{"nrhp_refnum":"89000529","name":"Dani and Soldani Cabinet Makers and Wood Workers Factory","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"484 Worcester St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Southbridge","county":"Worcester County","state":"MA","lat":42.09076737100003,"lon":-72.02234954399995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1989-06-22","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Industry","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story early-20th-century brick factory building at 484 Worcester Street, Southbridge, Massachusetts, built in 1914 by an unknown architect. It was originally built for the Optical Lens Company and is now used by a cabinet-making firm.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the building is tied to the optical industry that dominated Southbridge's economy in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It is also a typical, intact example of early-20th-century brick factory architecture in the town. It later housed Dani and Soldani, the earliest Italian manufacturer to establish itself in Southbridge.","narrative":"Built in 1914 at 484 Worcester Street, this brick factory in Southbridge was first occupied by the Optical Lens Company, a small optical manufacturer that directories suggest lasted into the 1920s. It was one of several small firms that set up in town after the American Optical Company succeeded. In 1926 Dani and Soldani moved in. Founded by Eugenio Dani and Giovanni Soldani, who were listed as carpenters in 1912, it was the earliest Italian manufacturer in Southbridge. The firm made counter display cabinets and employed about forty workers in the 1930s. The building is simple and typical of local factories of its era, with corbelled eaves, broad segmented arched windows, cement sills, multipaned wood sash and a painted sign on the street facade. A two-story frame storehouse stands at the rear, along with a mid-20th-century cinderblock addition. It is listed for its link to the optical industry and for its intact industrial architecture.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Early-20th century brick industrial","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Described as in good condition and still in industrial use; Dani and Soldani still operates at the site.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:01.403318-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/55/7934/63793455/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/89000529.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/89000529/608a7df8c7-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/89000529/608a7df8c7-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"John Phelan","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dani_and_Soldani_Cabinet_Makers_and_Wood_Workers_Factory,_Southbridge_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:Dani_and_Soldani_Cabinet_Makers_and_Wood_Workers_Factory,_Southbridge_MA.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63793455","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dani_and_Soldani_Cabinet_Makers_and_Wood_Workers_Factory","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5216263"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/worcester-county/dani-and-soldani-cabinet-makers-and-wood-workers-factory-89000529/"}