National Register of Historic Places

Musgrove Block

Andover, Essex County, Massachusetts
Listed
June 9, 1982
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
82004816

About this property

The Musgrove Block is a historic commercial building at 2 Main Street in the center of Andover, Massachusetts. The three-story brick building was built in 1895 on the site of a former town green, and forms part of Andover's central Elm Square intersection. The building exhibits Romanesque Revival styling, featuring granite trim elements and ornate brick detailing. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. The Musgrove Block occupies most of a roughly trapezoidal lot on the east side of Elm Square, the six-way road intersection at the heart of downtown Andover. It is a three-story red brick building, with commercial storefronts in the ground level, and office space on the upper floors. The building presents a broad facade to the intersection, with a small plaza in front. This facade is 15 bays wide, with six storefronts and a building entrance. To its left is a facade facing Elm Street that has three bays on the upper levels, and two commercial bays on the ground floor. To the right of the main facade is a flatiron-style rounded corner of a single bay, leading to more service oriented sides of the building facing Post Office Avenue to the south and east. The ground floor store fronts are all plate glass with a band of signage above, with entrances that are recessed; the flatiron corner also has a store entrance. The main entrance to the upper floors is set in a rounded-arch opening, with transomed rectangular second floor windows and round-arched third floor windows. The windows of the upper floors are grouped into recessed panels with brick corbelling at the top, and are set in vertical pairs within tall keystoned arches. A band of corbelling serves as a cornice below the flat roof. Prior to 1894, the area east of Elm Square was taken up by a town green and a hostelry variously known as the Eagle Hotel and the Elm Tavern. This property was purchased by John Field in 1894, and the tavern was razed. The present building was then erected on the former green, over community objections seeking its preservation as open space. The building's early occupants included a druggist who operated an ice cream counter, and a bicycle shop. National Register of Historic Places listings in Andover, Massachusetts National Register of Historic Places listings in Essex County, Massachusetts

Location

2 Main St.
Andover, Essex County, Massachusetts
42.65706, -71.14031

Categories

ARCHITECTURE
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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Nearby Historic Sites

Memorial Hall Library
Industrial
0 mi
Punchard, Benjamin House
Industrial
0 mi
Barnard Block
Industrial
0.1 mi
Andover Town Hall
Industrial
0.1 mi
Andover National Bank
Industrial
0.1 mi

Questions about this property

When was Musgrove Block listed on the National Register?

Musgrove Block was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 9, 1982.

What type of historic resource is Musgrove Block?

Musgrove Block is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Musgrove Block?

The period of significance for Musgrove Block is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Musgrove Block?

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