{"nrhp_refnum":"82000486","name":"Wigglesworth Building","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"89-83 Franklin St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Boston","county":"Suffolk County","state":"MA","lat":42.35518519000004,"lon":-71.05766580999995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1982-10-21","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Commerce","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A five-story commercial building of red brick, granite and freestone at the southwest corner of Franklin and Devonshire Streets in Boston's central business district, built in 1873 with a fifth story added around 1885.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is one of the finest examples of mid-Victorian commercial architecture in downtown Boston, with well-preserved Victorian Gothic design and cast-iron storefronts. It is tied to prolific architect Nathaniel J. Bradlee and to the retail firm French, Abram & Co. It also reflects Boston's late nineteenth-century mercantile life and rebuilding after the Great Fire of 1872.","narrative":"Standing at the corner of Franklin and Devonshire Streets in downtown Boston, this five-story commercial block was built in 1873 to replace a building lost in the Great Fire of 1872. Architect Nathaniel J. Bradlee designed it in a Victorian Gothic manner, using red brick with buff-colored freestone trim, carved lintels, recessed brick panels and cast-iron storefronts. Its curved facades follow the bending street lines of its lot. Around 1885 the cornice was raised and a fifth story, designed by Winslow & Wetherell, was added. Bradlee was among Boston's most prolific nineteenth-century architects and is believed to have designed more than 500 commercial blocks. From 1876 to 1900 the building was rented to French, Abram & Co., a glassware, pottery and cutlery dealer that used it for wholesale business across New England and Canada. Alterations have been minor, mainly modern glass entries and some enclosed storefront bays. Since 1900 it has housed stores and offices.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":"Nathaniel J. Bradlee, architect (1873); Winslow & Wetherell, architects (1885)","architectural_style":"Victorian Gothic","criteria":["A","B","C"],"status_note":"Occupied; used for a mixture of stores and offices, and undergoing renovation at the time of nomination.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:57.386691-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/63/7967/63796763/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/82000486.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82000486/9d7a2d864d-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82000486/9d7a2d864d-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Biruitorul","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:WigglesworthBoston.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Biruitorul</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:WigglesworthBoston.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63796763","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wigglesworth_Building","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7999619"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/suffolk-county/wigglesworth-building-82000486/"}