Multifamily Dwellings: Three-Family... continued
The three-family houses constructed in the project area assume many of the building conventions for the form found in other urban New England communities. The houses are primarily 21⁄2 stories in height, with gable roofs and sidehall plans. The half stories are generously sized, with large dormers that create more space and allow more natural light to penetrate the third-floor unit. Some 21⁄2-story examples have a slightly off-center front entrance accessing a shallow vestibule and the staircase to the upstairs units (Heath 2001:132). Almost all three-family houses have significant multistory porches on the front and rear elevations, many of which were added after the initial period of construction according to Sanborn maps. There are few examples of three-family houses within the project area that are fully three stories in height, or that have flat roofs. Within the project area, this form is limited to the French-Canadian "blocks," which are defined as being three full stories in height, with three-story, full-length or wrap around porches and no internal circulation space between units. Interestingly, there are only limited instances of conversion of smaller, originally one or two-family dwellings to three-family dwellings.
The earliest three-family houses in the project area are located on the high rock outcropping above Second Avenue between Jolbert and Sessions Streets. All five houses on the rise were constructed ca. 1901 by local carpenter and contractor Augustin Gilbert. Two of the five dwellings, 717 and 735 Second Avenue, are three-family structures. Both are basic Queen Anne forms, with peaked roofs, an articulated front gable, and a multistory bay window to interrupt the facade. Both take the popular 21⁄2-story elongated form with a gable roof popular within the project area. Number 717 Second Avenue is 21⁄2 stories high with a gable roof and centered entrance (Photos 91 and 92, Block 11). The house has a 2-story bay window on the façade and a 2-story porch with a flat roof, reaching across the remainder of the elevation. The porch is enclosed on the first story. There is an additional three-story open porch on the rear elevation. The third-floor unit is lit on both roof slopes with three-bay shed dormers. As originally constructed, 717 Second Avenue had no front porch; a single-story porch was added ca. 1905 and raised to two stories after ca. 1938 (Sanborn 1901-1938). This marks another trend among three-family houses in the project area: the later addition of multistory porches to multifamily homes. Most of the three-family houses in the project area have porch structures servicing all three stories, but according to Sanborn maps, many of these were added five to ten years after the date of initial construction. This is certainly true for 735 Second Avenue, a 3 1⁄2-story dwelling with a gable roof and sidehall plan (Photo 93, Block 11). Like 717 Second Avenue, the house has a 3-story bay window on one side of the façade, but also has a later three-story porch structure reaching across the rest of the façade. This evolved from a single-story porch added to the building ca. 1909.
There are many other examples of the 21⁄2-story, three-family house built at varying times within the project area. A ca. 1909 example on the east side of Third Avenue between Madigan and Sessions Streets has a massive gable wall dormer on the north elevation and a smaller pedimented gable wall dormer on the north elevation to provide additional living space in the third-floor unit (Photos 94 and 96, Block 10). There is also a centered, 3-story porch on the façade, accessed from each unit via an internal stairhall. Number 727 First Avenue has hipped dormers on the roof slopes, an enclosed two- story front porch and an enclosed three-story rear porch that rises above the roofline on the rear elevation (Photo 95, Block 12). A ca 1914 three-family home located mid block on the west side of Second Avenue also has large shed dormers on the roof slopes (Photos 97 and 98, Block 9). The three-story open front porch provides exterior access to all units, though the building has a centered entry accessing an interior staircase. There is another three-story enclosed porch on the rear of the building. Number 795 Third Avenue is more restrained in the use of porches (Photo 99, Block 8). Though the ca. 1914, 21⁄2-story sidehall dwelling has three units, there are only small dormers on the roof slopes and a two-story porch on the front elevation. The porch is enclosed, but retains square column supports on both levels. Another ca. 1914 house located mid-block on the north side of Mannering Street has a centered entry and interior staircase accessing all three units (Photo 100, Block 7). This dwelling has only minimal porches consisting of a centered three-story, partially enclosed porch on the façade. There is no exterior access to the second and third floor units. Number 102 Mannering Street has been stripped of most ornament and porch structures (Photos 101 and 102, Block 7). The 21⁄2-story building with large massive wall dormers originally had a full- length, single-story front porch facing Mannering Street. The property was reconfigured with a wrap around porch ca. 1928, in addition to a 2-story rear porch. Since that time, the building has been vinyl sided and many original door and window openings have been sealed. The entrance to the house is now oriented toward Second Avenue.
A number of three-family houses in the project area have three-story side porches rather than front porches. The third-floor unit in these buildings is accessed via a door cut in a shed wall dormer on a side elevation, and the third level of the porch provides access from the ground level. Number 780 Second Avenue, built ca. 1914, has such a configuration, with a three-story enclosed porch on the north elevation (Photo 103, Block 12). Though the house has an interior staircase, the porch also accesses all three units. The house also has a two-story bay window and a two-story porch on the façade. As originally constructed, there were no porches on the façade; an earlier two-story porch was added ca. 1928 (Sanborn 1914-1928). A similar building is located at 17 Hinchey Street (Photo 104, Block 7). Built ca. 1938, the house is 21⁄2 stories with a three-story enclosed porch structure on the east elevation. There is a single-story porch across most of the façade with square column supports and a gable ornament above the entrance. The house is also notable for the cast concrete block foundation imitating cobblestones. A third example is found on the west side of Wight Street near the corner of Hinchey Street (Photo 105, Block 5). Built ca. 1938, the 21⁄2-story house has a variety of porches, including a three-story side porch, two-story enclosed rear porch, and a single- story enclosed front porch which has been incorporated into living space. The house retains some vestiges of Queen Anne styling, including a pent roof setting of the façade gable, and a gable ornament above the original entrance to the porch. The house also retains early twentieth century, vertically divided 6/1 window sash.
There are many other forms of three-story, three-family dwellings within the project area, though most exist as single instances. Number 801 Third Avenue is a 3-story building with a gambrel roof (Photo 106, Block 8). The third unit is contained under the roof. The house has paired sidehall entrances, which likely access the first floor unit and a staircase to the upper units. There are also three-story porches on the façade and north elevation. Number 783 Third Avenue is also 3 stories high and has a mansard roof (Photo 107, Block 8). The third unit is contained under the mansard. The house has a three-story bay window with a separate hipped roofline. There is a two-story porch on the façade and a three-story enclosed porch on the rear elevation. Number 724-726 Third Avenue is a three-story dwelling with a flat roof, one of few examples in the neighborhood (Photo 108, Block 10). The building differs from traditional triple-deckers in proportion, having a square rather than rectangular plan. There are two entrances on the façade, one slightly off-center to access the first-floor unit and another on the far side of the elevation accessing a staircase. Porches consist of a single-story porch with a hipped roof, solid balustrade, and square column supports on the façade and a three-story enclosed porch on the rear elevation. The building has little architectural ornament due to the application of synthetic siding and window replacement. The three-family house located immediately north of 727 First Avenue presents an interesting example of the evolution of a single property within the neighborhood (Photo 109, Block 12). According to the 1901 Sanborn map for the project area, this lot contained a 11⁄2-story, side-gable house with the gable end oriented to the street situated in the extreme northwest corner of the lot. This single-family structure is still present on the lot in the original location, but is now attached by a single-story connector to the major building on the property, a ca. 1914 21⁄2-story, three-family house set at the front lot line. The three-family portion of the building is the typical end gable, center entry form seen elsewhere in the project area. It has gable wall dormers on the side elevations to add more space to the third floor apartment and a massive three-story porch on the front elevation, which accesses each unit.
