{"nrhp_refnum":"83004291","name":"Whitcomb Warehouse","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"32-34 Hampden St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Springfield","county":"Hampden County","state":"MA","lat":42.10366557200007,"lon":-72.59507230699995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1983-02-24","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Industry","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A four-story, freestanding yellow brick warehouse at 32-34 Hampden Street in Springfield, Hampden County, Massachusetts, built in 1896 for original owner George Nelson. The architect is unknown.","why_significant":"The building is significant for its associations with two local industries and as an intact warehouse from Springfield's major period of significance. It retains its original storefronts, segmental arched windows with 1/1 sash and a patterned brick cornice. It is described as one of the most intact late nineteenth-century industrial buildings, though its setting has been severely compromised.","narrative":"Built in 1896 at 32-34 Hampden Street in Springfield, this four-story yellow brick warehouse was erected for original owner George Nelson. The architect is not known. Design features include segmental arched windows with one-over-one sash, original storefronts and a patterned brick cornice. No major alterations are recorded. The building was probably first tied to the Springfield Cigar Manufacturing Company plant on Hampden Street, the city's leading cigar maker. That firm began in 1883 as Baer and Carruth and moved to Hampden Street in 1885, selling finer and medium grade cigars nationally. In the early twentieth century the warehouse was sold to the Colby Manufacturing Company, a maker of paper rulers. It was listed for its link to these two local industries and as an intact warehouse from Springfield's major period of development, meeting criteria A and C. Its surroundings have been badly compromised, with vacant lots nearby, but the building itself keeps its location, design, materials and workmanship.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Panel Brick","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Present use is commercial; no major alterations are recorded. The surrounding area is described as primarily vacant lots.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:58.056491-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/25/7903/63790325/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/83004291.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83004291/00bacfef96-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83004291/00bacfef96-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"John Phelan","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Whitcomb_Building,_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:Whitcomb_Building,_Springfield_MA.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63790325","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitcomb_Warehouse","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7994232"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/hampden-county/whitcomb-warehouse-83004291/"}