{"nrhp_refnum":"86000276","name":"Berkshire Life Insurance Company Building","other_names":["Bank of Boston"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"5--7 North St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Pittsfield","county":"Berkshire County","state":"MA","lat":42.44898541800006,"lon":-73.25458097299997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1986-02-27","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Commerce","Economics","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A five-story masonry commercial building at 5-7 North Street in downtown Pittsfield, Massachusetts, built in 1868 as the home office of the Berkshire Life Insurance Company and enlarged in 1906, 1911 and 1927.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is a monumental, high-style example of Renaissance Revival architecture, and the only commercial building of that style in downtown Pittsfield. Its additions closely match the original design. It also served as the center of Pittsfield's financial and civic life, housing banks, the post office, telegraph and telephone exchange, and a major New England insurance company.","narrative":"Standing at the western edge of Park Square in downtown Pittsfield, this five-story masonry building began in 1868 as a three-story headquarters for the Berkshire Life Insurance Company. Boston architect Louis Weisbein designed it, and local contractor D. C. Munyan built it. Additions followed in 1906, 1911 and 1927 by Henry Seaver and James McArthur Vance, each keeping the original Renaissance Revival style, scale and materials, including Nova Scotia freestone and Monson granite. From 1868 to 1910 it housed banks, the post office, telegraph office and telephone exchange, along with the insurance company, making it a center of the town's commercial life. A 1979 fire cleared the neighboring building to the north, leaving it freestanding. The east facade's ground floor was covered with pebble-and-cement facing in 1969, though the upper stories remain largely as they were in 1927. It was listed for its commercial history and its architecture, at the local level of significance.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899, 1900- (specific dates 1868, 1906, 1911, 1927)","architect_builder":"Louis Weisbein (original 1868 building; builder D. C. Munyan); Henry M. Seaver (1906 annex and 1927 addition); James McArthur Vance (1911 upper stories)","architectural_style":"Renaissance Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Occupied and in commercial use, with Bank of Boston offices and other businesses. The first story of the east facade was altered in 1969, and the owner intended to restore it as part of a certified rehabilitation.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:58.009707-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/2/7942/63794202/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/86000276.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86000276/d7d4164179-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86000276/d7d4164179-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"John Phelan","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Berkshire_Life_Insurance_Company_Building,_Pittsfield_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:Berkshire_Life_Insurance_Company_Building,_Pittsfield_MA.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"91001826","name":"Park Square Historic District (Boundary Increase)","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/massachusetts/park-square-historic-district-boundary-increase-91001826/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63794202","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berkshire_Life_Insurance_Company_Building","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4892269"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/berkshire-county/berkshire-life-insurance-company-building-86000276/"}