Adams, Elwood, Store
About this property
The Elwood Adams Store was an historic hardware store at 156 Main Street in Worcester, Massachusetts. At the time of its closing in October 2017, it had been one of the longest operating hardware stores in the United States, having begun business in 1782. The building, constructed about 1831 and enlarged around 1865, is the oldest commercial building in downtown Worcester. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. The Elwood Adams Store building is located on the west side of Main Street in the northern part of Worcester's downtown area. The original structure, built about 1831, was raised from two-and-a-half to four stories about 1865, at which time the entire front was apparently refaced with new brick. The street facade originally consisted of two shopfronts of granite with iron posts at street level (since remodeled); the upper floors are divided into two groups of three rectangular windows with granite sills and lintels, separated by a central pier, and crowned by wooden cornice The hardware store that became the Elwood Adams Store was established on this site in 1782 by Daniel Waldo Sr. It occupied the first brick building constructed in Worcester. Waldo's son Daniel Jr. took over the business in 1791, and later partnered with Henry Miller, who purchased it in partnership with George Rice in 1821. Miller took full ownership of the business in 1831, and purchased the building from Waldo's heirs in 1865. Miller sold the business to Elwood Adams and a partner in 1886. First known as Smith & Adams, it became known as the Elwood Adams Store in 1891, the name it retained until its closing in 2017. National Register of Historic Places listings in northwestern Worcester, Massachusetts National Register of Historic Places listings in Worcester County, Massachusetts
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Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).
Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
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Questions about this property
When was Adams, Elwood, Store listed on the National Register?
Adams, Elwood, Store was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 5, 1980.
What type of historic resource is Adams, Elwood, Store?
Adams, Elwood, Store is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for Adams, Elwood, Store?
The period of significance for Adams, Elwood, Store is recorded as the industrial era.
Can I research the history near Adams, Elwood, Store?
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