Commonwealth Avenue Historic District
Why it's listed
Commonwealth Avenue in North Attleborough carries a three-eighths-mile stretch of large houses and two jewelry factories near the Ten Mile River. The district grew out of the industrial activity at The Falls, where manufacturers and workers built homes close to the mills. V.H. Blackinton began making jewelry at 140 Commonwealth Avenue in 1857, and the Freeman factory on Robinson Street produced jewelry for more than a century. The houses range from early 19th-century Federal and Greek Revival examples, including the Robinson House at 161 and a center-chimney house at 172 dating to about 1800, to a Modern Gothic house of 1881-82, Queen Anne houses of the 1880s and 1890s, and a Dutch Colonial house of about 1924. Two of them echo designs from Providence, Rhode Island, reflecting business and cultural ties. Together the buildings show how industrial success shaped local housing and how factories and residences sat side by side.
Significance in brief: The district is significant under Criteria A and C at the local level. Its factories and large houses show the jewelry-manufacturing industry at The Falls and the living and working patterns of owners and workers. The houses are well-preserved examples of mainstream 19th- and early 20th-century domestic architecture, with some influence from nearby Providence.
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 03001261, listed December 12, 2003. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Commonwealth Ave., N side from Stanley St. to beyond Robinson St., North Attleborough |
|---|---|
| County | Bristol County |
| Listed | December 12, 2003 |
| Reference number | 03001261 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | Ca. 1800-1953 |
| Architect / builder | E.R. Wheeler (Providence, RI); Frank E. Field |
| Architectural style | Federal, Greek Revival, Queen Anne (also Modern Gothic and Dutch Colonial houses described) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Community Planning and Development, Industry, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Portions of the Freeman-Sturdy Factory at 35 Robinson Street are vacant; the Blackinton factory at 140 Commonwealth Avenue has multiple commercial and industrial uses; one house is now a mortuary. |
| Acreage | 12.5 |
| Coordinates | 41.96994, -71.30882 (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 03001261.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5153693
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.