French-Canadian immigrants to Berlin developed their own version of the three-story, three-family house, commonly referred to as "blocks." These structures are three full stories in height with flat roofs. Most have three-story porches on at least the front elevation, though many have wrap around porches or separate three-story porch structures on two elevations. Rather than accessing each unit through a common interior stairwell, most blocks have exterior stairwells on the porches, which give each family their own exterior unit entrance (Berlin Heritage Trail Partnership 1997:4). French- Canadian immigrant families built blocks cheaply and quickly, as most planned on staying in Berlin for only a short period of time to improve their economic status through good jobs in the mills before returning to Quebec. The blocks were built to be economically efficient, with no complicated interior stairwells or roof systems, and to house families comfortably in three full-sized units (Bornstein 2002). This also decreased the cost of construction, as no interior stairwells or halls had to be cut between floors. There are three examples of the block form in the project area. Local roofer and paving contractor Stephen Boulay constructed two of them in 1926 at 844 and 848 Third Avenue (Photos 110, 111, and 112, Block 6 and Photo 113, Block 7). The three-story buildings are nearly identical, with flat roofs that extend to cover three-story wrap around porches. The porches have solid balustrades and round column supports. The house has centered entrances to each unit on the façade, though access to each apartment is via side staircases between the porches and a rear exterior stair tower. Both buildings have a high degree of physical integrity, retaining original clapboard siding, 2/2 window sash, divided picture windows, and accompanying storm windows. The balustrades on the porches on 844 Third Avenue have been replaced. The third block is located on the east side of Wight Street immediately south of the former Converse Rubber Co. shoe factory (Photo 114, Block 1) This example has been updated with more modern materials. The building has a three-story wrap around porch enclosed with jalousie windows. The building also has an enclosed three-story porch on the rear elevation. Separate entrances access the first floor unit porch and the stairwell to the second and third floors. Both have aluminum door hoods and short formstone parapet walls around the stoops. The building has been resided with wood shingles, and the windows have been replaced. The block form is much more prevalent in the large French and German neighborhood located on the west side of the Androscoggin River.
Multifamily Dwellings: 4+ Units
here are five multifamily dwellings in the project area that have more than three living units. The buildings lack any uniformity of design or plan, but conform to other multifamily dwellings in the project area with the presence of multistory porch structures, some of which provide exterior access to each unit, and individual exterior entrances to individual units. With one exception, all of the large multifamily dwellings in the project area have a form and plan in which there are two units per floor separated by a party wall. All multifamily dwellings in the project area with four or more units were constructed before ca. 1905. There are several reasons that may explain this occurrence. The necessity for large multifamily dwellings may have waned as area builders constructed more single and two-family houses in the neighborhood. The larger housing form may also have become less popularity as more spacious, divided housing became available. Number 851 Fourth Avenue (before 1928, Photos 115 and 116, Block 4) is a 2 3⁄4-story, 5 x 3 bay, six-unit house with a gable roof and a side gable orientation. The façade (east elevation) has a three- story open porch with stairwells providing access to each unit. The front (east) roof slope has a four- bay shed dormer that connects with the porch and facilitates the exterior entrances to the two third- floor units. The lower stories also have centered, paired entrances to the two units located on each floor. There is no exterior evidence of an interior circulation space between the units. The building displays only minimal architectural styling, such as the cornice returns on the gable ends and the square column porch supports. The house has been vinyl sided and has replacement windows. Number 776 Third Avenue, a ca. 1901 2-story, four-unit building with a shed roof, has a similar interior unit arrangement (Photo 117, Block 9). There are two units per floor separated by a party wall. The building originally had an enclosed two-story porch structure, which has since been enclosed and incorporated into the interior living space.
Two of the five large multifamily houses in the project area take a form commonly called the "six- block," which is the equivalent of two triple-deckers set side by side. Six-blocks generally have two units per floor separated by hallways or party walls (Heath 2001:154). The six blocks in the project area are largely devoid of styling, though both have been altered over their histories, making it difficult to determine original treatments. Number 622 Hamlin Street is a three-story six-block with a flat roof (Photo 118, Block 14). The roof extends to cover a three-story enclosed porch, which provides access to each unit via staircases. This building also had a shop in the west first-floor unit ca. 1928 (Sanborn 1928). The second six-block is located off the north side of Roderick, facing the railroad tracks (Photos 119 and 120, Block 17). Built ca. 1901, this 3 1⁄2-story building has an asymmetrical gable roof hidden behind parapet walls on the side elevations. The half story is lit on the façade, above the level of the porches, by small, fixed kneewall windows. The six units are accessed from the exterior via a three-story porch set between three-story end stair towers. The use of exterior stair towers is also seen in the project area on the "blocks," though in they are typically single towers on the rear elevation.
The final large multifamily residential building in the neighborhood is an early multifamily conversion. Number 651 First Avenue was originally constructed as the Androscoggin Hospital, a nondenominational medical clinic set up as a counterpoint to the major Catholic hospital located in Berlin Heights (Photo 121, Block 13). By ca. 1905, the hospital had relocated and the building was converted to tenements (Sanborn 1901-1905). The large, 23⁄4-story, five-unit building has a high mansard roof and a ca. 1905 three-story wrap around porch with a parapet roofline. The porch is partially enclosed with storm windows and has square column supports and solid, paneled balustrades. As with other multifamily dwellings in the project area, the units all have their own, exterior entrances accessible from the porches. The third-floor units are contained under the large mansard roof, and utilize the dormers already present on the building for additional light and space. Entrances have also been cut into the roof structure to provide exterior access from the third-story porch.
Garages and Outbuildings
Nearly every domestic building in the project area has an associated garage or outbuilding. These structures are typically detached and sited at the rear of the house lots, filling the interior block space. Most of the automobile garages in the project area were constructed ca. 1920 or later and there are few instances of outbuildings being constructed after that date for other purposes. There are three surviving carriage barn structures in the project area. Number 169 Green Street has an attached, 11⁄2-story carriage barn with a side gable bay opening oriented toward the street (Photo 12, Block 13). The barn was constructed at the same time as the residence on the property, but remained detached until ca. 1914. The barn has been altered by the addition of a single-story section with a gable roof to the façade (north elevation). The addition now functions as the primary bay entrance to the building and covers the majority of the original bay opening. The second surviving carriage barn is located to the rear of a ca. 1909, 11⁄2-story, sidehall dwelling on Second Avenue near the corner of Mannering Street (Photo 13, Block 9). The single-story barn with a hipped roof was constructed ca. 1914 with two bay openings facing Second Avenue. It has since been modified to have a single, central opening fitted with an overhead door. Another carriage barn remains behind a 11⁄2-story house at 71 Wight Street, between Fourth and Fifth Avenues (Photo 122, Block 4). The 11⁄2-story building has a gable roof with a bay and domestic entrance on the west elevation. The bay opening has an exterior sliding door. Most of the structure has been vinyl sided, but a portion of the barn retains wood clapboards.
Many dwellings in the project area have a single-story, single-bay, detached garage located down a narrow drive along the side of the house. The single-bay garages have a variety of roof types, including gable, shed, and hipped, but display little ornament. The garage located to the rear of 854 Fifth Avenue is a typical example with a gable roof and wood shingle siding (Photo 39, Block 4). A slightly larger version of the form, measuring 11⁄2-stories in height, is located behind 105-123 Wight Street, fronting on Sixth Avenue (Photo 123, Block 3). This novelty-sided garage has a number of additions, perhaps to fit a larger vehicle inside the structure. A hipped-roof example is located on the north side of Hinchey Street, near the corner of Third Avenue (Photo 16, Block 5). A small number of single-bay garages are attached to the associated dwelling, either at the street line, or toward the rear of the building. A 21⁄2-story, ca. 1905 dwelling at 176 Madigan Street has an attached garage at the street line (Photo 81, Block 10). The garage has a parapet roofline on the façade, as well as a bay and domestic door on that elevation. The entire structure has been sided with aluminum. There is a smaller example with wood shingle siding set back from the street on the ca. 1909 dwelling at 740 Second Avenue (Photo 64, Block 12). A later example was attached ca. 1938 to a ca. 1901 dwelling on Second Avenue, across from Jolbert Street (Photo 58, Block 13).
Two-bay garages in the project area also display a diversity of sizes and forms. The largest example is that belonging to 17 Hinchey Street, located at the street line along the south side of the street (Photo 124, Block 7). This ca. 1938 garage is 11⁄2 stories in height with a gable roof and paired bay entrances opening onto Hinchey Street. The bays are fitted with paneled overhead doors, but the building has been vinyl sided. There are many single-story, two-bay garages with gable roofs in the project area, of which the ca. 1920 garage on the north side of Sessions Street is a typical example (Photo 125, Block 10). Other examples have shed roofs, such as the ca. 1928 building behind 17 Hinchey Street (Photo 104, Block 7). This garage has a period, paneled, overhead door, an exterior sliding door, and wood clapboards. A particularly ornate hipped roof example is located behind 111 Wight Street (Photo 20, Block 20). The single-story imitation gray granite building has light-colored quoins on the corners and a small semicircular eyebrow window on the front roof slope. A more utilitarian ca. 1928 example of the same form is located on the north side of Mannering Street near the corner of Third Avenue. This garage has been altered with vinyl siding (Photo 4, Block 7).
