{"nrhp_refnum":"87000353","name":"Ethel Apartment House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"70 Patton St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Springfield","county":"Hampden County","state":"MA","lat":42.11013550700005,"lon":-72.59869792499995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1987-03-06","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Community Planning and Development","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A four-story red brick apartment building at 70 Patton Street in the North End of Springfield, Massachusetts, built in 1912 as an eight-unit block for Jacob Blisky.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is a representative example of small-scale early twentieth century apartment house construction, with simply but carefully articulated detailing. It is one of very few apartment houses remaining in Springfield's North End from the building boom of that era. It is also tied to the industrial growth and expansion of Springfield.","narrative":"Built in 1912 at 70 Patton Street in Springfield's North End, this four-story red brick apartment house was designed by architect Burton E. Gechler for Jacob Blisky, a North End retailer, at a cost of $14,000. The original permit describes eight units, two per floor. The front facade has two bowed windows flanking a central entrance, precast stone trim imitating ashlar, a decorative brick panel, and a tin cornice with modillions. It represents the city's \"Apartment Era\" from about 1910 to the Depression, when industrial growth around the Armory and the Wason railroad car works created demand for affordable housing near work and transit. Patton Street changed from single-family cottages to apartment blocks, with six by 1920. Urban renewal in the 1960s erased most of the neighborhood, leaving this building among the few survivors. Tenants stayed until the mid-1970s, and the building has been vacant since 1979, with its interior deteriorated.","period_of_significance":"1900-","architect_builder":"Burton E. Geckler (spelled Gechler in the narrative)","architectural_style":null,"criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Vacant since 1979; interior deteriorated from vandalism and weather exposure, with all windows missing. Full tenant occupancy lasted until the mid-1970s.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:01.159285-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/35/7952/63795235/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/87000353.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/87000353/d3f87b7233-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/87000353/d3f87b7233-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"John Phelan","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:70_Patton_Street,_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:70_Patton_Street,_Springfield_MA.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63795235","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethel_Apartment_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5403063"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/hampden-county/ethel-apartment-house-87000353/"}