North Amherst Center Historic District
Why it's listed
North Amherst Center is a village at the junction of North Pleasant, Pine and Meadow Streets in Amherst, Massachusetts. Church, meeting hall, library, school, fire station, tavern and general store have clustered here since 1821, and the area looks much as it did in the early 19th century. Wood-frame buildings dominate, with granite foundations and many original slate roofs. Houses on the west side of North Pleasant Street are large farmsteads with attached barns and carriage sheds. The architecture ranges from the brick Federal Cowles House to Greek Revival cottages, a Queen Anne library designed by Roswell F. Putnum in 1893, a brick school of about 1887, and early 20th-century Four-Square houses. The district is significant as the civic, religious and commercial heart of a farming community. Mills along the Mill River supplemented farming, and church members were active in temperance, anti-slavery work and a young men's lyceum. The district has 43 contributing buildings and one contributing structure.
Significance in brief: The district has been the civic, religious and commercial center of North Amherst since 1821, and its built environment has changed little since the early 19th century. It preserves Federal, Greek Revival and Queen Anne buildings, including a church, meeting hall, library, school, tavern and farmstead-style houses. Its history reflects a farming village with local mills, temperance and anti-slavery activity, and scientific agriculture.
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 91001824, listed December 13, 1991. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 1184--1136 N. Pleasant St., 1--39 Pine St., 11--13 Meadow St., Amherst |
|---|---|
| County | Hampshire County |
| Listed | December 13, 1991 |
| Reference number | 91001824 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architect / builder | Roswell F. Putnum (North Amherst Library, 1893) |
| Architectural style | Federal, Greek Revival, Queen Anne, Craftsman, Colonial Revival |
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Agriculture, Exploration/Settlement, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The Old Fire Station on Pine Street was last used in 1971 and is vacant; the Olivia Dickinson House is used as a restaurant and apartments; the church, meeting hall, library and houses remain in their historic uses. |
| Acreage | 15 |
| Coordinates | 42.40960, -72.53052 (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 91001824.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7053937
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.