{"nrhp_refnum":"83000743","name":"Colonial Block","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1139-55 Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Springfield","county":"Hampden County","state":"MA","lat":42.10050322300003,"lon":-72.58600140199997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1983-02-24","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Commerce","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A five-story brick mixed commercial and residential building at 1139-55 Main Street, Springfield, Massachusetts, built 1902-1905 for Pascal L. Morse in the Georgian Revival style.","why_significant":"The building reflects the southward expansion of downtown Springfield and is unusual for its residential upper floors in a period of mostly commercial and office development. It marks a visible transition between downtown and the residential neighborhoods beyond. It is also a well detailed, nearly intact example of Georgian Revival motifs adapted to commercial architecture.","narrative":"Colonial Block is a five-story brick building at 1139-55 Main Street in Springfield, built between 1902 and 1905 by Pascal L. Morse, a local carpenter and real estate owner. The northern section was finished in 1902, and the southern section followed in 1905 to match the original design. A rounded bay marks the northwest corner, and projecting bays along the long facade create an undulating rhythm that the classical cornice follows. Stores occupied the ground floor, offices and commercial uses the second floor, and residential units the three upper floors, along with a meeting hall called Colonial Hall. Mixed use of this kind was unusual downtown, where growth was mostly commercial. The block helped keep the southern part of downtown viable as a trade center when many merchants preferred locations nearer the train station. Its size and handsome design strengthened the commercial focus of the area. It was listed for its role in downtown expansion and its well preserved Georgian Revival design.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Pascal Morse (Pascal L. Morse, local carpenter and real estate owner)","architectural_style":"Georgian Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Still in commercial and residential use; storefronts were remodelled in 1974 and the building remains nearly intact.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:57.981018-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/11/7903/63790311/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/83000743.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83000743/5905c91ac9-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83000743/5905c91ac9-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 3.0","author":"John Phelan","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Colonial_Block,_Springfield_MA.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">John Phelan</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Colonial_Block,_Springfield_MA.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63790311","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colonial_Block","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5148297"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/hampden-county/colonial-block-83000743/"}