{"nrhp_refnum":"66000773","name":"New Bedford Historic District","other_names":["see also: New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park"],"category":"district","location":{"address":"Bounded by Front St. on E, Elm St. on N, Acushnet Ave. on W, and Commercial St. on S","address_restricted":false,"city":"New Bedford","county":"Bristol County","state":"MA","lat":41.635826602000066,"lon":-70.92402254699994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1966-11-13","is_nhl":true,"nhl_designated_date":"1966-11-13","areas_of_significance":["Industry","Commerce"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A historic commercial district of about 19.6 acres in New Bedford, Massachusetts, made up of eleven city blocks and part of a twelfth along Acushnet Avenue and Elm, Water, Rodman, Front, Commercial and Union Streets. About 20 significant buildings date mostly from 1810 to 1855.","why_significant":"The district is presented as a good example of the commercial center of a major New England whaling seaport between 1810 and 1855. It keeps about 20 historic buildings, including the Custom House, banks and warehouses, several designed by architect Russell Warren. New Bedford became the nation's leading whaling port, and the district reflects that era.","narrative":"This 19.6-acre district in downtown New Bedford, Massachusetts, preserves part of the commercial core of a leading whaling port. It covers eleven blocks and part of a twelfth, with about 20 notable buildings, most built between 1810 and 1855. They include the granite Custom House designed by Robert Mills, the Greek Revival Mechanics and Merchants Banks and the Institution for Savings, both by Russell Warren, the Samuel Rodman House and Candlehouse, the Seamen's Bethel, the Mariner's Home, and brick or stone warehouses. New Bedford grew as a whaling port from the 1760s, passed Nantucket by 1840, and peaked in 1857, when it owned half the nation's whaling ships. Whaling then declined as petroleum rose, and the last voyage ended in 1925. Modern intrusions, including a gas station and a large parking facility, and altered storefronts affect the area. A local historic district ordinance adopted in 1971 aims to protect its character and encourage rehabilitation.","period_of_significance":"c. 1790, 1810-1855","architect_builder":"Russell Warren and others; Robert Mills (Custom House, built by Seth H. Ingalls)","architectural_style":"Federal, Greek Revival and Renaissance Revival commercial and public buildings","criteria":[],"status_note":"Condition marked good; some intrusions such as a gas station and a parking structure and lot, and altered signage and storefronts on some buildings. Many buildings have new commercial uses.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:54.028556-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/59/7936/63793659/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/66000773_NHL.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/66000773/50bc74869c-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/66000773/50bc74869c-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Daniel Case","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:North_Water_Street,_New_Bedford,_MA.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Daniel Case</a>, <a href=\"http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:North_Water_Street,_New_Bedford,_MA.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63793659","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Bedford_Historic_District","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1982412"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/bristol-county/new-bedford-historic-district-66000773/"}