The Blake and Knowles Steam Pump Company National Register District encompasses the historical industrial complex of the Blake and Knowles Steam Pump Company and its successor, the Worthington Pump and Machinery Corporation in East
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston ...
. It is located in a one-block area surrounded by Third, Rogers, Binney, and Fifth Streets. The property was developed by the Blake and Knowles Steam Pump Company, one of the nation's leading manufacturer of industrial pumps from the late 19th century into the mid-20th century. The district 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 ...
in 1997.
Description and history
George Blake was the owner of a brickyard in
Medford who developed pumps for removing water from brickyard clay pits. Establishing a pump factory in
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
in 1864, he moved to this site in 1886. In 1879 he entered into a financial arrangement with Lucius Knowles, another pump manufacturer, and their two businesses were formally merged in 1897. By this time, the company was a nationally leading supplier of a diversity of industrial pumps. In 1916 it was merged with other pump makers to create the Worthington Pump Works. It provided pumps to the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...
during
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, nearly doubling the plant size so that it extended from Bent to Monroe Streets. This plant operated until 1927, when its manufacturing was relocated to
Holyoke. Although the buildings were sold off for other industrial uses, the surviving ones have been remarkably little altered.
The surviving elements of the Blake and Knowles are located in
East Cambridge
East Cambridge is a neighborhood of Cambridge, Massachusetts. Referred to in modern times as Area 1, East Cambridge is bounded by the Charles River and the Charlestown neighborhood of Boston on the east, the Somerville border on the north, Bro ...
, an area that became increasingly industrial as the 19th century progressed. They are located on a single block about in size, bounded by Third, Fifth, Rogers, and Binney Streets. Buildings between Binney and Monroe associated with the company have been demolished, while a few surviving buildings between Rogers and Bent Streets survive in altered form. The complex consists of several machine shops, including its main () shop, which extends along Rogers Street, and the plant office building, which is also known as the
Kendall Boiler and Tank Company after a subsequent owner.
See also
* National Register of Historic Places listings in Cambridge, Massachusetts
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blake And Knowles Steam Pump Company National Register District
Historic districts in Middlesex County, Massachusetts
National Register of Historic Places in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts