Longmeadow Historic District
Also known as: The Green
Why it's listed
Longmeadow's historic center is organized around a half-mile-long Village Green on a plateau east of the Connecticut River. Settlers received house lots along the highway in 1703 after trouble with flooding and conflict in the lowland meadows, and the former sand drift was gradually cultivated into the present lawn. Cottage industries and shops once crowded the Green, but the area was cleared of structures in 1898 and returned to open space. Around it stand 51 buildings, including the Town Hall, First Church of Christ, schools, a library, a historical museum, an old country store and 43 residences. The houses show a broad range of styles: the brick Georgian Nathaniel Ely House of 1785, a Gothic Revival cottage based on Andrew Jackson Downing's designs, an Italianate villa by Calvert Vaux, and many Colonial Revival buildings of the 1920s and 1930s. Together they document the town's growth from the early eighteenth century into the twentieth.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents the district as a well-preserved New England town center. Its Green dates from 1703 settlement, and the surrounding houses, church, library, school and tavern buildings show the evolution of architectural styles from Georgian and Federal through Italianate, Gothic Revival and Colonial Revival. It is evaluated as locally significant, with notable works such as the Nathaniel Ely House and a Calvert Vaux-designed villa.
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 82000490, listed November 12, 1982. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Roughly Longmeadow St. from Birdie Rd. to Wheelmeadow Brook, Longmeadow |
|---|---|
| County | Hampden County |
| Listed | November 12, 1982 |
| Reference number | 82000490 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architect / builder | Calvert Vaux (Thomas Mather House); Smith and Bassette; Malcolm B. Harding; Morris Maloney; David White; Nathaniel Ely |
| Architectural style | Georgian, Federal, Italianate, Gothic Revival, Colonial Revival |
| Areas of significance | Industry, Community Planning and Development, Commerce, Military, Education, Exploration/Settlement, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Buildings and the Green are described as in excellent state of preservation and largely occupied; the area has been a local historic district since 1973. |
| Acreage | 65 |
| Coordinates | 42.04938, -72.57868 (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 82000490.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6674100
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.