Form B Building Report - 132 South ST

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FORM B BUILDING

MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION
MASSACHUSETTS ARCHIVES BUILDING
220 MORRISSEY BOULEVARD
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02125

Photograph

Locus Map

N

Recorded by: Lisa Sauer, M.S. Historic Preservation
Organization:
Date (month / year): May 2014

Assessors Number USGS Quad Area(s) Form Number

H-08-0018-012 Pittsfield
West

Town/City: Pittsfield
Place: Old Map #10, Lot 8a
Address: 130 South St (current)
132 South St. (former)
Historic Name:
Uses: Present: vacant
Original: Store
Date of Construction: 1931-32
Source: Stevenson Insurance Company files
Style/Form: Art Deco Commercial
Architect/Builder: commissioned by A. Parks Shaw
Architect: unknown
Exterior Material: Brick

Wall/Trim: Brick
Roof: Asphalt
Outbuildings/Secondary Structures: no

Major Alterations (with dates):

Condition: good
Moved: no yes Date:
Acreage: 0.031
Setting: Commercial District

INVENTORY FORM B CONTINUATION SHEET TOWN ADDRESS

MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Area(s) Form No.
220 MORRISSEY BOULEVARD, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02125

Continuation sheet 1

Recommended for listing in the National Register of Historic Places.
If checked, you must attach a completed National Register Criteria Statement form.

Use as much space as necessary to complete the following entries, allowing text to flow onto additional continuation sheets.

ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION:
Describe architectural features. Evaluate the characteristics of this building in terms of other buildings within the community.

130 South Street is an example of Pittsfields early 20
th
century commercial vernacular building that displays some of the exterior
Art Deco embellishment of its neighboring Butler-Brewer building.

The building is two stories, one bay wide and 6 bays deep. The main faade faces South Street and is slightly recessed
between its structural side walls. Parapets on these walls project slightly above the roof line, in the same design as its neighbor
although smaller and narrower and appear to have been extended or repaired at some time with brick that is a mismatch with
the original face brick. Brick is laid in the same tapestry pattern as the brick on the Butler building but this brick is smooth faced
rather than scored. A centrally single entry door sits recessed in the first floor of the faade and is flanked by full story storefront
windows on either side. The exterior housing for the door and windows is aluminum. A 4/? (obscured by signage) frosted lite
wood framed transom window* runs above the entry for the length of faade. Two rectangular windows are symmetrically
located in the second story. The original windows have been replaced by modern 1/1 aluminum framed windows.

The Northern facing elevation of the building is 6 bays long 2 stories high. The first bay houses a shop window with transom
(identical to that of the faade) above on the first story. There are no other windows or openings in the remaining 5 bays of the
first story short of a vent opening for a fan. Centrally located in each bay of the second story is a rectangular window with
modern square aluminum 1/1 replacement; with the exception of the third bay. Here instead of a window is a wooden entry door
that leads to the iron fire escape. The first bay of this elevation is face brick or fire brick on both stories as is the brick on the
main faade. The remainder of the building is common brick with no pattern or embellishment other than soldier course headers
that run above the windows on the second story and around the buildings circumference.

The rear of the building is one bay. Two rectangular arched windows of different sizes are located in the left portion of the bay
and an arched doorway in the right. This is the same configuration as the second floor only the window frames are rectangular
rather than the arched frame as is the door. Second floor is accessed via an iron staircase.

*These windows are exact replicas of the neighboring transom window on the Butler-Brewer building.

HISTORICAL NARRATIVE

Constructed in 1932, at first glance, it appears that this building was built as an addition to its neighbor to the south, the Butler
Brewer building (ca. 1923) as the style and ornamentation are similar or in some cases (transom windows and lites) the same.
What indicates that this structure is its own stand alone building is the fact there are no internal openings connecting the two and
the exterior face brick is of a different finish (although the bond pattern is the same). Additionally, the 1956 Sanborn map
indicates the presence of two exterior supporting walls between the structures.

However, one cannot discuss the history or structure of this building without having to include some of the history of the Butler
Building. While they each have their own assessor numbers, both buildings (and parcels) have been sold together to date and
have never had different owners at the same time (see attachment A) since they were private residences. That said, the deed
describes two separate parcels rather than one large one, indicating that they could have been sold separately but for whatever
reason never were.




In 1876, three private residences stood at this location, those of the West, Platt and Mills families. The 1904 Atlas lists the
owners of the two southern parcels (#128 and #120 respectively) as F.C. Backus, dentist Wm. Wentworth and his wife Anne,
with Dr. W.W. Leavitt residing in a brick dwelling at #120 to the North. Anne M. Wentworth owned #128 as early as 1885.

