Hammond Organ Factory
Why it's listed
Located at 9 May Street in Worcester, this brick factory was built in 1868 for Andrew H. Hammond to make organ reeds. It rises two stories above a high basement, with a third story under a slate mansard roof, and its facade curves slightly along the street. A high granite stoop leads to an off-center entrance, and an original cast-iron fence set in a granite base runs along May Street. Additions to the north and west walls in the 1870s and 1880s gave the plan its irregular shape, and the building reached its present size by 1886, when more than 200 workers were employed. Hammond, born in New Hampshire, took over an existing reed firm in the 1860s and incorporated the Hammond Reed Company in 1892. The company outlasted other local organ makers by continually revising instrument designs and manufacturing machinery. The building is valued as one of Worcester's few surviving Second Empire factories and for its role in the organ reed trade.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents it as one of the few remaining Second Empire style factory buildings in Worcester. It is also tied to Andrew Hammond's organ reed business, which the form says was believed to be the largest organ reed factory in the world between the 1890s and World War I. The themes checked are architecture, commerce, and industry.
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 80000632, listed March 5, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 9 May St., Worcester |
|---|---|
| County | Worcester County |
| Listed | March 5, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80000632 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Second Empire |
| Areas of significance | Industry, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State, Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Present use is commercial; aluminum siding was added over part of the facades around 1970. |
| Acreage | 0.1 |
| Coordinates | 42.25514, -71.81544 (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.
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 80000632.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5645851
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.