{"nrhp_refnum":"71000083","name":"Old Third District Courthouse","other_names":["Institution for Savings"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"2nd and William Sts.","address_restricted":false,"city":"New Bedford","county":"Bristol County","state":"MA","lat":41.63592924500006,"lon":-70.92421056799998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1971-09-28","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Commerce","Politics/Government","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A one-story brick and brownstone building at the northeast corner of Second and Williams Streets in New Bedford, Massachusetts, built in 1853 as the New Bedford Institution for Savings and later used as the Third District Courthouse.","why_significant":"The building was designed by Russell Warren and closely resembles his earlier Institution for Savings in Providence. It is described as a rare commercial building showing Italian Renaissance influence on mid-nineteenth century American architecture. It is also part of the Waterfront Historic District and is one of two buildings there designed by a renowned architect.","narrative":"Built in 1853 at the corner of Second and Williams Streets in New Bedford, this one-story building was first home to the New Bedford Institution for Savings, incorporated in 1825. From 1897 until about 1940 it served as the Third District Courthouse. The main facade faces the street with a pedimented gable, brownstone ashlar, a sandstone entablature and granite porches with balustrades flanking the entrance stairs. Side walls are brick, divided into three bays with recessed windows and paneled details, and two lower brick wings were added at the rear. Russell Warren drew the plans, and the design closely resembles his earlier Institution for Savings in Providence. Basically Greek Revival, it carries Renaissance Revival details, making it a rare commercial example of Italian Renaissance influence in mid-nineteenth century American architecture. It forms part of New Bedford's Waterfront Historic District and faces Robert Mills's Customs House across the intersection. The courtroom has been restored for visitors.","period_of_significance":"19th Century (specific date 1853)","architect_builder":"Russell Warren","architectural_style":"Basically Greek Revival with Renaissance Revival decorative details","criteria":[],"status_note":"Condition listed as good; exterior largely unchanged apart from added rear wings, interior somewhat altered, and the courtroom restored for visiting public. The owner reported the brownstone facade weakening quite rapidly.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:54.793553-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/30/7944/63794430/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/71000083.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/71000083/73721782ad-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/71000083/73721782ad-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Daniel Case","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NPS_Visitor_Center,_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:NPS_Visitor_Center,_New_Bedford,_MA.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"66000773","name":"New Bedford Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/massachusetts/new-bedford-historic-district-66000773/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63794430","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Third_District_Courthouse","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7085208"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/bristol-county/old-third-district-courthouse-71000083/"}