{"nrhp_refnum":"83003435","name":"Thom Block","other_names":["Flat Iron Building"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"83-89 Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Milford","county":"Worcester County","state":"MA","lat":42.14228193500003,"lon":-71.51820388699997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1983-06-23","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Commerce","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A four-story, flat-roofed granite commercial block at 83-89 Main Street in downtown Milford, Massachusetts, built in 1891 by James Thom. Its trapezoidal footprint gives it the common name Flat Iron Building.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the building recalls Milford's late 19th century industrial prosperity, built on granite quarrying. It is the town's only surviving granite commercial block. Its randomly coursed load-bearing granite walls are uncommon, and its polychromatic piers of polished and rock-faced granite are described as unique in the region.","narrative":"Standing at the junction of Main Street, Calley Square and Spruce Street in downtown Milford, this four-story granite commercial block was erected in 1891 by James Thom. Its trapezoidal lot gives it the nickname Flat Iron Building. The street facades are rock-faced, locally quarried granite laid in coursed and random ashlar, with storefronts divided by polychromatic piers alternating polished and rough granite, and a carved plaque reading THOM and 1891 above the recessed corner entrance. Granite quarrying was Milford's largest industry from the mid 19th century, and this is the town's only surviving granite commercial block, a visible reminder of the prosperity that built Main Street. Thom's project was struck by a fire just before completion, and the family defaulted on the mortgage and left for Maine in 1895. A hotel and a fraternal lodge later occupied the upper floors, while the ground-floor stores housed a variety of small businesses.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":"James Thom","architectural_style":null,"criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Exterior in very good condition and interior in poor shape; at the time of the form the only occupants were a small clothing store and an auto parts store on the first floor.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:57.069564-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/30/7972/63797230/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/83003435.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83003435/efb5328636-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83003435/efb5328636-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Marcbela (Marc N. Belanger)","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Thom_Block.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Marcbela (Marc N. Belanger)</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Thom_Block.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63797230","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thom_Block","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7786711"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/worcester-county/thom-block-83003435/"}