{"nrhp_refnum":"05001209","name":"New England Confectionery Company Factory","other_names":["NECCO Candy Factory"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"250 Massachusetts Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Cambridge","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.360941128000036,"lon":-71.09780362699996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2005-11-09","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Commerce","Engineering","Industry","Social History"],"significance_levels":["state","local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A six-story, 509,000 square foot Moderne-style candy factory and its 1927 power plant at 250 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts, built in 1927 for the New England Confectionery Company (NECCO) to designs by Lockwood, Greene & Co.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the factory is significant as the headquarters of one of the oldest continuously operating candy companies in the United States, maker of the Necco Wafer. When built in 1927 it was the largest factory in the world devoted to candy making, in a city that was a major manufacturing center. It is also valued as an example of Moderne industrial architecture and engineering, and as a visual landmark on Massachusetts Avenue.","narrative":"Rising six stories above Massachusetts Avenue in Cambridge, this reinforced-concrete factory was built in 1927 for the New England Confectionery Company, maker of the Necco Wafer. Designed by Lockwood, Greene & Co. and built by Hegeman Harris Company, it is a Moderne-style building faced in speckled beige brick with limestone banding, with a corner tower marking the original executive entrance. When completed it was the largest factory in the world devoted to candy making, in a city with roughly 375 factories. The company was also among the first to offer employees benefits such as life insurance and profit sharing. Inside, thick cork-insulated concrete floors and mushroom-capped columns supported production, with executive offices and a candy research laboratory on the sixth floor. A steam tunnel linked the factory to its separate 1927 power plant. Around 2002 the complex was rehabilitated as a biomedical research campus, with the exterior restored to its original appearance and the power plant turned into a cafeteria and auditorium.","period_of_significance":"1927-1955","architect_builder":"Lockwood, Greene & Co. (F.C. Lutze, engineer); Hegeman Harris Company, Inc. (Builder)","architectural_style":"Modern Movement: Moderne","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Converted around 2002 from candy manufacturing to a biotechnology research laboratory (Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research); exterior restored and the former power plant now serves as an employee amenity center.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:04.205586-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/12/7957/63795712/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/05001209.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/05001209/bab7eaf577-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/05001209/bab7eaf577-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 2.0","author":"Jill Robidoux","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Necco_factory_with_water_tower.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Jill Robidoux</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 2.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Necco_factory_with_water_tower.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63795712","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_England_Confectionery_Company_Factory","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7007221"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/new-england-confectionery-company-factory-05001209/"}