Many of the multifamily houses located within the project area have large, multiple car garages to accommodate the tenants' cars. The ca. 1905 three-story, three-family dwelling at 783 Third Avenue has a ca. 1920, three-bay garage at the rear of the lot (Photo 107, Block 8). The 11⁄2-story building has a hipped roof with a centered hipped dormer and retains wood clapboards. Directly north of this same dwelling is a large 11⁄2-story, ca. 1938 garage located at the street line (Photo 107, Block 8). The exact use of the building is unknown. The garage has a wide bay opening facing Third Avenue and a usable second-story space lit with two narrow windows on the front elevation. The building has been altered with replacement windows and vinyl siding. The ca 1926 Boulay Blocks, located at 844 and 848 Third Avenue, have a single-story, six-car garage with a shed roof behind the building (Photo 112, Block 6). Each of the six bays has wood, double-leaf doors, and the building retains wood clapboards. Stephen Boulay's garages for his roofing and paving business are located immediately north the blocks (Photo 126, Block 6). These three detached structures are of various sizes, but all have shed roofs and two bay openings facing Third Avenue. The openings are fitted with overhead doors. Two sections of the building retain wood clapboard siding, but the third has aluminum siding. Other three bay garages are located behind 763 Third Avenue (Photo 22, Block 8) and 727 First Avenue (Photo 95, Block 12).
The natural ravine between First and Second Avenues south of Green Street is the site of two large multi-car garages (Photo 127, Block 13). A long, rectangular 11⁄2-story garage with a gable roof is located behind a two multifamily dwellings on Second Avenue, near the corner of Green and Jolbert Streets. Built ca. 1920 to house autos for the two houses. The building retains clapboard siding, though the bay entrances in the west elevation have been sealed and new domestic doors have been installed. Immediately south of this building is a ca. 1938 combination garage and storage space. The 2-story building has three bay entrances fitted with overhead doors on the first story and a second-floor space finished with fixed sash windows. The entrance to the second story is set off- center in the west gable end of the building, accessible via a set of stairs. The entire building is sheathed in pressed tin siding imitating rusticated ashlar masonry.
Mixed-Use Buildings
Though primarily residential, the project area historically included a wide variety of small-scale commercial enterprises geared toward providing services to the local neighborhood. Common businesses included grocery stores, a drug store, barbers, and beauty salons. Most neighborhood businesses were housed on the first floors or in the basements of residential buildings, in spaces that were not initially designed for commercial use. Few buildings retain physical evidence of previous commercial use. Many of the small businesses historically located in the neighborhood have since closed, and the commercial portions of most mixed-use building have been returned to residential use.
The earliest mixed use building in the project area is a ca. 1901 building at 160 Green Street, on the corner of Second Avenue (Photo 129, Block 12) (Sanborn 1901). The 2-story structure originally had a Foursquare form, with a grocery store on the first floor, and living quarters above. The small additions on the west side of the main block and the single-story façade addition with the flat roof and molded cornice were added ca. 1928. The single-story façade addition has been enclosed with plywood siding and the original west side entrance has been sealed. Two concentric circular steps on the west side of the addition mark the original entrance. Another grocery store was housed in the first floor of a ca. 1914 house on the north side of Green Street near the Grand Trunk Railroad trestle (Photo 130, Block 16). The 21⁄2-story house has a gable end orientation, with a 2-story enclosed porch covering the façade. The off-center entrance to the first story of the porch retains a transom light, and two fixed plate glass windows remain on the elevation. The retail space was converted back to residential use ca. 1950. Grocery stores also operated on a portion of the first floors of 776 Third Avenue ca. 1914 (Photo 117, Block 9) and 622 Hamlin Street ca. 1928 (Photo 118, Block 14).
The Gilbert (later Berlin) Confectionery Company operated on the first floor of a 21⁄2-story sidehall house at 33 Gilbert Street from ca. 1914 until the late 1940s (Photo 131, Block14) (Anonymous 1920-1950). The company made candy, soft drink syrup, and ice cream. The first floor was converted to residential space after the confectionery company closed, and there is no evidence of the building's earlier mixed use. The two-story porch on the façade (east elevation), and the two- story addition on the south elevation were constructed ca. 1938. The porch is open on the first story, allowing easy access to the confectionery shop, but was enclosed on the second story, where the living quarters were located. The second story of the south addition functions as an enclosed sun porch for the second-story living quarters, and is closed on the first story, perhaps providing additional work or storage space for the confectionery company.
Number 81 Wight Street is one of the few combination residential/commercial buildings in the project area in which the commercial space remains intact and continues to operate (Photo 132, Block 4). The ca. 1938 Foursquare building houses a grocery on the first story and residential space on the second story. The first-story shop has a recessed, centered entry flanked by two large plate glass shop windows. The commercial and residential spaces are further differentiated by plywood siding on the first story and aluminum siding on the second story.
The ca. 1930 City Fuel Company buildings, located on the east side of Wight Street, present the only instance in the project area where a business is constructed in separate buildings attached to the owner's residence (Photo 133, Block 1). Now operating as the French Connection Variety and Diner, the commercial portion of the complex consists of two small buildings housing a retail shop and service station. The commercial structures are attached to the south side of the owner's ca. 1930 11⁄2-story bungalow. Both masses have flat roofs with front parapet walls. Skirt roofs across the building facades shelter the entrances. Both of the commercial buildings have been significantly altered with new windows, doors, and wall openings. The shop building continues to operate as a small store, but the former filling station is now a restaurant.
There is only one building in the project area that was initially designed to house both commercial and residential space. Number 823 Second Avenue is a 3-story, wood frame building with a flat roof housing multiple apartments on the second and third stories and two shops on the first story (Photos 134 and 135, Block 9). Laurence's Cut Rate Store, a drug and variety store, opened here ca. 1936. Like many urban mixed-use buildings, 823 Second Avenue sits directly on the sidewalk with no setback. The first story retains one intact store entrance, consisting of a recessed door flanked by plate glass display windows. The entire entrance structure has four transom lights above it, topped by a molded cornice. An additional shop window wraps around the corner of the building on Mannering Street. This opening has been partially filled and refitted with smaller, three-part picture windows, but retains the original molded cornice. A separate domestic door with a molded cornice accesses the apartments above. Unlike other multifamily dwellings in the neighborhood, the residential units on the upper stories have a common exterior entrance. The units also share a 2- story enclosed porch on the rear of the building, which begins on the second story.
Commercial and Industrial Buildings
Because of the more prominent pattern of housing commercial businesses in residential structures within the project area, there are only a limited number of dedicated commercial buildings in the Berlin Heights Addition. Most of the surviving commercial buildings are located along Third Avenue/Wight Street and are transportation related. Industrial development was located almost exclusively on Gilbert Street, in close proximity to the Grand Trunk Railroad tracks. A railroad siding served the ca. 1897 Chick Brothers Shoe Company (demolished ca. 1915), Hodgdon's Coal Company, and a small paint shop and wood finishing company. Only the paint shop and a garage and lumber shed from Hodgdon's Coal Company survive.
The earliest surviving commercial building in the project area is the ca. 1909 auto repair garage located on the east side of Second Avenue, near the intersection with the Grand Trunk Railroad tracks and Hillside Avenue (Photo 136, Block 12). The 2-story, wood frame structure has a shallowly pitched gable roof, hidden on the street elevation behind a high parapet wall. The structure most likely had bay openings on the first story of the façade, but these were likely sealed when the building became a dwelling ca. 1914. The current first-story treatment dates from ca. 1928, when the lower floor was made into a shop. The first story now has a centered, recessed entry, flanked by boarded shop windows. The second-story dwelling unit is accessed via a two-story, enclosed porch on the north elevation added ca. 1928. The former garage retains wood clapboard siding, molded cornices along the parapet and gable rooflines, flared window caps, and a few vertically divided 4/1 sash. The building is currently vacant and in poor physical condition.
