National Register of Historic Places

Ames Hill/Crescent Hill District

Springfield, Hampden County, Massachusetts
Listed
April 30, 1974
Type
District
Period
Listed
Ref No.
74000368

About this property

Ames Hill/Crescent Hill District is an historic district in Springfield, Massachusetts, bounded by sections of Central, Maple, Mill, and Pine Streets, Crescent Hill, Ames Hill Drive, and Maple Court. This section of Springfield was the city's first "Gold Coast," built primarily during the early Industrial Revolution, from approximately 1812–1850. The Ames Hill/Crescent Hill Historic District includes Mulberry Street, the upper-class street made famous by Dr. Seuss's first children's book, And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, (1937.) Dr. Seuss's grandparents lived on Mulberry Street. This National Historic District overlaps somewhat with both the Ridgewood and Maple Hill Historic Districts designated by the City of Springfield. Ames Hill was named for the Ames Family of Springfield. David Ames, Jr., a Springfield paper manufacturer, was the son of Colonel David Ames, the first superintendent of the Springfield Armory. The David Ames Jr. House, at 241 Maple Street, on Ames Hill in Springfield, was built in 1826-7 and was the work of Chauncey Shepard, a prominent local architect and builder. In 1867, Solomon J. Gordon, a New York City lawyer, purchased the property and Shepard was hired to remodel the house he had built forty-one years earlier. Gordon lived in the house until his death in 1891. Today the house is known as Young House and is part of the campus of the MacDuffie School. Crescent Hill continues along the steep trajectory of Maple Street, which snakes up along a bluff overlooking the scenic Connecticut River and Connecticut River Valley. Crescent Hill also features many of Springfield's largest mansions, most of which date from the mid-19th century. Unfortunately, the Ames Hill/Crescent Hill Historic District was devastated during the June 1, 2011 Greater Springfield tornado.

Location

Springfield, Hampden County, Massachusetts
42.09651, -72.57617

Categories

INDUSTRYCOMMERCEARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

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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Overview
An interactive map of the location with historic sites, battles and Native heritage plotted, and its full story era by era.
The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from first peoples to the present day.
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Nearby Historic Sites

Mills-Stebbins Villa
Industrial
0.1 mi
Outing Park Historic District
Listed
0.2 mi
Adams Apartment Building
Industrial
0.2 mi
Evans Court Apartment Building
Industrial
0.3 mi
South Main Street School
Industrial
0.3 mi

Nearby Battles

Attack on Springfield
1675Colonial
0.8 mi

Questions about this property

When was Ames Hill/Crescent Hill District listed on the National Register?

Ames Hill/Crescent Hill District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 30, 1974.

What type of historic resource is Ames Hill/Crescent Hill District?

Ames Hill/Crescent Hill District is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Ames Hill/Crescent Hill District?

The period of significance for Ames Hill/Crescent Hill District is recorded as the listed era.

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