Whitney & Company
Why it's listed
Whitney & Company is a large wood-frame factory at Water and Whitney Streets in Leominster, Massachusetts. Its main block dates from 1893 and was complete by 1900. It steps down a hillside from four stories to two and a half, with a wooden cornice and a projecting central tower. Rear wings added around 1910 to 1915, a brick chimney, and 1920s metal warehouses followed. The company was founded in 1886 by brothers Fred Abbott Whitney and Walter F. Whitney and made boxes of all kinds, then mostly folding cartons. These cartons packaged the combs and shirts that Leominster shipped nationwide. Along with E. F. Dodge & Co., it was one of the city's two major box makers, and together they employed about 200 people by 1906. The firm operated here until 1961. The building was listed as one of the last surviving frame factories of its type in the city, despite later siding, infilled windows and a removed tower top.
Significance in brief: The factory is argued to be one of the few substantial wood-frame factory buildings left in Leominster and a fine example of the city's last phase of frame factory construction. It is also tied to the city's industrial growth, as home to one of its two major folding box makers, whose boxes packaged local combs and shirts for national distribution.
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 89000440, listed June 8, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 142 Water St., Leominster |
|---|---|
| County | Worcester County |
| Listed | June 8, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89000440 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1839-1930 |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian/Queen Anne |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Industry, Architecture |
| Level of significance | National, Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Vacant and poorly maintained at the time of the form, with rehabilitation proposed under Secretary of the Interior standards. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.52842, -71.75324 (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 89000440.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7996666
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.