As the automobile became more of a presence in Berlin, a myriad of auto service and sales businesses opened in the project area, utilizing specialized buildings. There are four small auto repair garages in the project area, most of which are located on Third Avenue. Most have a similar form: a single story in height with a shed roof sloping toward the rear of the building and large bay entrances on the street façade. The interior space is divided into two areas: one for repair work and another for customer reception. The customer reception spaces have a domestic door and often a shop window. Two examples, the Berlin Spring Inc. building at 755 Third Avenue (Photo 137, Block 8), and the Guay Brothers garage at 840 Third Avenue (Photo 138, Block 6), have wood frame construction dating from ca. 1938. The Berlin Spring Co. building has a plate glass shop window with a divided transom on the south side of the façade, offset with the large bay entrance and an additional domestic door and shop window on the opposite end of the façade. This building was used for a short time as auto storage for a nearby truck sales company. The Guay Brothers garage has two large bay doors and a domestic entrance on the façade. This building has been resided with plywood. The ca. 1950 auto repair garage on the south side of Gilbert Street was built on the edge of Hodgdon's Coal Yard on the site of several previous auto repair facilities (Photo 139, Block 14 and Photo 140, Block 15). This single-story, wood-frame structure has been altered over time; the shadow of a removed addition with a gable roof is still visible on the south elevation of the building. The remaining portion of the building has a flat roof with parapet walls on the front and side elevations and is sheathed in a combination of clapboards vertical plywood siding. The bay entrance to the garage is set above grade on the north elevation, accessed by an earthen ramp. The garage is currently vacant. The last repair garage constructed in the project area is located at 130 Wight Street and is now houses Beroney's Auto Body (Photo 141, Block 1). This post-1950 building is constructed of concrete blocks and has a parapeted façade wall sheathed in plywood. An oversized bay entrance takes up most of the façade; it is balanced by a domestic entrance and shop window sheltered under a pent roof.
One other auto repair garage in the project area was converted from a previous use. Decker's Garage, located behind Beroney's Auto Body and Service Center on Wight Street, at 9 Rocky Lane, was originally constructed as a chicken coop (Photo 142, Block 1). The large, 23⁄4-story, wood- frame structure now houses a combination of residential space on the upper stories and a commercial garage on the first story. The structure has a gable roof and a gable end orientation. The exterior walls are clad in asphalt shingles and the building has a variety of divided windows, including 6/6 double-hung sash, fixed 20-pane sash, and new 1/1 sash windows. The roof is sheathed in a variously colored asphalt shingles. There are two bay openings set off-center on the first story of the façade (west elevation) and a domestic entrance with a utilitarian door hood on the south elevation.
here were also two large auto sales businesses in the project area, both located on Third Avenue. The combination showroom and service buildings were constructed in the mid-1930s. The Paquette Motor Sales building is located on the corner of Third Avenue and Hinchey Street (Photo 143, Block 8). The business began ca. 1936 in a smaller building on the site, which served as a gas station and repair facility (Anonymous 1936, Sanborn 1938). The present single-story brick building was constructed ca. 1938. The structure is roughly square in plan with a stepped parapet centered on the façade as the only architectural decoration. The façade (east elevation) has two large bay entrances with overhead doors on one end, balanced by two large shop window openings on the other end. One shop window has been filled with glass bricks; the other has divided plate glass windows. There are a series of domestic-sized windows on the north elevation, as well as two more large bay entrances with overhead doors. Each door and window opening has a contrasting stone lintel. The building is sited to the extreme southwest of the large lot, allowing for open parking space on the east and north street frontage. The building is currently vacant.
Paquette Motor Sales was located almost directly across the street from the second auto sales establishment in the project area, the ca. 1938 George Plante International Motor Truck Sales building at 756 Third Avenue (Photo 144, Block 9). The single-story, concrete block structure is divided into two sections of slightly different heights. The higher, northern section is larger, and originally housed the dealership service area. The section has two bay entrances separated by three large divided fixed windows. The lower, southern section housed the showroom space, and had a series of plate glass shop windows on the façade (west elevation) and south elevation. These have since been filled in with concrete blocks and smaller, double-hung sash windows. The building has changed little in form since construction, and was always utilitarian in design. George Plante sold the building ca. 1950 to Orino Motors, a GMC and Oldsmobile dealer. The garage continues in use today as an auto repair facility (Anonymous1939-1950).
The Berlin Heights Addition hosted a number of carriage and taxi services and independent, single proprietor trucking businesses in the early twentieth century (Anonymous 1903-1950). No known buildings associated with these businesses survive, and most probably had no use for specialized building space. The sole building in the project area associated with the trucking context is the ca. 1948 Morneau Movers building at 46 Wight Street (Photo 145, Block 6). Morneau Movers was the largest trucking business in the project area and the largest moving company in the city of Berlin. The utilitarian brick structure they built housed a combination of garage, office, and warehouse space. The building is set back about 20' from the street to facilitate parking and allow trucks to back up to the various bay openings on the façade. The warehouse is a single story in height at the street line, but drops two stories in the rear as the lot slopes down to a small dirt parking area. The façade has a centered domestic entrance with a Colonial Revival, pedimented door hood. The remainder of the façade has alternating glass brick windows and bay entrances with overhead doors. The bays are set above grade to reach the level of the company's truck beds. Additional bay entrances are located on the side and rear elevations of the building, below grade.
The project area has a modest history of local industrial activity, primarily centered on the land between Gilbert Street and the Grand Trunk Railroad Tracks. Little physical evidence of these activities remains in the project area, and the surviving industrial buildings or remnants of industrial complexes in the area are vacant. The earliest documented industrial activity in the Berlin Heights Addition was the ca. 1897 Chick Brothers Shoe Company, formerly located south of Gilbert Street between the street and the railroad tracks. The Chick Brothers factory was a five-story, rectangular brick building with a 7-story exterior stair tower centered on the east elevation. The factory was located directly on the railroad tracks, and there was a siding that passed close to the factory tower. The tower had a covered, wood frame extension on the second story that facilitated direct loading of goods onto the trains. The Haverhill-based shoe company operated their factory for only a short time. The building was vacant by 1905 and had been demolished by ca. 1915.
The second era of industrial use on the Chick Brothers site was the Hodgdon Coal and Wood Company, which developed the area south of the factory building ca. 1905. The business consisted of a number of single-story wood frame sheds arranged in a U shape at the southern end of Gilbert Street. Piles of cord wood filled the central yard. The largest structures on the property were three concrete block coal storage towers located near the north side of the lot. The towers were covered with a hipped roof that had hipped dormers on the east and west slopes. A conveyor belt fed coal into the towers from a wood frame shelter at the base of the towers. The Hodgdon Coal Company operated on this site until after 1950 (Directory 1950). There is only one surviving buildings from the Hodgdon Coal Company complex, an auto garage and lumber shed located just outside the project area at the south end of Gilbert Street (Photos 146 and 147, no block numbers). The coal company later leased or sold the building for use as a plumbing shop. The garage portion of the combination garage and lumber shed building fronts on Gilbert Street; it is a single-story concrete block building with a gable roof. Two bay entrances fitted with overhead doors face Gilbert Street. The corner blocks on the façade are rusticated and are set in a quoin pattern. The wood frame gable roof has asphalt siding in a brick pattern. A long wood frame ell with a gable roof extends from the rear of the concrete block garage. This section of the building was originally open for lumber storage, but has since been enclosed. The wing has a metal roof and asphalt and plywood siding. Both sections of the building are heated, and brick chimneys are located at the ridges.
Smaller-scale industrial uses on Gilbert Street included a paint shop and planing mill, housed at differing times in a building on the west side of the street (Photo 148, Block 14). The building consists of a 21⁄2-story, 3 x 6-bay wood-frame building with a gable roof and end gable orientation built ca. 1914. A 2-story, L-shaped, concrete block wing with a flat roof was added to the south elevation ca. 1938. The ca. 1914 portion of the building originally housed Charles Mackay's paint shop (Sanborn 1914, Anonymous 1920). The paint shop has a slightly off-center entrance, sheltered by a small entry hood with a gable roof. The first story of the façade has a small, rectangular fixed sash on one end and a larger shop window on the other end. The upper stories retain 2/2 wood sash and window trim. Raney Richards converted the paint shop to a planing mill and woodworking shop ca. 1938, at which time the concrete block addition was constructed. The addition has various exterior sliding doors on both stories and is lit with 6-pane fixed sash. A bay opening fitted with an overhead door has been cut into the section set perpendicular to Gilbert Street, allowing direct auto access into the addition.
