Tour Overview
This tour decribes the development of the Central New Bedford Business District and the subsequent urban renewal of the historic buildings.
The Central New Bedford Historic District possesses many buildings of architectural significance reflecting the wealth and prosperity of the thriving textile industry in New Bedford at the turn of the 20th century. Although commercial areas are susceptible to change many of the buildings in the business district have kept their distinct characteristics in the variety of 19th and 20th century architectural styles. Interspersed within the district are older buildings such as the City Hall and the New Bedford Free Public Library. Revitalization efforts in the last 25 years in this area have ushered in innovative use of commercial spaces and helped to realize the formation of the creative economy in the city.
Tour Curated by Bruce Barnes
Tour Produced by: Patricia Daughton
Photo credits:
Steve Gladstone
Spinner Publications
New Bedford Whaling Musuem
New Bedford Free Public Library
Patricia Daughton
This program is funded in part by Mass Humanities, which receives support from the Massachusetts Cultural Council and is an affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Stops
-
Stop 1: First Universal Church (Gallery X) 169 William Street, 1855, Italianate
-
Stop 2: First Baptist Church (The Steeple Playhouse) 149 William Street, 1829, Greek Revival
-
Stop 3: New Bedford Free Public Library, 613 Pleasant Street, c. 1838, Greek Revival Style
-
Stop 4: New Bedford City Hall, 133 William Street, 1850, Italianate Style
-
Stop 5: Odd Fellows Building ( the Duff Building) 628 Pleasant Street, 1889, Romanesque Style
-
Stop 6: Whaleman Statue
-
Stop 7: The Textile Trust Building (Anthony S. Catojo Jr. Building) New Bedford Art Musuem
-
Stop 8: Lewis Temple Memorial
-
Stop 9: Union Boys Clubhouse and the Standard-Times Building, 555 Pleasant Street, 1894, Classical Revival
-
Stop 10: The Masonic Building, 211 Union Street, C. 1925
-
Stop 11: The Eddy Building, 194 Union Street, 1889, Renaissance Revival
-
Stop 12: New Bedford Institute for Savings, 174 Union Street, 1896, Classical Revival
-
Stop 13: The Star Store (UMass Dartmouth CVPA) 715 Purchase Street, 1913, Neoclassical