Heywood-Wakefield Company Complex
About this property
The Heywood-Wakefield Company Complex is a historic factory complex at 206 Central Street in Gardner, Massachusetts. The complex, located at the corner of Central and Elm in West Gardner, has its origins in a chair manufacturing business established in 1826 by the Heywood brothers. The current brick factory buildings date to the later decades of the 19th century. The property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. Gardner's long history as a center of chair manufacturing began in 1806, when James Comee began making them with hand tools in 1805. Walter Heywood was an apprentice of his, and with his brother William opened their own shops in the 1820s. Their shop, located near the historic town center, burned in 1834. Levi Heywood, another brother, built a replacement shop on the site of the present surviving factory buildings the following year. This move, and the subsequent economic success of the Heywoods, resulted in a major shift of the town's economic center to West Gardner, where it remains today. The surviving company complex stands on 12.5 acres (5.1 ha) on the east side of downtown Gardner, running from Lake Street in the north to Cross Street in the south. Central Street cuts diagonally across the complex in its northern third. No structures survive from the site's 1835 beginning, which was largely destroyed by fire in 1860. The only building to survive from the rebuilding program that followed is the 1863 building 5; subsequent expansion and building programs transformed the site into the one that survives today. In 1897 the Heywood company merged with the Wakefield Rattan Company, resulting in another expansion. The company suffered from competition and labor problems in the 20th century, and closed its doors in 1978. The surviving buildings have since been repurposed to other uses. National Register of Historic Places listings in Worcester County, Massachusetts
Location
Categories
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.
Everything a full report reveals about Heywood-Wakefield Company Complex
This page lists Heywood-Wakefield Company Complex. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Questions about this property
When was Heywood-Wakefield Company Complex listed on the National Register?
Heywood-Wakefield Company Complex was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 14, 1983.
What type of historic resource is Heywood-Wakefield Company Complex?
Heywood-Wakefield Company Complex is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for Heywood-Wakefield Company Complex?
The period of significance for Heywood-Wakefield Company Complex is recorded as the industrial era.
Can I research the history near Heywood-Wakefield Company Complex?
Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Heywood-Wakefield Company Complex will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
More in Worcester County
Historic places, battles, and census history across Worcester County.
Explore WorcesterCounty ›More historic places in Massachusetts
Browse all historic places in Massachusetts.
View Massachusettshistoric sites ›Massachusetts history
Colonial settlement, territorial period, and statehood narrative.
Massachusettshistory ›Research the history near this site
An Aubrey US report for an address near Heywood-Wakefield Company Complex will include this listing alongside battlefield records and other historical sources within your chosen radius.