{"nrhp_refnum":"88000715","name":"Union Station","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Depot St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Palmer","county":"Hampden County","state":"MA","lat":42.15559976900005,"lon":-72.32925998099995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1988-06-09","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Community Planning and Development","Transportation","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A railroad station on Depot Street in downtown Palmer, Massachusetts, built 1883-84 in the Richardsonian Romanesque style to a design by Henry Hobson Richardson, on a triangular lot where two rail lines cross.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the station is a well-preserved example of Richardsonian Romanesque architecture and the earliest surviving Richardson work for the Boston & Albany Railroad. It also reflects Palmer's growth as an industrial and transportation center in the nineteenth century. It is rated locally significant under Criteria A and C.","narrative":"Union Station in Palmer, Massachusetts, is a granite and sandstone railroad depot completed in 1884 on a triangular lot formed by two crossing rail lines. Henry Hobson Richardson designed it for the Boston & Albany Railroad, and the Flynt Construction Company built it with Monson granite. Its trapezoidal plan, rusticated sandstone trim, Romanesque arches and broad slate hipped roof mark it as an example of the Richardsonian Romanesque style. It is the earliest surviving Richardson work for the Boston & Albany. The station served the Boston & Albany and the New London Northern railroads and handled immigrant workers, mill freight and many travelers during Palmer's railroad peak, when the town called itself the town of seven railroads. Passenger sheds were removed around 1940 and roof overhangs in 1986, though much original interior fabric survives. Passenger service ended in 1960, and the building is now vacant.","period_of_significance":"1883-1938","architect_builder":"Henry Hobson Richardson, architect; Flynt Construction Company, builders","architectural_style":"Late Victorian/Richardsonian Romanesque","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Passenger service ended in 1960; the building later served as a pool hall and luncheonette and is described as currently vacant. Some windows and transoms are blocked with plywood.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:01.552795-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/67/7952/63795267/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/88000715.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/88000715/885e7247a9-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/88000715/885e7247a9-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 2.0","author":"reivax from Washington, DC, USA","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Union_Station,_Palmer,_Mass.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">reivax from Washington, DC, USA</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 2.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Union_Station,_Palmer,_Mass.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63795267","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_Station_(Palmer,_Massachusetts)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7886084"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/hampden-county/union-station-88000715/"}