Weldon Hotel
Also known as: Weldon House
Why it's listed
Built in 1905-06 at 54 High Street in Greenfield, Massachusetts, this building began as a 24-unit apartment house for local industrialist Frank O. Wells. Architect W. B. Reid of Holyoke designed it in a vernacular take on the Beaux-Arts style, using an iron frame cased in poured concrete and walls of concrete block in varied finishes. Bowed bays, rounded corners and beltcourses give the walls an undulating character. It became a hotel in 1907 and grew in stages: a dining room wing in 1914, rooftop solariums in 1920, and three more floors of rooms in 1927. Once the Mohawk Trail passed its door, the hotel prospered, serving as the town's main ballroom and banquet hall and drawing about 10,000 visitors in a season during the 1920s. Changing highway patterns reduced its overnight trade in the 1950s and 1960s, and it was vacated in 1977. Its importance rests on its role as Greenfield's social hub and its early, inventive use of concrete.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it was Greenfield's grand hotel and a prestigious center of commercial and social activity from 1907 through the late 1960s. Its architecture is also notable for the extensive use of concrete for both structural and decorative purposes, an early use of the material in the area, in a vernacular interpretation of the Beaux-Arts style.
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 80000503, listed August 6, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 54 High St., Greenfield |
|---|---|
| County | Franklin County |
| Listed | August 6, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80000503 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | W. B. Reid, Holyoke, Mass. |
| Architectural style | Vernacular interpretation of the Beaux-Arts style |
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Vacated and closed to all use in 1977; in 1980 a developer planned to rehabilitate it as housing for the elderly. Exteriors of the later additions were in excellent original condition. |
| Acreage | 1.8 |
| Coordinates | 42.59076, -72.59495 (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.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
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 80000503.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7980902
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.