{"nrhp_refnum":"82001900","name":"Dawson Building","other_names":["The Dawson Block-Eagles House"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1851 Purchase St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"New Bedford","county":"Bristol County","state":"MA","lat":41.65016108200007,"lon":-70.92949785499997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1982-09-30","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Commerce","Architecture","Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three and one-half story brick commercial building with cast iron storefronts at 1851 Purchase Street in New Bedford's North End, Massachusetts. It was built in 1896 and designed by local architect Samuel C. Hunt.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it was a center of commercial activity and community life in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It is a notable work of architect Samuel C. Hunt and a highly visible North End landmark. It is also one of few surviving examples of cast iron architecture in New Bedford.","narrative":"Built in 1896 at the corner of Purchase and Linden Streets in New Bedford's North End, the Dawson Block is a three and one-half story brick building with prefabricated cast iron storefronts. Architect Samuel C. Hunt gave it an eclectic, asymmetrical design, joining two wings with a hexagonal tower topped by an ogival dome. Terra cotta panels, granite sills and a copper cornice add detail. Benjamin Dawson, a brewer and liquor dealer, built it as a speculative venture in the growing Weld Square streetcar neighborhood, where immigrant mill workers settled. Stores occupied the ground floor, with offices and meeting rooms above. In 1923 the Fraternal Order of Eagles bought the building and remodelled the interior, adding a ballroom and banquet hall, and it served as the Eagles' Home. It was recognized as a long-standing neighborhood landmark, as a notable work of Hunt, and as one of few surviving cast iron buildings in the city. Renovation for elderly housing was underway.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899 and 1900- (specific date 1896, construction)","architect_builder":"Samuel C. Hunt, architect","architectural_style":"Late 19th century eclectic vernacular, with Classical Revival elements","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Being renovated for use as elderly housing; the form checks both occupied and unoccupied status.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:56.722956-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/40/7944/63794440/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/82001900.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82001900/4bc4ecad69-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82001900/4bc4ecad69-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"John Phelan","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dawson_Building,_New_Bedford_MA.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">John Phelan</a>, <a href=\"https://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:Dawson_Building,_New_Bedford_MA.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"89002035","name":"Acushnet Heights Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/massachusetts/acushnet-heights-historic-district-89002035/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63794440","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dawson_Building","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5242641"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/bristol-county/dawson-building-82001900/"}