Upper North Street Commercial District facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Upper North Street Commercial District
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The Bradford Block on North Street
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 Location in Massachusetts
Location in the United States
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| Location | North St., Pittsfield, Massachusetts |
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| Area | 11 acres (4.5 ha) |
| Architect | multiple |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival, Renaissance |
| NRHP reference No. | 02001615 |
| Added to NRHP | December 27, 2002 |
The Upper North Street Commercial District is a special historic district in downtown Pittsfield, Massachusetts. It is located on the north side of the city's center. This area shows how Pittsfield's downtown grew in the late 1800s. It expanded northward from a place called Park Square.
The district mainly has buildings used for businesses. These buildings are along North Street. You can find them between Columbus and Madison Avenues on the west side. On the east side, they are between Eagle and Maplewood Avenues. Two buildings are a bit different. One is the Berkshire Eagle building on Eagle Street. The other is the St. Joseph's Church complex. The buildings in this district show off Colonial Revival and Renaissance styles. This historic area was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.
What is the Upper North Street Commercial District?
A historic district is an area with many old buildings. These buildings are important because of their history or how they look. The Upper North Street Commercial District is one such place. It covers about 11 acres (4.5 hectares). This district is special because it shows how Pittsfield grew. It also features beautiful old architecture.
A Look at Its History
Pittsfield's first shops and public buildings were around Park Square. For most of the 1800s, development stopped at the railroad tracks. These tracks belonged to the Boston and Albany Railroad. They cross North Street a few blocks north of Park Square.
By 1890, the entire street between Park Square and the tracks was full of commercial buildings. These were large buildings used for businesses. Before the tracks were even built, the area north of them had other uses. It was once a training area for soldiers during the War of 1812. But mostly, homes were built there in the early 1800s.
In 1863, the Roman Catholic Church bought part of the old soldier training area. They built St. Joseph's Church there. The first brick business building north of the tracks went up in 1875. An electric trolley line was added to North Street in 1891. This trolley helped new businesses grow. It changed the area a lot over the next 30 years.
