{"nrhp_refnum":"83000738","name":"Bicycle Club Building","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"264-270 Worthington St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Springfield","county":"Hampden County","state":"MA","lat":42.105214329000034,"lon":-72.59162754999994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1983-02-24","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Entertainment/Recreation","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A four-story brick commercial building at 264-270 Worthington Street in Springfield, Massachusetts, built in 1891 for the Springfield Bicycle Club. It faces Stearns Square and is attached to the Wells Block.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is significant as a well-preserved late 19th century design and as the first permanent home of the internationally known Springfield Bicycle Club. It meets criteria A and C. The club pioneered bicycle racing meets and counted champion rider George M. Hendee among its members.","narrative":"Built in 1891 at 264-270 Worthington Street in Springfield, this four-story brick building was constructed as the first permanent home of the Springfield Bicycle Club. Twenty-four feet wide, it shares an exterior wall with the neighboring Wells Block and faces Stearns Square. Its Romanesque Revival facade features a deep pressed metal cornice, basket-weave brickwork, a wide fourth-floor arch sheltering a porch, and a projecting wood bay on the second and third floors. The club, organized in 1881, helped popularize organized bicycle meets, and rider George M. Hendee later founded the company that made Indian motorcycles. The building housed a bowling alley, a Columbia bicycle dealer, a library and parlor, billiard and card rooms, and a gymnasium. Later it served fraternal groups, dance schools and offices. The upper floors remain largely original, though the storefront changed and the parapet was removed. It was recognized for its preserved design and its association with the club.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Romanesque Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Present use is commercial; the first-floor storefront was heavily altered, and a restoration was carried out in 1981.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:56.886305-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/43/7903/63790343/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/83000738.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83000738/ee70fe1375-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83000738/ee70fe1375-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"John Phelan","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:270_Worthington_Street,_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:270_Worthington_Street,_Springfield_MA.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63790343","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_Club_Building","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4903745"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/hampden-county/bicycle-club-building-83000738/"}