Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System records, Holyoke armory:

7/24/2019 Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System records, Holyoke armory:

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Friday, July 13, 2012 at 12:52 PM

Inventory No: HLY.134

Historic Name: Holyoke National Guard Armory

Common Name: M. V. M. Armory

Address: 163 Sargeant St

City/Town: Holyoke

Village/Neighborhood: Churchill

Local No:

Year Constructed: C 1900

Architect(s): Howes, William J.

Architectural Style(s): English Revival

Use(s): Armory; Penal Institution

Significance:Architecture; Community Planning; Military; PoliticsGovernment

Area(s): HLY.C: Churchill

Designation(s):

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AREA C h u r c h i l l FORM NUMBER /

Town:

H o l y o k e

A d d r e s s : 163S a r g e a n t S t r e e t

H i s t o r i cName:

N a t i o n a l

G u a r d A r m o r y

U s e P r e s e n t : A r m o r y

J a i l

O r i g i n a l : A r m o r y

DE S CRI PTIO N

D a t e : c. 1900

S o u r c e : Maps

S t y l e :

Tu d o r

A r c h i t e c t :

Unknown

E x t e r i o r W a l l

F a b r i c : B r i c k

O u t b u i l d i n g s :

None

M a j o r

A l t e r a t i o n s :

E x t e n s i o n

on

r e a r

C o n d i t i o n : V e r y

Good.

Moved: No

D a t e :

A c r e a g e : L e s s t h a n1.

S e t t i n g : U r b a n r e s i d e n t i a l/ c o m m e r c i a l .

UTM R E F E R E N C E :

USGS

QUADRANGLE:

S C A L E :

R e c o r d e d

by:

M a r t h a L y o n

O r g a n i z a t i o n :

PVPC

D a t e :

1990


3/6

AREA:

C h u r c h i l l

FORMNUMBER:

*

I

NATIONAL R E G I S T E R C R I T E R I A STATEMENT ( i f a p p l i c a b l e ) : Thea r m o r y

m e e t s

c r i t e r i o nA

a s

an

e x p r e s s i o n

of the

r o l e

of

v o l u n t e e r

m i l i t i a i np r o v i d i n ga

n a t i o n a l d e f e n s e n e t w o r k ,

and

c r i t e r i o n

C as a

w e l l - p r e s e r v e d

e x a m p l eof the

f o r t i f i e d

Romanesque

s t y l e

f a v o r e d for

l o c a l

a r m o r i e s .

ARCHITECTURAL

S I G N I F I C A N C E :

T h i s l a r g e m i l i t a r y b u i l d i n g i s the

o n l y

s t r u c t u r e

i n C h u r c h i l l

b u i l t i n theT u d o r s t y l e .

Re s e m b l i n g

a m e d i e v a l

c a s t l e ,

t h e b u i l d i n g c o n s i s t s

of a s y m m e t r i c a l l y s q u a r e

m a i n

b l o c k e m b e l l i s h e d

w i t h t h r e e - s t o r y t o w e r son i t s f a c a d eand r e a r c o r n e r s , and a f r o n t

g a b l e

o n e - s t o r y

s h e d w h i c h p r o j e c t s f r o mther e a r of the

m a i n

b l o c k .

C a s t e l l a t i o n s t r i m

the

f l a t r o o f l i n e

andt o w e r sof them a i n b l o c k .

I t s

m a i n

e n t r y r e s t s

i s a s l i g h t l y a r c h e d

b r i c k r e c e s s ,

and

m a s s i v e f o l i a t e c o n c r e t e

b r a c k e t s s u p p o r t

a

b r i c k

and c o n c r e t e

b a t t l e m e n t

a b o v e

the

e n t r y . C o r b e l l i n g

a l o n gthe

m a i n

b l o c k

f r i e z e

l i n e andu n d e rthe l i n t e l

p r o v i d e d

a d d i t i o n a l d e t a i l . The s e c o n d

s t o r y a r c h - t o p p e d win ows

aret r i m m e d

w i t h c o n c r e t e

l i n t e l s and

k e y

s t o n e s .

The f i r s t

s t o r y win ows a p p e a r

i n

t a l l n a r r o w p a i r s .

The

s h e d

e x t e n s i o n

f e a t u r e s

s y m m e t r i c a l

f e n e s t r a t i o n ,

w i t hwin owsi n

t h r e e s

s e p a r a t e d by

b r i c k p i e r s .

H I S T O RI C A L S I G N I F I C A N C E : In

i t s e a r l y y e a r s ,

b e f o r e W o r l dWar

I I ,

the

b u i l d i n g

was r e f e r r e d

to as theM.V.M.A r m o r y for the

M a s s a c h u s e t t s

V o l u n t e e r

M i l i t i a .

I t was l a t e r

r e f e r r e d

to

commonly

as the d r i l l s h e d

r e f l e c t i n g

t h e a d d i t i o n of ther e a r e l land the use of theb u i l d i n g forr e g i m e n t a l

m a n e u v e r s .

Th e b u i l d i n g i s s t i l l an a c t i v e a r m o r y ,but hasr e c e n t l y b e e n

t a k e n

o v e rby t he Hampden C o u n t y

S h e r r i f f

for use as a

t e m p o r a r y j a i l

BIBLIOGRAPHY a n d / o r R E F E R E N C E S : W a l k e r1884

A t l a s .

R i c h a r d s 1911 A t l a s .

1 9 1 1

and 1953

S a n b o r n s .


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5/6

F O RM B - B U I L D I N G

MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION

Office of theSecretary,

State

House, Boston

InAreano.

Formno.

134

Town H o l v o k e

Address s a r g e a n t S t r e e t

Name A r mo r y

Present use N a t i o n a l

Gu a r d

He a d q ua r t e

Present

owner

c o mmo n we a l t h o f

M a s s a c h u

Description:

Date

1907

Ar mo r y , Ho l y o k e P u b l i c L i b r a

Source L o c a l F i l e .

Style

C r e n e l l a t e d

4. Map. Drawsketchofbuilding location

i n relation tonearest

cross

streetsand

other

buildings. Indicate north.

3

Architect W i l l i a m

J . Howes

Ho l y o k e

Red b r i c k , g r a n i t e

Exterior w a l lfabric and l i me s t o n e t r i m.

O K

u

o

QD


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7. Original owner i f known) Commonweal t h

o f

Ma as a c l a i s e t t s

Original use

A r mo r y

Subsequentuses if any) anddates

8. Themes check as many as appl icable)

Recreation

Religion

Science/

invention

Social/

humanitarian

Transportation

9. Hi stori cal signif icance include explanation ofthemeschecked above)

The

s i t e

f o r t h e Ar mo r y

was

p ur c h a s e d f r o m t h e Ho l y o ke Wa t e r

Power

Company

i n 1906 .

The n e x t y e a r t h e

b u i l d i n g was

c o mp l e t e d

and a l a r g e d e d i c a t i o n c e r e mo n y t o ok p l a c e .

W i l l i a m

J .

Howes

a l o c a l a r c h i t e c t , dr e w up t h e p l a n s f o r t h i s F e u d a l C a s t l e .

S up po s e dl y , t h e f a c a de i s

a r e p l i c a o f

t h e Gl a ds t o ne

Home Hawar de n Ca s t l e

i n E n g l a n d

The

wi n d o ws

on t h e f i r s t f l o o r ( r a i s e d s e v e n f e e t

a b o v e

t h e g r o u n d) a r e e x t r a - n a r r o w

s o

as

t o b a r

a

human

f r o m

e n t e r i n g t h r o u g h

t h em. T h er e a r e

t h r e e

t o we r s ; t wo s q ua r e

o n e s

i n

f r o n t

a n d one r o un d one i n t h e

r e a r ,

l l w i t h c r e n e l l a t e d p a r a p e t s . The

s e a l

o f

t h e

S t a t e

o f Ma s s a c h u s e t t s i s s i t u a t e d be t we e n t h e

f r o n t

t wo t o we r sands t a r s a d o r n

t h e

b r a c k e t s on

e i t h e r s i d e

o f t h e d o or . C e r t a i n l y , t i s t h e

o n l y b u i l d i n g

o f i t s

k i n d i n Ho l y ok e .

* H ol y o ke P u b l i c L i b r a r y S c r a p b o o k No. 28 , p. 116.

Aboriginal

Agricultural

Architectural

The Arts

Commerce

Communication

Community development

Conservation

Education

Exploration/

settlement

Industry

Military

Political

10

Bibliographyand/or references such as local histories, deeds, assessor s records,

early

maps,

etc.)

Ar mo r y . Ho l y o k e P u b l i c L i b r a r y L o c a l F i l e s .

Ho l y ok e As s e s s o r ' s Re c or ds .

Ho l y o k e P u b l i c L e b r a r y S c r a p bo ok s . No. 22 p. 8; No. 28 , p. 116.

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Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System records, Holyoke armory: