{"nrhp_refnum":"80000466","name":"Spaulding Block","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"141-143 Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Webster","county":"Worcester County","state":"MA","lat":42.04909506700005,"lon":-71.88424358199995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1980-12-03","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Commerce","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story brick commercial block at 141-143 Main Street in Webster's central business district, Worcester County, Massachusetts. The main body was built in 1866 and given a new facade in 1897.","why_significant":"It is the oldest surviving brick commercial building in Webster and shows two construction periods, an 1866 Italianate/utilitarian block and an 1897 late Queen Anne/Tudor facade. It is tied to long-running local businesses and fraternal groups. It is also one of the few remaining buildings that reflect the late nineteenth century commercial character of Railroad Square.","narrative":"Located on Main Street in the heart of Webster's business district, the Spaulding Block is a three-story brick commercial building on a narrow lot. About 90 percent of it dates to 1866, when it was built for Cyrus Spaulding as a simple Italianate-style block with low-arched windows and rock-faced granite trim. In 1897 the original front was removed, roughly ten feet of depth was added, and a late Queen Anne/Tudor facade was built. That facade uses Flemish-bond red brick with blackened headers, limestone trim, recessed bay windows, quoined window surrounds and a tall gable. The building housed Spaulding's hardware store, founded by his father in 1834, along with a jeweler, the Webster Times printing office, the Masonic Lodge and the Webster Sigel Lodge. Hardware sales continued under later operators until 1978. Now the oldest brick commercial building in Webster, it retains much of its 1897 design, apart from modern coverings on the storefronts, and recalls the commercial character of Railroad Square.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Italianate/utilitarian (1866 block) with late Queen Anne/Tudor facade (1897)","criteria":[],"status_note":"Described as in fair condition and altered, with modern materials covering the storefronts; the hardware business closed in 1978. Form checks the property as occupied and commercial.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:54.468479-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/20/7972/63797220/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/80000466.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80000466/c5490f16fa-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80000466/c5490f16fa-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"User:Magicpiano","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:WebsterMA_SpauldingBlock.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:WebsterMA_SpauldingBlock.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63797220","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spaulding_Block","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7574128"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/worcester-county/spaulding-block-80000466/"}