There was also some industrial development at the far north end of the project area. The ca. 1927 White Mountain Manufacturing Co. building on Wight Street housed a string of businesses over the course of the twentieth century (Photo 149, Block 1). These included wood products manufacturer White Mountain Manufacturing Company (ca. 1927-ca. 1930); furniture maker Oliver-Lemieux Manufacturing Co. (ca. 1930-ca. 1939); a Coca-Cola bottling plant (ca. 1939-ca. 1948), the Granite State Rubber Co. (ca. 1948-ca. 1950), the Hampshire Handkerchief Co. (ca. 1950), and finally, a portion of the Converse Rubber Company (maker of Converse sneakers) (Anonymous 1927-1950). The two-story, wood frame building has a long, rectangular plan, and low-pitch gable roof. The long elevation of the building is set parallel to Wight Street, and the structure is set back approximately 20' from the road to allow parking and truck access. There is no obvious main entrance to the building, though there are many bay openings fitted with overhead doors located on both stories of the façade. The factory is well lit with a variety of divided sash and the exterior walls are sheathed in pressed tin imitating rusticated concrete blocks. There is a new, single-story addition on the street elevation of the factory, set perpendicular to the main block. The addition has an asymmetrical gable roof and a bay opening on the south elevation, facing away from Wight Street. The structure is sheathed in vinyl siding. The White Mountain Manufacturing Company building is currently vacant.
The ca. 1920 Berlin Incinerator and ca. 1948 Department of Public Works complex is also located on Wight Street just north of the project area boundary (Photo 150, no block number). The major building on the site was constructed ca. 1970, but an older granite and fieldstone building is located toward the rear of the lot. The single-story structure has a gable roof and granite frame with mortared fieldstone infill. The roof structure has a wood frame and metal roofing. There were two bay openings on the elevation facing Wight Street, but one has been filled in with concrete block. The exact use for the building is unknown.
Since 1950, a number of modern commercial and industrial-related structures have been built in the project area. A Midas auto service center and a separate car wash are located on the west side of Wight Street near the northern end of the project area (Photo 151, Block 2). Both are utilitarian concrete block structures with metal and plywood siding. The J.J. Nissen Baking Company occupies a post-1950 garage building at 866 Fourth Avenue, in the midst of a largely residential neighborhood (Photo 152, Block 5). The wood frame building has a shed roof that extends beyond the façade of the building to shelter four bay entrances. A later addition on the north elevation of the building creates a sheltered delivery bay. A ca. 1970, two-story brick building with a flat roof was constructed on the corner of Wight Street and Fourth Avenue (Photo 153, Block 5). The second story of the building takes up only half the length of the first story, creating an open terrace on the roof of the first story. The centered entrance to the building, which fronts on Fourth Avenue, is sheltered by an unsupported, flat, pent roof with scalloped plywood trim. The building is lit with modern sliding windows of different sizes. The original use of the building is unknown; it was converted to residential use at an unknown date and is now vacant. Two commercial storage spaces have been constructed on a historically vacant lot at the corner of Wight and Duguay Streets (Photo 154, Block 2).
Civic Buildings
Because the project area and surrounding neighborhood are located on the eastern outskirts of the city, they have not historically been considered prime locations for civic buildings. Most of the public buildings and the city's high school are concentrated in the downtown area or located in the more affluent neighborhood of Berlin Heights. Nevertheless, the Berlin Heights Addition provided basic educational spaces for neighborhood children and was chosen as the site for the Berlin Armory in 1925.
The Berlin Heights Addition contains three educational buildings, but only one is located within the project area. The Sessions School, a two-story, Italianate, wood-frame building was constructed ca. 1901 at 761 Second Avenue (Photo 155, Block 10). Originally oriented to Sessions Street, the school has since been converted to a combination of apartments and commercial space and now has an address on Second Avenue. The Sessions School has a narrow rectangular plan with the narrow end oriented to Second Avenue. The sloping lot allowed a fully exposed basement story on that elevation. The building has a flat roof with a broad coved cornice supporting overhanging eaves. The Second Avenue elevation of the building is sheathed in pressed tin siding imitating rusticated ashlar masonry, while other elevations have a combination of vinyl and novelty siding. The school has 1/1 replacement windows set in pairs on all elevations. The window openings retain original wood surrounds with molded cornices. The Sessions School operated until ca. 1914. Public primary school services were transferred to another location in the city until the Bartlett School was constructed on the corner of First Avenue and Mount Forist Street in 1916. The Sessions School had been converted to tenements and a dry goods store by 1920 (Sanborn 1920). The building currently reflects this mixture of uses, with a commercial space on the basement level, fronting on Second Avenue and an unknown number of apartments above. The commercial space has novelty siding, a recessed entrance, and three plate glass windows of varying sizes. The upper apartments are accessible from Sessions Street via a three-story, ca. 1928 porch on the south elevation (Sanborn 1928). The structure also has a two-story enclosed stair tower at one end of the porch.
The Berlin Heights Addition was chosen as the site for a major regional civic building ca. 1925. That year, the Berlin Armory was constructed at 135 Green Street to provide drill space for Berlin's National Guard unit (Photos 156 and 157, Block 14). At the time, the armory was one of only three in the state of New Hampshire. The Berlin Armory was designed by Butterfield and Guertin, Architects of Manchester, NH and was erected by contractors Davison and Swanberg, also of Manchester (Anonymous n.d.). The armory building is an interesting combination of function and style. The brick building has a long, rectangular plan composed of two masses: a 2-story, 5 x 2-bay front section with a flat roof and a long, rectangular single-story rear section with a shallow gambrel roof. This front section of the building served as the main entrance to the building and was the armory's public space, housing the National Guard administrative offices. The larger rear section housed the Guard's drill space. The rear section also has an exposed basement story along Gilbert Street with bay openings for vehicle storage.
The armory architects chose a Tudor Revival stylistic treatment for the building, limiting architectural embellishment to the taller, public portion of the structure fronting on Green Street. The Tudor Revival style relies heavily on the architecture of medieval fortresses and castles, and was most likely chosen to reinforce the armory's function as a seat of military power and symbolic stronghold. The façade of the armory has an oversized recessed, centered entrance topped by a Tudor arch. The arch is embellished with a limestone keystone and limestone voussoirs at the spring line. The entry bay is further emphasized by a set of three windows on the second story topped by a broad limestone lintel. Window openings in the flanking bays are set close to the central bay, leaving blank space near each end of the façade. The first floor windows have thick limestone lintels and narrow sills, while the second-story windows are pointed, but have no lintels. The window openings originally had 4/2 double-hung sash, but now have vinyl 1/1 sash.
As originally constructed, the front mass of the armory had an elaborate roofline consisting of crenellated and stepped parapet walls, designed to imitate a central gate tower and two end towers. The parapet roofline has since been removed from the building, but remnants of the design scheme remain on the façade. These include two engaged piers rising from the level of the first story on the central entry bay. The piers originally ended above the parapet roofline with pointed limestone finials. The space between the finials was crenellated to give the feeling of a central gate tower. The empty space reserved at both ends of the façade by moving the windows in toward the central entry bay was used to create the feeling of end towers. The roofline above these areas had stepped parapet walls separated from the central bay by lower sections of roofline with a molded cornice supported on modillion blocks. The cornice and modillions remain on the roofline. A small finial, which originally serviced as the base for a flagpole, remains centered on the façade, near the present roofline. The armory has lost a significant degree of integrity through the loss of the parapet decorations on the façade and window replacement. The armory now houses Berlin's police department.
Comparative Evaluation
The Berlin Heights Addition is one of several grid plan neighborhoods within the City of Berlin. The character and function of the buildings in the Addition are most similar to that found in the lower portion of the Berlin Heights neighborhood located directly across the Grand Trunk Railroad tracks off Hillside Avenue (sometimes referred to as Irish Acres), and the grid plan neighborhood across the Androscoggin River, known as Forbush Park and East Side.
The lower, western portion of the Irish Acres neighborhood contains a densely developed grouping of single and multifamily dwellings with integrated small-scale commercial use. The buildings in this area have a similar level of integrity to the buildings in the project area, as does the grid plan. The project scope did not allow for a detailed study of comparable areas, thus the integrity of setting and design beyond the grid plan could not be determined. The primary distinction between this neighborhood and the project area is that the lower portion of Irish Acres was initially developed as part of the Berlin Heights subdivision, a more expensive precursor to the Berlin Heights Addition marketed toward urban professionals. The area near the tracks was likely less desirable land, and therefore assumed a less traditionally suburban character than the upper slopes of the Heights. By comparison, the project area was developed as a neighborhood of semi-skilled and skilled laborers, and has uniformly kept that character over time.The lower, western portion of the Irish Acres neighborhood contains a densely developed grouping of single and multifamily dwellings with integrated small-scale commercial use. The buildings in this area have a similar level of integrity to the buildings in the project area, as does the grid plan. The project scope did not allow for a detailed study of comparable areas, thus the integrity of setting and design beyond the grid plan could not be determined. The primary distinction between this neighborhood and the project area is that the lower portion of Irish Acres was initially developed as part of the Berlin Heights subdivision, a more expensive precursor to the Berlin Heights Addition marketed toward urban professionals. The area near the tracks was likely less desirable land, and therefore assumed a less traditionally suburban character than the upper slopes of the Heights. By comparison, the project area was developed as a neighborhood of semi-skilled and skilled laborers, and has uniformly kept that character over time.
The Forbush Park/East Side neighborhood across the Androscoggin River is similar in location, density, building character, and use to the project area. Like the Berlin Heights Addition, the Forbush Park/East Side neighborhood is limited by geography, hemmed in between the Androscoggin River and the steep slopes of Mount Success. The Boston & Maine Railroad tracks run along the river at the western edge of the area, and various industrial buildings are sited along the line. The neighborhood is slightly less dense than the Berlin Heights Addition, but remains organized on a grid plan of streets with narrow lots. The buildings are predominantly multifamily residential structures, including many more examples of three-story, three-family houses and French-Canadian blocks. Like the Addition, the steeper, upper streets of the neighborhood are less densely settled and have more single-family dwellings than the lower streets. The component buildings in this neighborhood have a similar degree of physical integrity to those in the project area, displaying various kinds of synthetic siding and replacement windows. Many of the porch structures on the multifamily houses have been replaced, reconfigured, and/or enclosed. The streetscapes are more uniform in the Forbush Park/East Side neighborhood, and many houses on the upper streets rise high above the road on terraced lots with stone retaining walls. Aside from the area near the Boston & Maine Railroad tracks, there is little evidence of commercial activity in the neighborhood.
24. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND - Explain historical importance of the area and how the area relates to the development of the Town/City.
The Berlin Heights Addition Project Area developed between the early 1890s and the late 1920s as a result of an increased demand for housing in Berlin around the turn of the twentieth century, as the timber and milling industries boomed and the paper making industry was introduced. It is located within the larger Berlin Heights Addition Area, referred to as "The Avenues" for its north-south running numbered avenues. Berlin Heights Addition was given its name to differentiate it from an earlier neighborhood located east of the Grand Trunk Railway tracks called Berlin Heights. "The Heights" as it is known, is located on a rise between the railroad and Androscoggin River and was developed as an exclusive neighborhood for mill executives. A private real estate company planned both The Heights and The Avenues. Berlin Heights Addition, one of the later neighborhoods in Berlin, took on an urban character from its inception, with a grid street pattern in blocks of narrow acreage lots.
The expanding mills, with the increasing need for labor, were the catalyst for a population boom in Berlin unlike anything ever experienced by most New Hampshire mill town. Berlin's population figures nearly doubled every ten years between 1870 and 1900, from 529 to 8890. Much of this population increase was due to the area mills recruiting immigrant labor. The Berlin Heights Addition took on the character of an urban mixed ethnic neighborhood, as Russians, Russian Jews, and French-Canadian immigrants overflowing from earlier settlements across the Androscoggin came to live in the area. This was one of several ethnic enclaves in the city, including "Irish Acres", in the vicinity of Emery Street, and "Norwegian Village", north of downtown along the western bank of the Androscoggin. (The demographic make-up of the neighborhood largely consisted of working class, moderately-skilled workers.)
The Berlin Heights Addition Project Area is associated with the local themes and contexts of the logging, lumbering and saw mills, as well as the wood products mills, and paper manufacturing in New Hampshire. These industries brought about the development and rapid expansion of the area, and specifically this residential neighborhood. These industries created employment, which in turn drew large numbers of immigrants to the area. Another significant theme was the diverse ethnic mix of this neighborhood, including a large French-Canadian population.
1771-1829: Grant as Maynesborough, Early Settlers, Small-scale Timber Manufacturing, Incorporation as Town of Berlin
This unsettled and relatively unexplored area was granted as Maynesborough in 1771. Hunters and trappers were the first to enter the North Country. Despite the abundant timber in the area and the large falls on the Androscoggin River, settlement was slow because the hilly, rough land provided little opportunity for farming (Wight 1967:84)
The first settlers did not arrive in Berlin until 1821, when families moved from Gilead, Maine. They made their way west along the Androscoggin River in search of arable land to sustain themselves as farmers while establishing saw and grist mills and capitalizing on the timber and water resources of the area (Wight 1967:22). These early settlers primarily occupied intervale farmland in the northern part of the town along both sides of the Androscoggin River (Bartlett 1985:1). The topography of Berlin was not unlike where the settlers had come from in Maine. Gilead was also a hilly, rugged town on the Androscoggin River just over the Maine-New Hampshire state line (Wight 1967:25).
Prior to 1821, a road existed between Gorham and Berlin, although it was barely passable. Early settlers Thomas Green and his sons Daniel and Amos are credited with improving the road in 1826 to make it passable by a team of oxen (Wight 1967:86). Thomas Green had interest in improving the road to Berlin because in 1824 he and Thomas Lary established the first logging camp and saw mill there (Wight 1967:89, 91).
When Maynesborough was incorporated as Berlin in 1829, there were approximately seventy-three inhabitants (Bureau of the Census 1940). At this time there were two mills in operation, one by Thomas Green and the other by his sons, Daniel and Amos. Later, Daniel and Amos built saw and gristmills, clapboard and shingle mills, on the Upper Ammonoosuc and Dead Rivers (Wight 1967:86, 102; Merrill 1972:819). Over the next twenty-five years, Daniel Green owned, "at one time or other," all the water power along the Androscoggin in Berlin, as well as thousands of acres of timberland and extensive real estate holding in Berlin Falls village (Anonymous 1929:62; Merrill 1888:819; Davis 1897:62). He was attributed with having laid out and sold more building lots in Berlin Falls than any other person (Merrill 1888:820). Some of Daniel Green's land holdings included the land that eventually became Berlin Heights Addition.
The timber industry expanded through the first half of the nineteenth century, but large-scale production was not yet possible for lack of good transportation and facilities. Most of the logs cut in the hills were driven down the Androscoggin to mills in Gilead and Bethel, Maine (Bartlett 1985:1). Another important wood product was potash and pear ash. Made from burning hardwood, particularly elm, which there was much in this area, potash provided a use for timber that could not be floated down the river. Instead it was taken overland to Portland, along with surplus farm products (Bartlett 1985:1).
In 1830 Thomas Green and Thomas Wheeler petitioned to construct the first highway from Shelburne Addition (Gorham) south of Berlin to the Milan town line north of Berlin. Thereafter, a 5.75-mile-long road was laid on the west side of the Androscoggin River (Merrill 1888:808). This route later became part of Route 16. The northern end of the road is referred to as Riverside Drive and as it passes through the downtown it is called Main Street. Around the same time West Milan Road, also known as Old Jericho Road (present-day NH Route 110), was established. The two roads intersect near the confluence of the Androscoggin and Dead Rivers in what became downtown Berlin. From there, Route 16 follows the Androscoggin and NH Route 110 follows the Dead River for some time heading northwest into West Milan and eventually onto Groveton along the Connecticut River.
ca.1830-ca.1850: Population and Town Growth, Small-scale Agriculture and Timber
During the 1830s, the first settlers began establishing a community infrastructure. In 1831 the first school and the first tavern were constructed. The school was located on Riverside Drive at the corner of Cate's Hill Road (Bartlett 1985:3). Thomas Green opened a store and gristmill in 1835. Access to the town was improved in 1837 by upgrading the road from Gorham (Wight 1967:123).
Berlin reached a population of about 115 residents in 1840 (Arsdel 1934:4). The few small saw and gristmills in operation continued to function and small farms sustained the residents of the slowly growing community. By the end of the decade frame dwellings of locally-produced material were being constructed (Merrill 1888:809).
In 1850 Berlin had a population of 173 (Bureau of the Census 1940). All of the residents were U.S.- born, the majority born in New Hampshire, and the remainder from Maine. At that time, Berlin had three large sawmills including Dexter Wheeler's, and several smaller ones, employing over a hundred men total (Wight 1967:172). Thomas Green operated the gristmill (Bureau of the Census 1850). Also listed in the census were six lumberers, and a millwright, a miller, a sawyer, a cooper, and a mail carrier.
