{"nrhp_refnum":"90000788","name":"Monson Center Historic District","other_names":["See Also:Memorial Hall"],"category":"district","location":{"address":"Jct. of Main and Cushman Sts.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Monson","county":"Hampden County","state":"MA","lat":42.09780750000007,"lon":-72.31365601394151,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1991-05-06","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Commerce","Politics/Government","Architecture","Religion"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A linear historic district of nine buildings, one structure and two objects along a one-block stretch of Main Street in the center of Monson, Massachusetts. Resources date from about 1800 to about 1910.","why_significant":"The district represents the commercial and institutional development of Monson from the Federal period through the prosperous 19th century. It became the town's civic and commercial center by the mid-1880s, after land was donated for Memorial Hall. It is significant locally for its architecture and for its role in community development, with a period of significance of 1800-1915.","narrative":"Monson Center Historic District is a one-block stretch of Main Street in the middle of Monson, Massachusetts. It holds nine buildings, a structure and two objects dating from about 1800 to about 1910. Most are two-story wood-frame commercial and residential buildings, anchored by granite landmarks: Memorial Hall, built in 1885 and still the Town Hall, and the 1889 Universalist-Unitarian Church, both in Romanesque Revival style. The 1850 Methodist Church and the Noble Block, a well-preserved commercial building of about 1890, also anchor the district. The district matters because it shows how Monson's civic focus shifted south from the original Congregational town center. Textile mills, straw-goods manufacturing and granite quarrying brought workers and prosperity, and a commercial center grew between the mills and the railroad. By the mid-1880s, after land was donated for Memorial Hall, this area was the town's civic and commercial heart. It was recognized locally for architecture and community development.","period_of_significance":"1800-1915","architect_builder":"Carter, Elias; Flynt Building & Construction Company; Reynolds, J.L.; Ellis, A.D.","architectural_style":"Early Republic/Federal; Late Victorian/Romanesque, Italianate, Victorian; Late 19th & 20th Century Revival/Colonial Revival; No Style","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Memorial Hall serves as the Town Hall, and the Noble Block has been recently rehabilitated. Four noncontributing buildings have synthetic siding and modern storefronts.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:04.873525-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/25/7952/63795225/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/90000788.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/90000788/ca5c356451-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/90000788/ca5c356451-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"John Phelan","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Memorial_Hall,_June_2012,_Monson_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:Memorial_Hall,_June_2012,_Monson_MA.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63795225","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monson_Center_Historic_District","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q16934283"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/hampden-county/monson-center-historic-district-90000788/"}