{"nrhp_refnum":"83000830","name":"Temple Building","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"149 Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Marlborough","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.34720950700006,"lon":-71.54834793799995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1983-03-10","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Commerce","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A four-story red brick commercial block at 149 Main Street in downtown Marlborough, Massachusetts, erected in 1879-1880 by local shoe manufacturer Hiram Temple. It adjoins the Warren Block across from City Hall.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the building is one of only a few surviving late 19th century commercial blocks in downtown Marlborough and, with the Warren Block, the most intact part of the period's commercial district. It is tied to the city's shoe industry and is described as the finest Queen Anne commercial building in the city. It was listed under criteria A and C.","narrative":"Rising four stories on Main Street across from City Hall, this red brick commercial block was built in 1879-1880 for Hiram Temple, a Marlborough shoe and boot manufacturer. Retail space occupied the ground floor, with hotel rooms above; the hotel was later known as the Temple Hotel and the Worcester Hotel. The three upper stories remain unaltered and show Queen Anne detail, including granite lintels, segmental brick arches with basketweave infill and rosettes, and an ornate central gable bearing the building's name. The slate mansard roof is its only Second Empire element. Storefronts at street level have been altered with aluminum, though their original lines survive. Marlborough's Main Street once held many similar brick blocks, but demolition, fire and remodeling removed most of them. Together with the adjoining Warren Block, the Temple Building preserves the most intact portion of the city's late 19th century commercial district. It reflects the shoe industry that drove the city's growth after the railroad arrived.","period_of_significance":"1879-80","architect_builder":"Builder/architect unknown; erected by Hiram Temple (1823-1901)","architectural_style":"Queen Anne commercial, with a Second Empire mansard roof","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"A major rehabilitation under Secretary of the Interior standards was underway at the time of nomination, adapting the building to office and housing use, with a new rear addition planned.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:56.983931-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/84/7956/63795684/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/83000830.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83000830/49907e8e63-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83000830/49907e8e63-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Marcbela (Marc N. Belanger)","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Temple_Building_Marlborough.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Marcbela (Marc N. Belanger)</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Temple_Building_Marlborough.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63795684","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_Building_(Marlborough,_Massachusetts)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7698489"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/temple-building-83000830/"}