Northampton Architecture- Quadrant 1

Lower Main Street-North

25 Main Street, originally the Masonic Building, was built in 1898. Architect R. F. Putnam designed the building in Roman Revival style.

The law office of Calvin Coolidge, 30th President of the United States, was once located in the central portion of the Masonic Building. The windows of this office are flanked by Ionic columns and decorated with griffins.

The Masonic Building's Roman Revival style was popular in the last years of the nineteenth century. The building's massive and lavish cornice, terra cotta trim, and green marble façade at street level illustrate this style. Several storefronts still boast the original green marble.

Adjacent to the Masonic Building and sharing a pretty wall is the Hammond Block, 39 Main Street. It was erected two years earlier than the Masonic Building, and is likewise of Roman Brick, although the tonality of the brick is deeper golden rather than silvery beige. Polychromy is introduced on the wall facing the west where red brick is used in addition to the tawny-hued brick to create a permanent pattern. The vocabulary looks back to ancient Rome, to the simple arches of aqueducts and basilicas. Terra cotta capitals and brownstone details further enliven the surface as do the metal bay windows, which have oxidized to a coppery green.

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