L.H. Hamel Leather Company Historic District facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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L. H. Hamel Leather Company Historic District
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Former Hamel factory buildings
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 Location in Massachusetts
Location in the United States
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| Location | Haverhill, Massachusetts |
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| Built | 1886-1929 |
| Architectural style | Classical Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 09000032 |
| Added to NRHP | February 18, 2009 |
The L.H. Hamel Leather Company Historic District is a special area in downtown Haverhill, Massachusetts. It holds many old factory buildings that show how important industries like leather and shoe making were in the past. This group of buildings was built between 1886 and 1929. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2009.
Contents
What is the Hamel Leather Company District?
This historic district is the biggest collection of old factory buildings still standing in downtown Haverhill. It is located just west of the city's main business area. You can find it near the old Boston & Maine Railroad tracks, Essex Street, Locke Street, Duncan Street, and Winter Street.
Early Days of the Buildings
The oldest building in the district is a brick warehouse. Its main part was built around 1886. Later, more sections were added around 1910 and 1950. This warehouse was first used by companies that sold groceries in large amounts. Later, it became part of the leather industry in the early 1900s. It reminds us of the smaller factories from the 1800s.
Between 1911 and 1916, a group of local business leaders built three large concrete buildings on Essex Street. These buildings added a huge amount of space for factories. They also brought over $1 million in taxes to the city. These spaces were rented out to companies that made shoes, which was the main industry in Haverhill at that time.
Louis Hamel's Business Grows
The Hamel Company did not start in these buildings right away. Louis Hamel began his business in the 1910s when he was a young man. His first location was on Washington Street. His company grew very quickly.
In 1923, Louis Hamel moved his leather tanning operations into a building called the Tilton Building, located at 115-117 Essex Street. He eventually took over the entire building. A new brick section was added to this building for the Hamel Company in 1928-29.
Hamel was also one of the first companies to rent space in the Essex Associates Building at 109-113 Essex Street. This eight-story brick building was built in 1914-15. It was designed by Damon Brothers architects and looked different from the lighter concrete buildings nearby. Hamel used these buildings to make equipment for shoe manufacturing. He even developed new ideas that he licensed to other companies.
By 1940, the Hamel Company was using space in all four of these buildings. They also used parts of the Shoe and Leather Associates Building at 98-112 Essex Street. In 1941, Hamel bought the Pentucket Associates Building at 10 Duncan Street. He expanded his operations there to make leather coats, and rented out the rest of the space. Over the next ten years, the company bought most of the other buildings in the district.
What Happened Later?
The Hamel Company started closing down its operations at this complex in 1973. After that, some of the buildings were taken down. However, many others were fixed up and used for new purposes. For example, the Lang and Burgess Buildings (at 151 and 143-45 Essex Street) were changed into offices. The Tilton, Essex Associates, and Pentucket Associates buildings, along with others, were turned into homes.
