The Union Trust Company Building is a historic bank building at 1351 Main Street in
Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield is a city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States, and the seat of Hampden County. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the ...
. Built in 1907, it is one of the city's best examples of
Beaux arts architecture
Beaux-Arts architecture ( , ) was the academic architectural style taught at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, particularly from the 1830s to the end of the 19th century. It drew upon the principles of French neoclassicism, but also incorpora ...
, and one of only a few designs in the city by the noted architectural firm
Peabody & Stearns
Peabody & Stearns was a premier architectural firm in the Eastern United States in the late 19th century and early 20th century. Based in Boston, Massachusetts, the firm consisted of Robert Swain Peabody (1845–1917) and John Goddard Stearns J ...
. It is particularly noted for its facade, which resembles a
triumphal arch
A triumphal arch is a free-standing monumental structure in the shape of an archway with one or more arched passageways, often designed to span a road. In its simplest form a triumphal arch consists of two massive piers connected by an arch, crow ...
. The building was listed on 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 1978.
Description and history
The Union Trust Company Building is located in downtown Springfield, on the east side of Main Street between Harrison Avenue and Bruce Landon Way. It is a two-story masonry structure, with a limestone facade and marble-faced foundation. The front of the building was designed to resemble a triumphal arch, with the entrance recessed from massive piers supporting a rounded arch, and topped by a large decorated cornice and parapet. The inside face of the arch is decorated with rosettes, and the spandrels are filled by Classical carvings executed by John Evans. The entrance is topped by a bracketed cornice that is surmounted by a cartouche with flanking baskets.
[
The Union Trust Company was founded in 1906 by the merger of three city banks, including its oldest, the Springfield Bank (founded 1814). This building served as the headquarters of that bank and its successors until 1970. It is one of a handful of works in the ]Pioneer Valley
The Pioneer Valley is the colloquial and promotional name for the portion of the Connecticut River Valley that is in Massachusetts in the United States. It is generally taken to comprise the three counties of Hampden, Hampshire, and Frankli ...
of that were designed by the nationally prominent Boston architectural firm Peabody & Stearns
Peabody & Stearns was a premier architectural firm in the Eastern United States in the late 19th century and early 20th century. Based in Boston, Massachusetts, the firm consisted of Robert Swain Peabody (1845–1917) and John Goddard Stearns J ...
.
See also
*Court Square Historic District (Springfield, Massachusetts)
Court Square in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States, is a park and historic district in the heart of Springfield's urban Metro Center neighborhood. Court Square is the City of Springfield's only topographical constant since its founding in ...
, across the street
*
*
References
{{National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts
Buildings and structures in Springfield, Massachusetts
Bank buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts
National Register of Historic Places in Springfield, Massachusetts
Peabody and Stearns buildings