Monument Square-Eagle Street Historic District (Boundary Increase)
Also known as: See Also:Mounument Square--Eagle Street Historic District
Why it's listed
This boundary increase extends the Monument Square-Eagle Street district in North Adams, covering the historic central business district. It adds a row of commercial buildings on the north side of Main Street, along with churches, a post office and a school on Summer, Eagle and North Church Streets. Highlights include the Italianate First Blackinton Block (1873), the Romanesque Revival Hoosac Savings Bank, the Dowlin and Kimball buildings, and the Art Deco Mohawk Theater of 1938, built during the Depression and still a working movie theater. Churches include the Gothic Revival St. John's Episcopal and St. Francis Roman Catholic, and the Georgian Revival Post Office dates from 1911. The buildings were largely erected by local developers and merchants when the city's mills were thriving and its population peaked near 24,200 in 1900. The district is described as retaining its integrity and as meeting criteria A and C. Its boundaries exclude areas on the south side of Main Street altered by urban renewal. All buildings remain in their original uses.
Significance in brief: The extension is argued to reflect North Adams at its peak of prosperity in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when the mills thrived and the population reached 24,200 in 1900. Its well-preserved, finely detailed commercial and church buildings represent a range of revival styles and the work of several notable architects. It also includes the Mohawk Theater (1938), the only commercial building erected downtown during the Depression.
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 85003623, listed August 25, 1988. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Roughly bounded by Holden, Center, and Union Sts., East Middle School, Summer, and Main Sts., North Adams |
|---|---|
| County | Berkshire County |
| Listed | August 25, 1988 |
| Reference number | 85003623 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1850-1938 |
| Architect / builder | Marcus Fayette Cummings (First Blackinton Block, 1873); H. Neil Wilson (Hoosac Savings Bank); Edwin Thayer Barlow (Dowlin Block); Stephen Carpenter Earle (St. John's Episcopal Church, 1886); James Knox Taylor (U.S. Post Office, 1911); Eugene and George Gardner (Drury High School, 1915) |
| Architectural style | Italianate, Romanesque Revival, Gothic Revival, Georgian Revival, Renaissance Revival and Art Deco |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | General condition is stated as good; all buildings in the extensions are still used for their original purposes. |
| Acreage | 200 |
| Coordinates | 42.69870, -73.11037 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
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 85003623.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6906845
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.