The Boardman is a series of rowhouses at 39-53 Montana Street, occupying an entire city block between Hoosac and Blackinton Streets in
North Adams, Massachusetts
North Adams is a city in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its population was 12,961 as of the 2020 census. Best known as the ...
. The building was, at the time of its construction (1899–1901), one of the most elaborate multiunit buildings in the city, and were added to the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
in 1985.
Description and history
The Boardman is located southeast of downtown North Adams, on the west side of Montana Street, occupying the full block between Blackinton Street and Hoosac Street. It is a 2-1/2 story
rowhouse
In architecture and city planning, a terrace or terraced house ( UK) or townhouse ( US) is a form of medium-density housing that originated in Europe in the 16th century, whereby a row of attached dwellings share side walls. In the United State ...
consisting of nine units, set
townhouse
A townhouse, townhome, town house, or town home, is a type of terraced housing. A modern townhouse is often one with a small footprint on multiple floors. In a different British usage, the term originally referred to any type of city residence ...
style in a single structure. The first floor was built of stone, while the second floor is of wood frame construction originally covered in wooden clapboards. Each unit featured porches in front and in back, and has what was originally considered a servant staircase in the rear, an indication of the status of the intended occupants. The servants' quarters were located in the attic level. The typical unit has a two-part facade, with a porch on one side and a bay window adjacent. The porches are shed-roofed, with a rounded arch housing the entrance and a flanking sash window. The porches are supported by clustered round columns, set on raised brick piers, with a brick connecting parapet in between.
[
The Boardman was built by developer Walter Penniman in two stages on land subdivided from the estate of F. R. Blackinton in response to the demand for housing occasioned by the establishment of the normal school (now the ]Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts
The Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) formerly known as North Adams State College (NASC) is a public liberal arts college in North Adams, Massachusetts. It is part of the state university system of Massachusetts. It is a member of the ...
, located across the street). The first four units were built in 1899, the other five in 1901. The architect was Edwin Thayer Barlow, who designed the row in Colonial Revival style
The Colonial Revival architectural style seeks to revive elements of American colonial architecture.
The beginnings of the Colonial Revival style are often attributed to the Centennial Exhibition of 1876, which reawakened Americans to the archi ...
. The Pennimans were briefly resident here, and its early tenants included teachers, a chemist, and the principal editor of the ''North Adams Transcript''.
See also
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References
Notes
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Boardman, The
Residential buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts
Buildings and structures in North Adams, Massachusetts
Residential buildings completed in 1901
National Register of Historic Places in Berkshire County, Massachusetts