Barrett, P. J., Block
Why it's listed
Located on the west side of Park Street in Adams Center, this 3 1/2-story red brick block holds two storefronts on the ground floor and two apartments on each of the upper two floors. Because of the hillside site, only the street facade is full height, while the rear is two stories. Marble ashlar forms the foundation, and the brickwork includes banding, arched window hoods with marble sills, plate-glass storefronts and a bracketed wooden cornice with jig-saw ornament. The block appears in the town's first directory of 1889-1890 and was among the first brick blocks on Park Street. Its original owner, Patrick J. Barrett, a mason, lived and worked there, while the stores were rented to a dry goods merchant and a grocery firm. The building was listed because it shows the change of Park Street from residential to commercial use and remains one of the best preserved Italianate commercial buildings in Adams, with very few alterations.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is one of the earliest and least altered examples of commercial design in Adams. Its ground-floor stores with upper-floor apartments reflect Park Street's shift from residential to commercial use in the 1880s and 1890s. It is also described as the best local example of Italianate commercial architecture.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 82004945, listed April 1, 1982. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 70--76 Park St., Adams |
|---|---|
| County | Berkshire County |
| Listed | April 1, 1982 |
| Reference number | 82004945 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | ca. 1880-1889 |
| Architectural style | Late Italianate |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied; described as nearly unaltered from its original design, with few changes such as added concrete stairs and extra glazing bars on the storefronts. |
| Acreage | 0.3 |
| Coordinates | 42.62355, -73.12046 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 82004945.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14715805
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.