{"nrhp_refnum":"84002216","name":"Smith, Bradford, Building","other_names":["Bradford Smith Property"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1927-1941 Purchase St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"New Bedford","county":"Bristol County","state":"MA","lat":41.651149298000064,"lon":-70.92964745999996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1984-05-17","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Commerce","Architecture","Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 3½-story late Victorian wood frame commercial and residential building at 1927-1941 Purchase Street in the Weld Square district north of downtown New Bedford, Massachusetts, built in 1887 by local builder and developer Bradford Smith.","why_significant":"The nomination links the building to the growth of Weld Square, New Bedford's first streetcar suburb, which developed in the late 19th century as a commercial and residential district. It is also presented as an intact and early example of wood frame commercial architecture. It meets criteria A and C.","narrative":"Built in 1887, this 3½-story wood frame building at 1927-1941 Purchase Street sits in Weld Square, a commercial district north of downtown New Bedford. Clapboard-sheathed and set on a granite and brick foundation, it has four ground-floor storefronts and a double gable facade with returns, a linking cornice, brackets and Italianate detail. Local builder and developer Bradford Smith, born in Taunton in 1841, erected it with shops below and apartments above, a common pattern on the area's main streets. Early tenants included a bakery and a furniture store, while the apartments housed mill workers employed at the nearby textile mills and streetcar carbarn. Weld Square grew after streetcar service arrived and the Wamsutta Mills expanded, becoming New Bedford's first streetcar suburb. The building is valued for that connection to neighborhood development and as an intact early example of wood frame commercial architecture. Alterations have been minor, mostly signage, storefront changes and interior finishes, and the building has kept its original mix of uses.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899 (specific date 1887)","architect_builder":"Bradford Smith (builder/developer); architect unknown","architectural_style":"Late Victorian with Italianate detail","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Described as little altered, still used for its original function with shops below and apartments above, and undergoing a certified rehabilitation at the time of the form. Condition is marked fair.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:56.83061-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/42/7944/63794442/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/84002216.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/84002216/49469f30fd-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/84002216/49469f30fd-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Janet Meunier","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NewBedfordMA_BradfordSmithBuilding.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Janet Meunier</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NewBedfordMA_BradfordSmithBuilding.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"89002035","name":"Acushnet Heights Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/massachusetts/acushnet-heights-historic-district-89002035/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63794442","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bradford_Smith_Building","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4954750"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/bristol-county/smith-bradford-building-84002216/"}