By 1902 most of North St. was commercial and development began expanding to the South St corridor. Stately homes gave
way to more commercial and popular public buildings, examples of which include the Berkshire Museum (1903), Colonial
Theatre (1903), Masonic Temple (1914) and the Berkshire Autocar Company (1921).

In 1912 Anne Wentworth sold her home to George Leidhold. Progressive ownership forward for the sale of this property are
as follows: Roy S. Bridge -1913, Franklin Weston (of Dalton) -1915. David Chesney & Israel Klein -1919, A. Park Shaw in 1923.
In 1922 the Backus house was still standing but by1923 it had been razed and the Butler building constructed. It is not clear
whether David Chesney and Israel Klein were the forces behind the construction of the Butler building or whether it was A. Park
Shaw but it is believed to be the design of architect J oseph M. Vance. Vance is also thought to have been the architect of the
Berkshire Autocar Company across the street. Other notable buildings designed by Vance in Pittsfield include the Berkshire
County Savings Bank, the Masonic Temple, Colonial Theatre and the Registry of Deeds.

In 1931, A. Park Shaw took a mortgage from Berkshire County Savings Bank on his Butler building ($38,000) and by following
year the new building ( now #130, then #132) was complete. A list of materials used for the construction and their associated
costs was filed with the Stevenson Insurance Co. Total costs for construction was $7621.00 (see attached Stevenson Insurance
documents). What Shaw did with the remainder of his mortgage money is not clear but in the 1933 directory Shaw is listed as a
manager for Harriman Co. and Brown Bros. which was a banking firm. By 1934, Shaw is listed in the directory as Proprietor of
Shaw Garage at 163 South Street (South Street Motors) so he may have used the balance of his loan to open the automotive
business. On August 15, 1935, Berkshire Trust Company took possession of both 128 and 132 South Street (currently Butler
Brewer and #130) to be sold at auction. Shaw remained owner of South Street Motors until 1938, when the city directory of that
year has him listed as an employee of Lee Savings Bank. What happened to cause Shaw to lose these buildings through
foreclosure is unknown.

In 1938, William Hagyard purchases both parcels from Berkshire Trust Co. In 1941, Williams widow Genevieve (Docket
#48376) sold the two buildings to J oseph Hajjar. See attachment A for balance of ownership to current.

1904 Barnes and Farnham Atlas of
Berkshire County, MA.



1956 Sanborn Map
(note two separate structural walls between
buildings).



Attachment A: Chronological Butler Brewer/130 South Ownership
Date Butler-Brewer (#128) 130 South St
4/ 22/1885 Ann. M. Wentworth x
3/27/1912 George Leidhold x
8/13/1913 Roy S Bridge x
8/ 11/1915
11/ 19/1915
Franklin Weston (2 transfers) x
6/ 12/1917 Andrew Smith, Martin McCarthy x
5/9/1919 David Chesney, Israel Klein x
8/25/1923 A. Park Shaw Built 1932/A. Park Shaw
8/19/1935 Berkshire County Savings Bank BCSB
8/1/1938 William R. Hagyard Wm. R. Hagyard
1941 (by will) Genevieve N. Hagyard Genevieve N. Hagyard
7/02/1945 J oseph & J osephine Hajjar J oseph & J osephine Hajjar
6/30/1966 Mario M. Dasilva Mario M. Dasilva
12/20/2002 Rosemary DeSouza & Dominick DaSilva Rosemary DeSouza & Dominick DaSilva
4/01/2003 Dominick DaSilva Dominick DaSilva
10/11/2013 Scarafoni Financial Group LLC Scarafoni Financial Group LLC

ATTACHMENT B:
Occupancy (through 1960): 130 South Street (formerly #132)
1932: First National Stores
1933: Boy Scouts of America
Silent Glow Oil Burner Corp.
H.J. Carins
Silent Glow Oil Burner Corp.
H.J . Carins
Vacant Foreclosed upon
Vacant
1936: All Vacant
1937: All Vacant
1938 (becomes #130)
A.B. Hyatt occupies entire building
1940: All vacant (A.B. Hyatt moves to 615 W. Housatonic)
1941-1945: Cornelius J . Bailey (sexton South Congregation Church) occupies upstairs apartment only.
1946-1960: Fred W. Hall (works for E. P. Corp) occupies upstairs
Market Basket Grocery Store downstairs













Face brick: South St faade and first bay:
Common brick: rest of building



Second floor: view
to the East
Second floor: view to the west



BIBLIOGRAPHY and/or REFERENCES

Pittsfield City Directories 1923-1960
Registry of Deeds, Pittsfield, MA. (Berkshire County)
Stevenson/J ones Collection: Pittsfield Streets, Box 5
1876 F.W. Beers Atlas of Berkshire County, MA.
1904 Barnes and Farnham Atlas of Berkshire County, MA.
1956 Sanborn Map



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