{"nrhp_refnum":"83000737","name":"Baystate Corset Block","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"395-405 Dwight St. and 99 Taylor St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Springfield","county":"Hampden County","state":"MA","lat":42.105839149000076,"lon":-72.59136201999996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1983-02-24","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A large four-story brick commercial and manufacturing block at the corner of Dwight and Taylor Streets (395-405 Dwight St.) in Springfield, Massachusetts, begun in 1874 with an addition in 1888 and a new Dwight Street facade in 1918.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the block is significant for its associations with two local manufacturing firms, including the Bay State Corset Company, and because its growth is clearly shown in its well-preserved design. It cites integrity of location, design, setting, materials and workmanship, and meets criteria A and C.","narrative":"Occupying a corner lot at Dwight and Taylor Streets in Springfield, this four-story brick block grew in stages between 1874 and 1918. Construction began in 1874 with two woodworking concerns as first tenants. P.P. Kellogg bought it in 1883 for a paper products business and added a wing along Taylor Street in 1888. The Taylor Street facade shows typical panel brick features, including stilted segmental window arches and a corbeled cornice. The Dwight Street facade, rebuilt in 1918, has brick piers dividing triple glazed bays. The building's main association is with the Bay State Corset Company, founded in West Brookfield in 1884 and based here from the 1890s until 1920. At its peak the firm made about 5,000 corsets a day, with cutting rooms on the top floor and over 400 sewing machines below. Most original sash and storefronts survive, and the block's layered design records its manufacturing history.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Robinson, Marsh & Co.","architectural_style":"Panel brick (Taylor Street facade)","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Present use is commercial; the building is described as preserving most of its original elements, including 6/6 sash and storefronts.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:57.705298-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/72/7902/63790272/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/83000737.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83000737/2626835163-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83000737/2626835163-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"John Phelan","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Baystate_Corset_Block,_Springfield_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:Baystate_Corset_Block,_Springfield_MA.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63790272","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baystate_Corset_Block","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4874849"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/hampden-county/baystate-corset-block-83000737/"}