{"nrhp_refnum":"78000451","name":"Mechanics Block Historic District (Boundary Increase)","other_names":["See Also:Mechanics Block Historic District"],"category":"district","location":{"address":"38-52 Union St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Lawrence","county":"Essex County","state":"MA","lat":42.70951450000007,"lon":-71.15366349999996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1978-05-23","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Industry","Commerce","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A boundary increase to a historic district in central Lawrence, Massachusetts, adding eight attached brick rowhouses at 38-52 Union Street on the eastern end of the Mechanics Block, built in 1847.","why_significant":"The Mechanics Block is an architectural remnant of the first period of American industrial development and an example of New England factory housing. It illustrates the organized, paternalistic industrial community built by the Essex Company. The Union Street addition preserves the design integrity of the block.","narrative":"Eight attached brick rowhouses at 38-52 Union Street in Lawrence, Massachusetts, form the eastern end of the Mechanics Block and were added to the existing historic district. The Essex Company, founder of the city, built the single-family houses in 1847 for mechanics employed in its machine shop. They are typically 2½ stories, three bays wide, with granite lintels and sills, paired doorways with sidelights and transoms, and rear ells for kitchens. Deed restrictions reserved the houses for skilled craftsmen of the Lawrence Machine Company, and later owners such as the Everett Mills and Washington Mills kept that tradition. Over time the occupants shifted from English, Scottish and native-born workers to Irish and eventually Italian-American families. Some alterations have occurred, including new roofing, removed chimneys and a storefront. The block is valued as an example of New England factory housing, and the addition preserves the design integrity of the district.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":"Harrison Clement & William Page, Builders","architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Altered, with additions such as bracketed hoods, new fenestration, a storefront at 44 Union Street and a one-story addition at 48 Union Street; the form lists the property as occupied, in commercial and private residence use.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:53.490196-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/46/7948/63794846/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/78000451.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78000451/a957e56824-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78000451/a957e56824-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 2.0","author":"EraserGirl","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mechanics_Block_Historic_District_139_Garden_St,_Lawrence,_MA.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">EraserGirl</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:Mechanics_Block_Historic_District_139_Garden_St,_Lawrence,_MA.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63794846","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mechanics_Block_Historic_District","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6804583"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/essex-county/mechanics-block-historic-district-boundary-increase-78000451/"}