Park Square Historic District (Pittsfield, Massachusetts) facts for kids
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Park Square Historic District
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Looking West along East Street, left to right: Berkshire Life Insurance Company Building, Berkshire County Savings Bank Building, First Church of Christ, Old Town Hall.
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 Location in Massachusetts
Location in the United States
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| Location | Pittsfield, Massachusetts |
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| Area | 9 acres (3.6 ha) (original) 27.4 acres (11.1 ha) (after 1991 increase) |
| Built | 1810 |
| Architect | Peabody & Stearns; Et al. |
| Architectural style | Gothic Revival, Federal |
| NRHP reference No. | 75001911 (original) 91001826 (increase) |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | July 24, 1975 |
| Boundary increase | December 23, 1991 |
The Park Square Historic District is a special area in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, known for its important old buildings. It's like a time capsule that shows how the city grew over many years. This district is located around Park Square, which is right in the middle of Pittsfield where four main streets meet.
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Exploring Park Square's History
Park Square is the historic heart of Pittsfield. It's where many important events happened and where some of the city's oldest buildings stand. When you visit, you can see how the city looked long ago.
What is a Historic District?
A historic district is a special area that has been officially recognized for its important history and architecture. It's like a protected neighborhood where old buildings are kept safe and preserved. The Park Square Historic District was first added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. This means it's considered very important to the history of the United States.
Growing the Historic District
When the district was first created in 1975, it included Park Square itself and eight buildings facing it. Some of these buildings were the Old Town Hall, the county courthouse, the Berkshire Athenaeum (a library), and the First Church of Christ.
In 1991, the district was made much bigger. It grew to include 39 more buildings! This expanded area now covers many blocks around Park Square. Some of the new buildings added were the current City Hall (which used to be a post office), the Berkshire Life Insurance Company Building, the Allen Hotel, the Berkshire Museum of Art and Natural History, and the Masonic temple.
Pittsfield's Early Days
Pittsfield was first settled in the 1740s. It became an official town in 1761. Park Square, the main gathering place, was created in 1790 on land given by John Chandler Williams. It was built near the town's first meeting house, which was a place for both church and town meetings, built in 1762.
A very cool fact about Park Square is that it hosted the first agricultural fair in the United States! This fair happened in 1810 and was a big event for farmers and the community.
How Pittsfield Grew
In the early 1800s, Pittsfield started to become an industrial town, especially known for making paper. By the mid-1800s, railroads connected Pittsfield to other places, making it an important center for trade and travel. In 1868, Pittsfield became the "shire town" of Berkshire County. A shire town is like the main city of a county, where the county government offices are located. This made Pittsfield even more important and led to the growth of the shops and businesses around Park Square in the late 1800s.
