{"nrhp_refnum":"77000167","name":"Merrill's Wharf Historic District","other_names":[],"category":"district","location":{"address":"MacArthur Dr.","address_restricted":false,"city":"New Bedford","county":"Bristol County","state":"MA","lat":41.633111830000075,"lon":-70.92034505299995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1977-11-11","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Commerce","Engineering","Transportation","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A just-under-one-acre waterfront historic district on the Acushnet River in New Bedford, Massachusetts, off MacArthur Drive. It contains two wooden piers, the unaltered part of Merrill's Wharf, and a granite loft building built in 1847-48.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the district is the only remaining unaltered portion of New Bedford's waterfront. Its structures were all built in the first half of the 19th century, during the city's prosperity as a whaling center. It is tied to Captain Edward Merrill's whaling business and later to Edward Bourne, who eventually owned more whaling ships than any other owner in New England.","narrative":"Merrill's Wharf Historic District occupies just under an acre on the New Bedford waterfront and includes the Coal Pocket Pier, the Steamship Authority Pier, the unaltered portion of Merrill's Wharf, and a three-story granite loft building. Captain Edward Merrill bought the land from the Rotch family in 1837 and built the counting house and two piers for his whaling business. The loft building dates to 1847-48. Edward Bourne began whaling operations there in 1848 and eventually owned more whaling ships than any other owner in New England. His counting house office interior was later moved to the Whaling Museum. A sail-making firm worked on the site from 1925 to 1968. The Steamship Authority Pier, built in 1838, served as the departure point for island boats for more than a century. The district was listed as the only remaining unaltered section of the city's waterfront. A 1974 fire damaged the loft building, leaving its upper floors exposed.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Captain Edward Merrill","architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"The Merrill's Wharf Building was damaged by fire in 1974. The first floor has been secured, but the upper floors are exposed to the elements. The piers are used by lobster boats. The owner hoped to sell to a developer who would restore the building.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:53.899396-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/24/7944/63794424/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/77000167.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/77000167/067c69f26b-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/77000167/067c69f26b-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"User:Magicpiano","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NewBedfordMA_MerrillsWharfHD_CountingHouse.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">User:Magicpiano</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NewBedfordMA_MerrillsWharfHD_CountingHouse.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63794424","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merrill%27s_Wharf_Historic_District","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6820155"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/bristol-county/merrills-wharf-historic-district-77000167/"}