Maple-Union Corners is a
historic district
A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains historic building, older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal p ...
centered at the intersection of Maple and Union Streets in
Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield is the most populous city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, and its county seat. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the ea ...
. The area is prominent as the location of the Springfield Female Seminary building (77 Maple Street, built 1832, now in residential use), and for the distinctive homes of several of Springfield's prominent 19th century citizens. The house at 83 Maple Street, was first owned by Solomon Merrick, inventor of the
monkey wrench
A monkey wrench is a type of smooth-jawed adjustable wrench, a 19th century American refinement of 18th-century English coach wrenches. It was widely used in the 19th and early 20th century. It is of interest as an antique among tool collectors ...
, and was later owned by
Ansel Phelps, the fourth mayor of Springfield. Townhouses at 76-78 and 80-84 Maple Street comprise the rest of the district; owners or occupants included Francis Fuller, owner of the
Fuller Block, and Edmund Chapin, president of the John Hancock National Bank.
The district was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
in 1976.
The cluster of buildings are located on the north and south sides of Maple Street, extending westward from its junction with Union Street. 83 Maple Street is at the corner on the north side; it was built in 1841, and is a fine example of Greek Revival architecture in brick, with a two-story columned portico across the front. The former seminary building stands just to its west; it is a two-story brick structure, with a three-bay facade and gabled roof. On the south side of Maple Street, 80-84 is a row of three brick townhouses, two stories in height, built in 1870. The two right ones are topped by a
mansard roof
A mansard or mansard roof (also called French roof or curb roof) is a multi-sided gambrel-style hip roof characterised by two slopes on each of its sides, with the lower slope at a steeper angle than the upper, and often punctured by dormer wi ...
, while that at the corner has a decorative parapet. Number 76-78 is a duplex with a mansard roof and a pyramidal tower at the right corner.
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See also
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References
External links
Female Seminary Rehabilitation
{{National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts
Historic districts in Hampden County, Massachusetts
National Register of Historic Places in Springfield, Massachusetts
Geography of Springfield, Massachusetts
History of Springfield, Massachusetts
Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts