaching and alternatives to demolition or appropriate mitigation measures
have not been identified. The Historic Districts Act (G.L. c. 40C, § 3), allows municipalities to
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designate one or more buildings or structures on one or more parcels as single-building historic
districts.
Goal HP-16
Reduce incidents of demolition-by-neglect.
Actions
• Evaluate clauses in Demolition (§ 161-8.B.) and Central Business-Core Architecture District (§ 156-
1) ordinances pertaining to owner maintenance of their properties.
• Examine Minimum Maintenance Ordinances in Lowell, Somerville, and Fitchburg to determine
whether similar measures might be appropriate in Northampton through health and sanitation,
housing, or general legislation channels.
4.5. Municipal Policy, Management, and Capital Improvements
Recommendations
Goal HP-17
Improve capacity of the Northampton Historical Commission to work collaboratively with City
partners and preservation stakeholders
Actions
• Consider adding alternates or designees to represent the Commission’s interests on the
Community Preservation Committee and Central Business Architecture Committee, and to
coordinate with the Public Works Department and Central Services on the care and management
of City-owned historic properties.
• Participate in Massachusetts Historical Commission (MHC) virtual workshops and training
sessions on preservation planning topics designed for Commission members and other municipal
officials. Topics include state and federal historic resources review and compliance, historic
resources surveys and the National Register of Historic Places, and infill construction in local
historic districts. See MHC website for details.
• Identify additional funding for preservation planning staff responsibilities in the Office of Planning
and Sustainability, and explore the feasibility of a dedicated part-time or full-time preservation
planner position to provide public information, plan and promote public education activities,
research and prepare grant applications, and coordinate Commission review under the
Demolition Ordinance and Historic Districts Ordinance (normally the work of separate Historical
and Historic District commissions, but combined in Northampton due to staffing constraints).
• Provide Historical Commission review and comment opportunities on Planning Board site plan
reviews and preservation restriction negotiations, and all Community Preservation Act (CPA)
applications for historic preservation funds
• Require a new or updated MHC inventory form and Historic Structure Report with CPA
applications for bricks-and-mortar funding.
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• Improve the use of CPA funds as a source of funding for some capital items. The Community
Preservation Committee recommends CPA funding to the City Council through a process separate
from the City’s capital planning process. Better integration of the CPA planning process and the
Capital Improvements Plan could help to focus attention on and strengthen funding commitments
to protect Northampton’s historic public facilities.
• Consider returning to the traditional separation of Historical Commission and Historic District
Commission to ensure that preservation planning has the commitment of time, resources, and
focus needed to implement the recommendations of this plan.
Goal HP-18
Pursue Northampton’s designation as a Certified Local Government (CLG) for preservation planning
through the Massachusetts Historical Commission (MHC) and the National Park Service. The CLG
program provides a close integration of federal, state, and local preservation activities, and allows
communities to participate more directly in the review and approval of National Register nominations.
Through MHC’s Survey and Planning Grant program, CLGs are eligible to compete in a preferred pool
(currently 27 out of 351 cities and towns) for at least 10% of the federal funds allocated annually to
MHC. These matching grants may be used for a wide range of preservation planning projects.
Goal HP-19
Enhance existing Historical Commission relationships with institutional partners by integrating
Commission review and comment at the design development stage of proposed projects.
Goal HP-20
Commit City resources to preparing a comprehensive needs analysis, prioritization plan, and capital
improvements plan to strengthen planning and care for Northampton’s City-owned historic
properties.
4.6. Protecting Public Investment and Stewardship
Recommendations
Goal HP-21
Implement a program for active tracking, inspection, and compliance review of preservation
restrictions citywide.
Actions
• Compile a preservation restriction log, available to the public online and on paper through
municipal offices, that centralizes data for all preservation restrictions held on real property in
Northampton. Create a running list of preservation restrictions in effect in the city, noting the
subject property and street address; inventory number; holder of the restriction; term length of
the restriction and expiration date, if applicable; deed book and page numbers; and whether the
restriction meets the statutory requirements of G.L. c. 184 § 31-33, which requires signature
approvals from both the Massachusetts Historical Commission and the City of Northampton.
Include complete copies of all executed preservation restrictions as recorded at the Hampshire
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County Registry of Deeds, with the applicable terms of the restrictions. See Table 4.2.2 for further
information.
• Establish a cyclical monitoring program for inspection of properties with preservation restrictions,
to ensure compliance with the terms of the respective restrictions and reporting at least once
annually to the Northampton Historical Commission.
• Contract with an experienced preservation architect to conduct building inspections, document
compliance, and coordinate resolution of issues with property owners, restriction holders, and
the Northampton Historical Commission.
• Seek Community Preservation Act or other grant funding to implement this program, and identify
the local entity responsible for continuing its management after grant funds are expended.
Inquire whether the Massachusetts Historical Commission would fund this type of project through
its Survey & Planning Grant program.
See also Goal 4.2.4 regarding designation of single-resource local historic districts as a streamlined
and more cost-effective alternative to the City’s continued acquisition of preservation restrictions.
Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive Plan
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The following actions and recommendations for implementation are identified as implementation
strategies to be considered by the City and should not to be construed as either adopted or mandated
simply as a result of the adoption of this plan.
Section 5. Action Plan
Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive Plan
Historic Preservation Element
116
Priority Designations: Immediate/ongoing, critical (1-3 years); necessary (3-5 years); important (5-10) years
Goal # Action (Summarized recommendation) Primary Responsibility Partners Priority Resources Needed
(Funding, Staff,
Leadership, Other)
HP-1
HP-5
Add/update area inventory forms to
support district evaluation
Historical Commission
Planning & Sustainability
Historic
Northampton
Critical
(see Table 4.1.1)
Funding, staff, other
(professional
consultant)
HP-14 Conduct a regulatory audit to evaluate
impact of current zoning measures on
historic neighborhoods.
Planning Board
Historical Commission
Planning & Sustainability
Critical Funding, staff,
leadership
HP-14 Consider additional form-based districts or
neighborhood conservation districts to
guide new construction.
Planning Board
Planning & Sustainability
Historical
Commission
Critical Funding, staff,
leadership
HP-21 Implement preservation restriction
program for active tracking, inspection,
and compliance review of restrictions
citywide
Historical Commission
Planning & Sustainability
Planning Board
Historic
Northampton
Critical Staff, leadership;
funding for
preservation architect
HP-1
HP-5
Update building inventory forms for
individual resources
Historical Commission
Planning & Sustainability
Historic
Northampton
Critical
(see Table 4.1.2)
Funding, staff, other
(professional
consultant)
HP-1
HP-2
Conduct citywide survey and inventory of
current/former houses of worship (pre-
1975)
Historical Commission
Planning & Sustainability
Historic
Northampton
Critical Funding, staff, other
(professional
consultant)
HP-1,
HP-2
Complete inventory forms for all pre-1975
city-owned or -managed historic resources
Historical Commission
Planning & Sustainability
Historic
Northampton
Critical
(see Table.
3.6.1)
Funding, staff, other
(professional
consultant)
HP-10 Public information campaign on
alternatives to historic building demolition
Historical Commission
Planning & Sustainability
Historic
Northampton
Critical Leadership, funding
HP-15 Consider adding an inventory option to the
definition of Significant Building or
Structure (§ 161-2) to facilitate
determinations of significance.
Historical Commission Historical
Commission
Critical Funding, staff,
leadership
Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive Plan
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Goal # Action (Summarized recommendation) Primary Responsibility Partners Priority Resources Needed
(Funding, Staff,
Leadership, Other)
HP-15 Amend Demolition Ordinance to lengthen
delay period to 18 or 24 months
Historical Commission
Planning & Sustainability
Critical Leadership, staff
HP-15 Amend Demolition Ordinance to add
inventory option for determinations or
significance
Historical Commission
Planning & Sustainability
Critical Leadership, staff
HP-15 Begin using Historic Districts Act provision
of Demolition Ordinance to initiate
landmark study of subject buildings in
cases where demolition alternatives have
not been actively identified
Historical Commission
Planning & Sustainability
Critical Leadership, staff
HP-17 Add Historical Commission alternates or
designees to represent preservation
interests on other City boards
Mayor’s Office
City Council
Historical
Commission
Immediate/
Ongoing
Leadership, staff
HP-17 Enhance Historical Commission training
through virtual workshops sponsored by
Mass. Historical Commission
Historical Commission
Planning & Sustainability
Immediate/
Ongoing
Leadership
HP-17 Explore feasibility of dedicated part-time
preservation planner position
Planning & Sustainability Historical
Commission
Immediate/
Ongoing
Funding, staff
HP-17 Add Historical Commission review and
comment to Planning Board site plan
reviews and preservation restriction
negotiations
Planning & Sustainability
Planning Board
Historical
Commission
Immediate/
Ongoing
Leadership, staff
HP-17 Add Historical Commission review and
comment on all CPA applications for
historic preservation funds
Community Pres. Comm. Historical
Commission
Immediate/
Ongoing
Leadership, staff
HP-2
HP-17
Require new or updated inventory form in
all historic preservation applications for
CPA funding, plus a Historic Structure
Report for bricks-and-mortar funding
Community Pres. Comm. Historical
Commission
Immediate/
Ongoing
Funding, leadership
HP-10 Revive City’s preservation awards program Historical Commission
Planning & Sustainability
Historic
Northampton
Immediate/
Ongoing
Leadership, funding
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118
Goal # Action (Summarized recommendation) Primary Responsibility Partners Priority Resources Needed
(Funding, Staff,
Leadership, Other)
HP-7 Evaluate recent Massachusetts case law on
Neighborhood Conservation Districts as a
general ordinance option for protecting
historic neighborhoods under home rule
Historical Commission
Planning & Sustainability
Planning Board
City Solicitor
Immediate/
Ongoing
HP-11 Add links to City’s website to improve
public access to and understanding of
preservation planning
Planning & Sustainability Historical
Commission
Immediate/
Ongoing
Staff
HP-19 Integrate Historical Commission review
and comment at the design development
stage of proposed projects at the Veterans
Affairs Medical Center and Smith College
Historical Commission
Planning & Sustainability
Immediate/
Ongoing
Leadership, staff
HP-8 Study designation of single-resource c.40C
local historic districts as a more cost-
effective and streamlined alternative to
preservation restrictions negotiated with
zoning relief
Historical Commission
Planning Board
Planning & Sustainability
Immediate/
Ongoing
Funding, staff, other
(professional
consultant)
HP-12 Expand collaboration with Smith College
for assistance in documenting historic
resources
Historical Commission
Historic Northampton
Smith College Immediate/
Ongoing
Leadership, funding
HP-1
HP-6
Update/expand inventory of additional
areas and neighborhoods for district
evaluation
Historical Commission
Planning & Sustainability
Historic
Northampton
Necessary
Important
(see Table 4.1.1)
Funding, staff, other
(professional
consultant)
HP-9 Establish umbrella organization of
preservation stakeholders for citywide
information and advocacy
Historical Commission
Historic Northampton
Friends groups
Neighborhood
associations
Necessary Funding, staff,
leadership
HP-2
Conduct reconnaissance survey of barns,
carriage houses, outbuildings to support
demolition review
Historical Commission
Planning & Sustainability
Historic
Northampton
Necessary
Funding, staff, other
(professional
consultant)
Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive Plan
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119
Goal # Action (Summarized recommendation) Primary Responsibility Partners Priority Resources Needed
(Funding, Staff,
Leadership, Other)
HP-2 Complete inventory forms for
undocumented buildings in Central
Business-Core design review district
Historical Commission
Planning & Sustainability
Historic
Northampton
Necessary
(see Table 4.1.2)
Funding, staff, other
(professional
consultant)
HP-2
HP-14
As critical-area inventories are completed,
determine appropriate protection
measures
Historical Commission
Planning & Sustainability
Necessary
(see Table 4.2.1)
Funding, staff, other
(professional
consultant)
HP-18 Pursue designation as a Certified Local
Government (CLG) in preservation
planning for greater access to state grant
funds
Historical Commission
Planning & Sustainability
Necessary Leadership, staff
HP-11 Link MHC inventory forms and National
Register nominations to Parcel Details in
Northampton’s GIS
Planning & Sustainability
Information Technology Services
Historical
Commission
Necessary Funding, staff
HP-16 Reduce incidents of demolition-by-neglect
by evaluating existing ordinances and
alternative measures
Planning & Sustainability
Planning Board
Historical
Commission
Necessary Leadership, staff
(professional consultant
advisable)
HP-19 Enhance existing Historical Commission
relationships with institutional partners by
integrating Commission review and
comment at the design development stage
of proposed projects.
