Buildings Archives - Page 305 of 327

Quincy Market, Boston (2)

February 9, 2018July 31, 2014 by Derek Strahan

Another Quincy Market scene, facing west, looking toward Faneuil Hall, around 1904. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress, Detroit Publishing Company Collection.

The same scene in 2014:

Another view of Quincy Market, with the 1904 photo showing the various food vendors outside the building. Today, the market is oriented toward tourists instead of Boston residents, although the exterior of the building is largely the same. The South Market building, on the extreme left-hand side of the photos, is also there, as is the corresponding North Market building on the opposite side of Quincy Market.

Quincy Market, Boston (1)

February 9, 2018July 31, 2014 by Derek Strahan

The view of Quincy Market looking east from in front of Faneuil Hall, sometime in the 1800s. Photo courtesy of Boston Public Library.

The same view of Quincy Market in 2014:

Built in 1825, Quincy Market has been a major commercial center for nearly 200 years. However, its role and the surrounding neighborhood have certainly changed. Originally, as seen in the first photo, it was a place for Bostonians to buy and sell food products, ranging from fruits and vegetables to cheese and meat. It was also built right along the waterfront; today it is several blocks from Boston Harbor. But, the building hasn’t moved – the waterfront has. Over the years, Boston has significantly expanded its land area, both through annexing surrounding towns but also through landfill, which included dumping dirt, rocks, construction debris, and even old ships into the harbor and building atop it.

Because of that, Quincy Market is no longer has a waterfront location, but it is still a commercial center, although today it consists of fast food vendors that primarily cater to tourists and workers from nearby City Hall. The Quincy Market area also offers shopping, gift stores, and in this particular scene, photos with Spider-Man. It is also located along the Freedom Trail, which is marked by the brick path in the foreground.

Paper Mills, Holyoke Mass

November 25, 2016July 16, 2014 by Derek Strahan

A view of some of the paper mills in Holyoke, Mass, around 1900-1906. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress, Detroit Publishing Company Collection.

The same view in 2014:

It’s a common scene in New England – a once prosperous mill town that fell on hard times once the manufacturing jobs left. Holyoke Massachusetts is a prime example of this; it is located along the Hadley Falls on the Connecticut River, which made it an ideal location for water-powered mills. In 1849, a system of power canals was built parallel to the river, and this section of Holyoke was developed as an industrial center. The city became home to a number of paper mills, giving rise to its nickname as the “Paper City.” One such paper company, the American Pad & Paper Company, was founded in Holyoke in 1888, and is now one of the world’s largest paper manufacturers, Ampad.

This particular view looks down one of the canals from Gatehouse Road, with several mill buildings visible to the left and center of the photo. The building in the distance in left-center is identified in the first photo as the Valley Paper Company, and although I don’t know what became of the company, their building still exists today, along with many other, now-vacant brick factories in the city.

The Northfield Hotel, Northfield Mass

November 25, 2016July 16, 2014 by Derek Strahan

The Northfield Hotel around 1904. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress, Detroit Publishing Company Collection.

The site in 2014:

Northfield Massachusetts was never a particularly prominent town for much of its history, but this changed after one of its residents, D.L. Moody, gained worldwide fame as a Christian evangelist. In addition to work that he did in Chicago and overseas in England, Moody also had an impact on his hometown, opening the Northfield Seminary for Young Ladies in 1879. This brought an increase in demand for services such as hotels, including The Northfield, which opened in 1887, just a short distance away from the Northfield Seminary.

Facing dwingling guests, the hotel closed in the 1970s and was demolished, although its well-landscaped grounds became home of the Northfield Golf Club. A few reminders of the old hotel still exist, including the pond in the foreground, the stone wall, and the footbridge across the stream.

D.L. Moody Residence, Northfield Mass

November 25, 2016July 16, 2014 by Derek Strahan

The former residence of D.L. Moody, on the grounds of Northfield Seminary around 1904. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress, Detroit Publishing Company Collection.

The house in 2014:

D.L. Moody was an influential Christian evangelist throughout much of the late 19th century. He was born in Northfield, Massachusetts in 1837, in a house just up the hill behind this building. He later lived in Boston and Chicago, in addition to traveling around the country and to Europe as part of his evangelistic tours. He returned to Northfield in 1875, and in 1879 he opened the Northfield Seminary for Young Ladies, which later became the Northfield campus of Northfield Mount Hermon School. This house, which he lived in after his return to Northfield, is part of the campus, which has been vacant since 2006, when the school consolidated to just the Mount Hermon campus in nearby Gill.

Dickinson Memorial Library, Northfield Mass

November 25, 2016July 16, 2014 by Derek Strahan

Northfield’s Dickinson Memorial Library, around 1900-1906. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress, Detroit Publishing Company Collection.

The library in 2014:

Northfield’s public library is the Dickinson Memorial Library, named after 19th century shoe manufacturer Elijah Dickinson, who had donated $20,000 to construct the granite building. It was dedicated in 1898, with noted evangelist and Northfield resident D.L. Moody among the speakers at the event. Today, the building looks much the same as it did in the first picture, which was taken only a few years after its dedication.