National Register of Historic Places

Republican Block

Springfield, Hampden County, Massachusetts
Listed
January 26, 1978
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
78000447

About this property

The Republican Block is a historic commercial building at 1365 Main Street in downtown Springfield, Massachusetts. Built in 1858, it heralded the northward expansion of the downtown north of Court Square, and was the first permanent home of the Springfield Republican, one of the state's oldest newspapers. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. The Republican Block is located in downtown Springfield, on the east side of Main Street just north of Court Square, one of the city's oldest public spaces. It is a four-story brick building with Italianate styling. Its ground floor is occupied by two storefronts, set on either side of a central building entrance. The second floor has a band of arched windows topped by a dentillated cornice. The third and fourth floors have windows set singly and in pairs under bracketed segmented arches or rounded arches. The building is crowned by a bracketed projecting cornice. The block was built in 1858 for The Republican, a newspaper founded in 1824. The Republican occupied the premises until 1867, and is the only surviving reminder of the period of ownership by its founder, Samuel Bowles. It was then bought by D. H. Brigham, a clothing retailer. Brigham greatly expanded the premises to the rear, and operated a clothing factory and shop in the building, which remained in business until 1969. The building is believed to have been designed by A. L. Chapin, a prominent local architect who designed a significant number of Springfield's Main Street buildings of the period. Union Trust Company Building (Springfield, Massachusetts), 1351 Main Street Court Square Historic District (Springfield, Massachusetts), across Main Street National Register of Historic Places listings in Springfield, Massachusetts National Register of Historic Places listings in Hampden County, Massachusetts

Location

1365 Main St.
Springfield, Hampden County, Massachusetts
42.10229, -72.58980

Categories

COMMERCEPOLITICS/GOVERNMENTARCHITECTURECOMMUNICATIONS
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

Haynes Hotel Waters Building
Industrial
0 mi
Union Trust Company Building
Civil War
0 mi
First Church of Christ, Congregational
Industrial
0.1 mi
Springfield District Court
Industrial
0.1 mi
Court Square Historic District
Listed
0.1 mi

Nearby Battles

Attack on Springfield
1675Colonial
0.1 mi

Questions about this property

When was Republican Block listed on the National Register?

Republican Block was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on January 26, 1978.

What type of historic resource is Republican Block?

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

What is the period of significance for Republican Block?

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

Can I research the history near Republican Block?

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