Historical Commission
Planning & Sustainability
Necessary Leadership, staff
HP-20 Hire qualified consultant to conduct
comprehensive needs assessment and
long-term capital plan to preserve the
City’s historic resources.
Central Services
Historical Commission
Community
Preservation
Commission
Necessary Leadership, funding
HP-13 Organize professional interpreters to plan
a city-wide interpretive program.
Historical Commission Historic
Northampton
Smith College
Necessary Leadership, funding,
staff (professional
consultant)
HP-13 Promote and support walking tours,
programs, and events in partnership with
conservation groups.
Historical Commission Conservation
Commission
Necessary Leadership, funding,
staff
Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive Plan
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120
Goal # Action (Summarized recommendation) Primary Responsibility Partners Priority Resources Needed
(Funding, Staff,
Leadership, Other)
Historic
Northampton
Smith College
HP-13 Develop a graphic identity and branding
for Northampton’s interpretive program.
Historical Commission Historic
Northampton
Northampton High
School
Necessary Leadership, funding,
staff
HP-17 Improve coordination between the CPA
planning process and the City’s Capital
Improvements Plan to focus attention on
and strengthen funding to protect historic
public facilities.
Community Pres. Comm. Historical
Commission
Necessary Leadership, staff
HP-1 Plan area form survey of mid-20th century
modern neighborhoods
Historical Commission
Planning & Sustainability
Historic
Northampton
Important Staff
HP-17 Consider restoring traditional separation
between Historical Commission and HDC.
Historical Commission Important Leadership
Staff
HP-6 Pursue National Register evaluations and
nominations of additional properties as
inventory forms are completed
Historical Commission
Planning & Sustainability
Historic
Northampton
Important Funding, staff, other
(professional
consultant)
HP-3
Conduct citywide archaeological
reconnaissance survey
Historical Commission
Planning & Sustainability
Historic
Northampton
Mass. Historical
Comm.
Important Funding, staff, other
(professional
consultant)
HP-3 Complete inventory and National Register
listing of New Haven and Northampton
Canal
Historical Commission
Planning & Sustainability
Historic
Northampton
Mass. Historical
Comm.
Canal towns
Important Funding, staff, other
(professional
consultant)
Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive Plan
Historic Preservation Element
121
Goal # Action (Summarized recommendation) Primary Responsibility Partners Priority Resources Needed
(Funding, Staff,
Leadership, Other)
HP-3 Conduct intensive-level survey of select
historic and pre-historic archaeological
sites.
Historical Commission
Planning & Sustainability
Historic
Northampton
Mass. Historical
Comm.
Important Funding, staff, other
(professional
consultant)
HP-4 Augment City’s historic properties
inventory to reflect cultural diversity of
community
Historical Commission
Planning & Sustainability
Historic
Northampton
Important Funding, staff, other
(professional
consultant)
HP-4 Identify historic resources for inventory
associated with under-represented historic
themes (see list)
Historical Commission
Planning & Sustainability
Historic
Northampton
Important Funding, staff, other
(professional
consultant)
Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive Plan
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122
Section 6. Appendix
Appendix A. What are Historic Resources?
Appendix B. Communities Utilizing Recommended Preservation Planning Tools (2023)
Appendix C. Resources for Climate Resilience, Reuse, and Renovation and Retrofitting
Appendix D. Economic Impact of Historic Preservation: Resources
Appendix E. Public Participation Summary
Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive Plan
Historic Preservation Element
123
Appendix A. What are historic resources?
Historic resources include all the tangible, surviving properties and sites that resulted from the
activities of all the people who lived and worked in Northampton in the past. They include buildings,
structures, objects, archaeological sites, areas, burial grounds, and parks and other landscapes. Each
period in the history of the community produced some characteristic buildings, structures, and other
features. Those that survive today represent the historic resources of Northampton.
Historic resources are not limited to Northampton’s earliest surviving buildings, properties associated
with prominent individuals or groups, or the most unusual or high-style examples of design and
construction. The typical buildings, structures, and sites associated with ordinary residents,
businesses, or institutions all comprise the historic assets of Northampton. Following guidelines of the
Massachusetts Historical Commission and the National Park Service, we generally define as historic
those resources 50 years or older, though some resources of more recent date may also have
historical importance.
Visible as part of today’s landscape, historic resources form an important part of the physical fabric
that makes up Northampton’s character. As artifacts, historic resources also represent an important
means of understanding the past. Full consideration of historic resources in planning efforts is most
effectively undertaken when these resources are identified as part of a comprehensive
communitywide survey.
Building examples
• Residential – single-family dwelling, multiple-family dwelling, rowhouse, duplex, etc.
• Agricultural – barn, stall, greenhouse, and other agricultural outbuildings
• Commercial – bank, office building, theatre, restaurant, inn, tavern, hotel, studio, store, etc.
• Transportation – gas station, railroad station, carriage house, garage, etc.
• Civic and institutional – city hall, school, fire station, police station, library, post office, house of
worship, club, hospital, meeting hall, etc.
• Industrial – factory, mill building, plant, shop, power house, etc.
Structure examples
Aqueduct, bridge, canal, dam, fence, gates, pumping station, railroad line, reservoir, smokestack,
stone wall, tower, tunnel, wall, water tower, etc.
Object examples
Monument, statue, religious shrine, boundary marker, fountain, milestone, etc.
Area examples
Central business district, village, mill complex, farmstead, residential subdivision or neighborhood,
large estate, school or institutional campus, etc.
Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive Plan
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Parks and Landscapes examples
• Designed historic landscape – park, campus, burial ground or cemetery, formal garden, training
ground, grounds designed or developed for outdoor recreation and/or sports activities (e.g., golf
course, playing field), fair and exhibition grounds, designed waterway, etc.
• Rural historic landscape – agricultural fields, pastures, orchards, etc.; industrial landscapes (e.g.,
associated with lumbering, mining, milling), recreation camps, camp meeting grounds, etc.
Adapted from Massachusetts Historical Commission, Historic Properties Survey Manual, and National Park
Service, National Register Bulletins on designed historic landscapes and rural historic landscapes.
Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive Plan
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125
Appendix B. Communities Utilizing Recommended Preservation
Planning Tools (2023)
Certified Local Governments (CLGs)
Boston
Bedford
Beverly
Brookline
Danvers
Dedham
Eastham
Easton
Falmouth
Framingham
Gloucester
Grafton
Hingham
Holyoke
Lexington
Lowell
Marblehead
Medfield
Medford
Methuen
Nantucket
New Bedford
Newton
Plymouth
Quincy
Salem
Somerville
Sudbury
Worcester
Demolition Delay (communities with 18 or 24-month delays only)
Acton (18 mos.)
Amesbury (18 mos.)
Brookline (18 mos.)
Chatham (18 mos.)
Leverett (18 mos.)
Maynard (18 mos.)
Medfield (18 mos.)
Middleborough (18 mos.)
Milton (24 mos.)
Newton (18 mos.)
Plympton (18 mos.)
Wellfleet (18 mos.)
Historic Preservation Planner(s) on Municipal Staff
Boston
Brookline
Cambridge
Lowell
Methuen
Nantucket
New Bedford
Newton
Salem
Somerville
Springfield (advertised)
Wellesley
Local Landmark Designation
Boston
Cambridge
Methuen
Newton
Some communities designate Local Landmarks under legislative act rather than local ordinance.
Single Building Local Historic Districts under G.L. c.40C
Duxbury
Framingham
Hopedale
Hopkinton
Mendon
Northborough
Somerville (189 SBLHDs)
Springfield
Wellesley
Boston, Cambridge, Methuen, and Newton designate individual resources as Local Landmarks rather
than Single Building Local Historic Districts.
Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive Plan
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Neighborhood Conservation District (NCD) as General/Home Rule Ordinance
Several communities have enacted NCDs using this method, though purposes, definitions, and
procedures vary widely. If Northampton chooses not to create additional Architectural Preservation
Districts comparable to the Central Business-Core Architecture District, the Cambridge neighborhood
conservation district ordinance may prove to be a suitable alternative. See Cambridge Code of
Ordinances, Chapter 2.78, Article III (currently under revision). The Cambridge ordinance follows G.L.
c.40C very closely.
Neighborhood Conservation or Design Overlay Districts through Zoning
• Amesbury: Brown Hill Neighborhood Conservation District
• Boston: Neighborhood Design Overlay Districts are established in multiple neighborhoods,
distinct from Architectural Conservation Districts (historic areas of city significance) and Landmark
Districts (historic areas of city and state, New England, or national significance). In Boston,
conservation and landmark districts are established under the Boston Landmarks Commission’s
enabling legislation.
Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive Plan
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Appendix C. Resources for Climate Resilience, Reuse, and
Renovation and Retrofitting
City of Burlington Historic Buildings’ Path to Net Zero Energy. A Guide for Buildings and
Homeowners. Prepared by the City of Burlington Certified Local Government (CLG) Program,
Burlington, Vermont. 2020.
https://www.burlingtonvt.gov/sites/default/files/u8/City%20of%20Burlington%20Historic%
20Buildings%20-%20NZE%20Guide.pdf.
“Climate, Culture and Community: How Reusing Buildings Preserves Historic Spaces and Lowers Our
Carbon Footprint.” Meeting #4. Massachusetts DEP Deconstruction Workgroup. June 7,
2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrtipSdxPj8 (recorded presentation) and
https://www.mass.gov/doc/massdep-introductionmerged-presentations/download
(presentation slides). See also https://www.mass.gov/lists/reduce-reuse-rr-working-group-
deconstruction-workgroup-archive#virtual-deconstruction-meeting-of-june-7,-2023-.
Concord’s Sustainability Guide for Historic and Older Homes. Prepared by Abigail Ahern for the Town
of Concord, Massachusetts with the University of New Hampshire Sustainability Institute,
2020. https://concordma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/26195/Sustainability-Guide-for-
Historic-and-Older-Homes.
Grimmer, Anne E. with Jo Ellen Hensley, Liz Petrella, and Audrey T. Tepper. Secretary of the Interior’s
Standards for Rehabilitation & Illustrated Guidelines on Sustainability for Rehabilitating
Historic Buildings. Technical Preservation Services, National Park Service, U. S. Department
of the Interior, 2011. https://www.nps.gov/orgs/1739/upload/sustainability-guidelines.pdf.
Hensley, Jo Ellen and Antonio Aguilar. Preservation Briefs 3: Improving Energy Efficiency in Historic
Buildings. Technical Preservation Services, National Park Service, U. S. Department of the
Interior, 2011. https://www.nps.gov/orgs/1739/upload/preservation-brief-03-energy-
efficiency.pdf.
“Historic Building Efficiency and Sustainability.” Division for Historic Preservation, Agency of
Commerce and Community Development, State of Vermont. Accessed November 17, 2023.
https://accd.vermont.gov/historic-preservation/planning/building-efficiency. Note: This web
page includes multiple links to other resources of interest.
“Homeowners DIY Energy Efficiency Tips for Older Buildings.” White Paper. Improving Energy
Efficiency in Vermont’s Older Buildings Study. Preservation Trust of Vermont and Vermont
State Historic Preservation Office. May 2021.
https://outside.vermont.gov/agency/ACCD/ACCD_Web_Docs/HP/Planning_For_Preservatio
n/Homeowners_DIY_Energy_Efficiency_Tips.pdf.
Sandor, John, with David Trayte and Amy Elizabeth Uebel. Preservation Briefs 16: The Use of
Substitute Materials on Historic Building Exteriors. Technical Preservation Services, National
Park Service, U. S. Department of the Interior. September 2023.
Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive Plan
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https://www.nps.gov/orgs/1739/upload/preservation-brief-16-substitute-materials-
2023.pdf.
Siders, A.R., and Marcy Rockman. “Connecting Cultural Heritage and Urban Climate Change
Adaptation.” Issues in Preservation Policy: Preservation, Sustainability, Equity. 2021.
https://www.arch.columbia.edu/books/reader/826-preservation-sustainability-and-
equity#reader-anchor-1.
“Sustainable Historic Preservation.” Historic Preservation Subcommittee, Whole Building Design
Guide. Updated May 8, 2023. Accessed Nov. 17, 2023. https://www.wbdg.org/design-
objectives/historic-preservation/sustainable-historic-preservation.
The Greenest Building: Quantifying the Environmental Value of Building Reuse. Prepared by
Preservation Green Lab, National Trust for Historic Preservation. 2011.
Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive Plan
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Appendix D. Economic Impact of Historic Preservation: Resources
List
Economic Impacts of Historic Preservation In Massachusetts. Prepared for the Massachusetts
Historical Commission by the Center for Urban Policy Research, Edward J. Bloustein School
of Planning & Public Policy Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey New Brunswick, New
Jersey, May 2022.
Economic Impact of Historic Preservation in Texas. Prepared by the Center for Sustainable
Development, University of Austin, and Center for Urban Policy Research, Blaustein School of
Planning and Public Policy, Rutgers University. Update 2015.
https://www.thc.texas.gov/public/upload/publications/economic-impact-historic-
preservation.pdf
Historic Preservation: At the Core of a Dynamic New York City. Report created for The New York
Landmarks Conservancy By PlaceEconomics, April 2016.
https://nylc.wpenginepowered.com/wp-
content/uploads/2020/02/Economic_Study_Landmarks_Conservancy.pdf
Investment in Connecticut: The Economic Benefits of Historic Preservation. Prepared for the
Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism by Place Economics. 2011.
https://www.placeeconomics.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/
rypkema_ct_economic_impact_study_6-2011.pdf. (See also, companion video, Connecticut
Main Street Center. Historic Preservation As an Economic Development Tool,
https://youtu.be/V7fu8F9V1ug?si=2g3u8gWHcqcNpNgc.
L’Orange, Pete. Historic Preservation Planner, Idaho State Historic Preservation Office. Profiting
from the Past: Historic Preservation’s Economic Benefits. February 2021.
https://history.idaho.gov/wp-content/uploads/Profitting-from-the-Past.pdf
Measuring the Economics of Preservation: Recent Findings. Prepared for the Advisory Council on
Historic Preservation by PlaceEconomics, June 2011. http://www.landmarks.org/wp-
content/uploads/2016/08/Measuring-the-Economics-of-Preservation.pdf
National Park Service Historic Preservation Economic Impact.
https://www.nps.gov/subjects/historicpreservation/economic-impacts.htm. Last updated
January 11, 2015.
Profits Through Preservation: The Economic Impact of Historic Preservation in Utah. Study for the Utah
Heritage Foundation by PlaceEconomics. June 2013
Rypkema, Donovan R. and Caroline Cheong, Place Economics, and Randall F. Mason, PhD, University
of Pennsylvania. Measuring Economic Impacts of Historic Preservation. A report to the
Advisory Council on Historic Preservation/ (November 2011; Second ed., September. 2013)
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https://www.achp.gov/sites/default/files/guidance/2018-06/Economic%20Impacts%20
v5-FINAL.pdf
The Economic Power of Heritage and Place. Prepared for the Colorado Historical Foundation by
Clarion Associates of Colorado, LLC, 2011.
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Appendix E. Community Engagement