1852-1870s: Arrival of the Railroad, First Large-scale Mill; First Immigrants Arrive
The construction of the Atlantic & St. Lawrence, later the Grand Trunk Railway, through Berlin in 1852 fueled the town's major development. The railroad expanded the market for lumber and wood products. Berlin previously had the means to harvest and produce large volumes of timber products, but until the arrival of the railroad the only way to transport goods to market were the river or overland by teams of animals; both relatively inefficient. The railroad allowed for the expansion of the lumber and milling industry beyond a local market and brought outside investors to the town to build large-scale operations (Merrill 1888:794). The construction of the railroad coincided with another key development in Berlin's history, the purchase of Berlin Falls water rights by a group of Portland businessmen, including Josiah Little, president of the Atlantic & St. Lawrence. Soon thereafter, a dam and large sawmill called H. Winslow & Company were erected by the group (Merrill 1888:124; Bartlett 1985:2). About a decade later, in 1866, H. Winslow & Company became the Berlin Mills Company, and two years later it was purchased by the Brown family who ran it for generations as the town's predominant employer (Merrill 1888:124; Bartlett 1985:2).
The railroad also had an effect on Berlin's physical layout. Unlike other towns, where the railroad passed through existing street patterns, the relatively new and only sparsely settled town of Berlin was influenced by the laying of the railroad (Louis Berger Group 2001). The railroad provided the boundaries for the neighborhoods that were to develop and dictated the type of development that would grow around it.
The expansion of the railroad continued through the nineteenth century with sidings and short lines extending to the growing mills. In 1899, the Whitefield and Jefferson branch of the Boston, Concord and Montreal Railroad, later leased to Boston and Maine, was completed to Gorham and Berlin. Essentially a logging line, it followed the east bank of the Androscoggin, terminating at the massive paper mill complex on the east side of the city (Bunker, Potter and Goodby 1996).
The population increased rapidly to 433 by 1860 (Bureau of the Census 1940). The population center was located between the railroad and the Androscoggin River, in close proximity of the mills. The mills were the primary employers. The first foreign-born inhabitants were counted in the Berlin population in 1860, including Canadian immigrants from the provinces of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. There were thirteen Norwegian immigrants living in Berlin at this time. Other European immigrants included the Irish, Scottish, and Italians (Bureau of the Census 1860). The immigrant population, however, was just a fraction of the overall population, with each European country only represented by a few people.
1870s-1880s: Paper Manufacturing Begins; Industrial Expansion; Rapid Population Growth
In the 1870s other uses for timber harvested in the area were found that would change Berlin forever. The paper industry that would give Berlin names such as "The Paper City" and "The City that Trees Built" started with the founding of the Forest Fibre Company under Henry H. Forbush. In 1877, the first chemical pulp mill using T.P. Burgess's soda process was constructed in Berlin. This process manufactured wood pulp by mixing spruce saw mill waste and poplar wood (Davis 1897:92).
Berlin's population had reached 529 by 1870 (Bureau of the Census 1940). By this time, there were nearly as many Canadian-born immigrants as there were natives of New Hampshire; some were French-speaking, as the first French-Canadian families arrived shortly after the Civil War (Closs 1997). The Norwegian and Irish populations continued to grow; the only two European nationalities counted in 1870 (Bureau of the Census 1870). Employment was largely timber and mill-related, although some worked in a blacksmith shop or for the railroad. Shopping and business was primarily done in the village of Gorham, six miles to the south (Anonymous 1913).
The population doubled to 1,144 by 1880 and by 1890 had more than doubled again to 3,729 (Arsdel 1934:4). The population growth was due almost entirely to immigration from Canada and Europe. By 1880, French Canadian-born immigrants outnumbered U.S-born inhabitants of Berlin. Norway was no longer the only Scandinavian country represented; there were immigrants from Finland and Sweden as well. The British Isles were also very well represented in the population (Bureau of the Census 1880).
In 1890, there were two flour and gristmills, five lumber and saw mills and a wood pulp company in operation in the town, as well as two shoemakers and a blacksmith. Forest Fibre Company was the largest employer with 280 employees (Bureau of the Census 1880).
The second paper mill, which was the first ground wood mill, White Mountain Pulp and Paper Company, opened in 1883 (Bunker, Potter and Goodby 1996). Located east of the project area, along the river, by the end of the decade it was purchased and operated by the Glen Manufacturing Company (Merrill 1888:815). Glen Manufacturing took advantage of the ten-year tax exemption offered by the town (Davis 1897:93, 814).
During this period the residential development of the town was limited to the area between the railroad tracks and the Androscoggin River, except for a few farms located along West Milan Road. There were approximately ten houses along West Milan Road (alternately Old Jericho Road, present-day NH Route 110). The construction dates of the earliest properties west of the railroad tracks have not been determined. The two northernmost farms were owned by Daniel Green and Jacob Dresser, as indicated on the 1892 map (Hurd 1892). Daniel Green's property was indicated as being on the west side of the road, north of the Dead River Pond. He owned approximately forty acres of tilled land and eighty acres of woodland and operated a grist and flour mill (Bureau of the Census 1880). Jacob Dresser's farm was located on the east side of the road, between the road and the railroad tracks. Aside from farmland, Dresser also owned approximately 800 acres of woodland from which he harvested approximately 500 cords of wood (Bureau of the Census 1880).
Seven houses were clustered in a row along the west side of the road, south of the Dead River Pond (Hurd 1892). Several of the residents shown on the 1892 map were living in Berlin as of 1880, but whether in these houses at that time has not been determined. Moses King, a Canadian immigrant, was employed in a pulp mill. John Burke, born in New York, was a teamster. Frank Seams, also Canadian, was a woodsman (Bureau of the Census 1880). The close proximity of these properties, as indicated on the 1892 map, and the employment of their owners in timber-related jobs, shows that there was the beginning of a working class settlement in this area prior to 1900.
As the industrial base of the town expanded the mills acknowledged the demand on the housing market they created. In 1886, one paper mill, Glen Manufacturing Company constructed seven double tenements for their employees (Merrill 1888:814). They also constructed rental cottages ("Glen Village") on the west side of the Androscoggin River (Hurd 1892). H. H. Furbish of the Forest Fibre Company hired an architect to lay out building lots, graded streets, and model homes for mill executives that was known as "Fibreville", near what is now St. Anne's (Merrill 1888:817; Upham-Bornstein 2003).
1890- ca.1900: Period of Fastest Growth, Incorporation as City, Ethnic Enclaves, Real Estate Boom; Initial Development of Berlin Heights Addition
While the mills expanded at a rapid rate, land speculation and development became a primary interest of Berlin businessmen. In 1890 several real estate and development-related corporations were established. The Berlin Heights Land Association, established by Frank A. Colby and Herbert I. Goss, developed an exclusive residential neighborhood for mill executives and professionals in the area northwest of the downtown known as "The Heights" (Bacon 1890:86; Voluntary Corporations Volume 5, Page 172). Another corporation, the Berlin Land Building Company acted both as lenders and as builders of houses and other buildings (Voluntary Corporations Volume 6, Page 54). Corporations such as these opened up the opportunity for others to pursue real estate enterprises in the city.
Developable space was not extensive, given the rugged topography of the area. As the population grew, housing was constructed on any available space; however, this was limited by the sharp rise of nearby mountains or the location of rivers. Every useable space was occupied by a dwelling; even undesirable places adjacent to the railroad were built up with tenements.
Given that the Heights and Fibreville were more exclusive neighborhoods, and that the boarding houses could not house the abundance of immigrant laborers who arrived to work in the mills, entrepreneurs in the growing town took the opportunity to build speculative housing and tenements. The first two areas in Berlin to be developed with multi-story, multi-family units were around Second and Third Streets, northeast of Fibreville and almost directly across from the Berlin Mills, and the area around Main Street, including Mechanic, Mason and Green Streets (Berlin Independent 1888, 1891). Construction in these areas was described as consisting of three-story, six-tenement units; however, there was sometimes mention of a single-family unit being expanded to include a rental unit in the ell (Berlin Independent May 20, 1891).
The 1890s were Berlin's period of fastest growth. By the mid-1890s, Berlin, with a population of 6000, was the largest town in New Hampshire. In 1897 Berlin was incorporated as the state's fourth city (Anonymous 1929:4).
Around this same time the downtown grew into an urban center as services were added to meet the demand of the expanding population. Two banks were organized in 1890 and an opera house was built. After the city's incorporation, services such as fire, police, water, sewer, and highways expanded to meet the increasing demand on the infrastructure. New sidewalks and streets were constructed throughout the city and highway and sewer commissioners were designated as well as a city engineer.
A plan for an urban street grid was laid out in the new residential areas of Berlin before it was incorporated as a city. The town was growing at such a rapid pace that private and speculative development drove the layout of the area as the demand for housing increased (Upham-Bornstein 2003). Urban planning in Berlin was a joint effort between private developers and town officials. The layout of streets and division of lots were done by developers; however, the town was responsible for the construction of the infrastructure.
In a short span of ten years, the Berlin Mills Company (under W.W. Brown of Portland and other members of the Brown family) constructed larger mills along both banks of the Androscoggin. Their combined operations produced wood pulp, bleached and unbleached sulfite pulp, and newsprint, as well as lumber. Millyard operations were supported by gristmills, stables, a company store, blacksmith and machine shops (Davis 1897). The Berlin Mills Company employed between 600 and 800 in the summer, up to 1200 men in logging camps during the winter, and 450 river drivers in the spring (Wight 1967:338). Nine miles of railroad track, with bridges over the Androscoggin, linked all sections of the Berlin Mills complex. In addition, wood pulp was moved between mills in large pipes. The entire complex was lit by electricity that the mill produced itself (Davis 1897:81; Bunker, Potter and Goodby 1996).
The mills, which were the catalyst for the dramatic population growth continued to expand. In 1892, the Burgess Sulphite Fibre Company was established and within five years was the largest paper manufacturer of its kind in the world. The Glen Manufacturing Company started a Sulphite mill in 1893. Both were purchased later; Burgess in 1906 by the Berlin Mills Company and Glen Manufacturing in 1898 by International Paper (Wight 1967:343, 390).
A theme throughout the city and in the project area was the diversity of the mill's workforce and the development of ethnic enclaves. In order for the mills to expand and operate they had to import labor. Skilled labor and specific trades were in demand and it was not uncommon for mill representatives to directly recruit immigrants arriving at Ellis Island (Berlin Heritage Trail Partnership 1997:4). Certain ethnic groups were targeted for their skills or their ability to adapt to Berlin's cold and rugged climate. Berlin's immigrants included Scandinavians, French-Canadians, Germans, Irish, Russians, Russian Jews, and Italians.
Scandinavians were recruited for their expertise in logging and their experience with long severe winters. Most settled primarily in the Berlin Mills and Halverson Terrace areas on the west side of Route 16, north of downtown in an area known today as "Norwegian Village" (Hans Klunder Associates 1968; Berlin Heritage Trail Partnership 1997). They introduced the winter sport of skiing, which was to have a major influence on the White Mountain region.
French-Canadians were sought after for their strong work ethic and knowledge of forest product industries (Berlin Heritage Trail Partnership 1997). French neighborhoods first developed in the St. Anne's area near Granite Street, and later expanded to other parts of Berlin, including the Berlin Heights Addition area. The first generation arriving from Quebec left Canada because of the mid- nineteenth century agricultural depression and retained a strong desire to return home with the money that they earned (Upham-Bornstein 2000:4). They were a particularly self-contained community within Berlin and the housing stock in which they lived reflected this value. Many of the wealthier French-Canadians built three story "French Blocks", which were an economical way to house several families or a large number of single men. It was each person's goal to live as frugally as possible, to save money to send home and to one day return themselves (Upham-Bornstein 2000:17). French Canadians' cultural, religious and ethnic traditions helped maintain a strong independent community that did not readily assimilate (Upham-Bornstein 2003; Upham-Bornstein 2000:1). In some cases hostility arose between native residents and French-Canadians because of their retention of language, religion, and traditions (Upham-Bornstein 2000:12). In 1899, the French-Canadian population of Berlin began construction of St. Anne Catholic Church, on Church Street at the site of a previous Catholic church. Completed two years later, it was, and is, a focal point for the French-Canadian population of Berlin.
Other ethnic groups included German and Irish immigrants. Germans were recruited for their engineering and inventing skills. Most of the German population settled on the east side of the river, around Goebel Street (Berlin Heritage Trail Partnership 1997:4). "Irish Acres" was located west of downtown, north of the Dead River. Irishmen were hired by the Berlin Mills Company for their skill in building roads, railroads and bridges. This community was so strong that by 1895 it constructed St. Kieran's Church, and later the associated St. Patrick's School (Berlin Heritage Trail Partnership 1997:11). Ethnic tension was present between the Irish and the French-Canadian population; thus, each group had their own Catholic church (Upham-Bornstein 2003).
Around the turn of the twentieth century, an influx of Russian immigrants (mostly single men) arrived to work in the mills. They settled on the west side of the railroad tracks at the base of Mt. Forist. By 1915, there were 300 Russian men in Berlin, but only a few families. A Russian Orthodox congregation was formed for the moral and spiritual guidance of this large population of young, single men and the Holy Resurrection Church was constructed at the corner of Russian and Petrograd Streets (Berlin Heritage Trail Partnership 1997:11). Initially a large ethnic group, anti- communist sentiments led to the deportation of many of Berlin's Russian population in the 1920s and their numbers were quickly reduced (Linda Upham-Bornstein 2003). Shortly thereafter, the section of town that the Russians had inhabited, between the railroad and Mt. Forist, quickly became a spillover area of French-Canadians from the eastern side of town.
Russian and German Jews were also counted in the mix of eastern European immigrants, and because of the shared language, settled just south of the Russian neighborhood. The Jewish population was Berlin's smallest minority group. At one time, there were fifty Jewish families and by the 1940s there were half as many. Most of the Jews worked as peddlers, and later opened retail establishments such as Wagner's General Store, Davis's Clothing, and Brody's Ladies Shop. By the turn of the twentieth century, some families were able to invest in property and ran boarding houses where Russian, Lithuanian, and Polish immigrants working in the mills and as lumberjacks roomed (Eno 1989:8). Although there was some tension between the more established German Jewish community and the Russian Jews, they joined together to purchase an old Congregational church in 1920 and held Orthodox services there until the mid-1980s (Eno 1989:8-9). At the end of the nineteenth century, Berlin secured its place as a regional draw for work and industry. Businesses were declining in neighboring Gorham and Shelburne during the 1890s and the mills in Berlin began to employ workers from these towns (Wight 1967:351; Bunker, Potter and Goodby 1996).
Berlin Heights Addition
One year after they established the Berlin Heights Land Association, Frank Colby and Herbert Goss partnered with W.C. Perkins to found the Berlin Heights Addition corporation for the purpose of buying and selling real estate (Voluntary Corporations Vol. 7, Page 65). Later in August 1891, Catherine Green became a stockholder in the corporation. On the same day Mrs. Green was added, the Berlin Heights Addition purchased a large tract of land from her. The total acreage of the transaction is unknown, but the sale price was $10,000 (Deed Book 58, Page 174). In December 1891, Berlin Heights Addition purchased another 18.25 acres from Daniel Green for just over $5,000 (Deed Book 61, Page 22). Catherine Green was Daniel Green's daughter-in-law. She married his son, Sullivan, in 1866 (Merrill 1888:820).
The founders of Berlin Heights Addition were local professionals who hoped to capitalize on Berlin's rapid growth. Frank Colby, born in Colebrook, New Hampshire, in 1852, was a prominent doctor in Berlin. W.C. Perkins, president of the corporation, was a surveyor and engineer and responsible for the layout of the town's water and sewer system as well as the first accurate map of the town. His engineering firm of Pike, Perkins and Macy drew the plans for Berlin Heights Addition (Bacon 1890:86). Colby and Perkins also built several speculative houses in the Berlin Heights Addition (Bacon 1890:86).
Of this entrepreneurial group, Herbert Goss was the most involved developer. Born in Waterford, Vermont, in 1857, Goss resided in Minneapolis, Minnesota, for a number of years before returning east to practice law, and eventually settled in Berlin in 1888 (Herndon 1898:55). Biographical sketches of Goss stated that the growth that he witnessed in Minneapolis taught him that the value of land accrued as the development of an area progressed. He took this knowledge and partnered with others to encourage and profit from land transactions in Berlin as it began to grow dramatically in the last decades of the nineteenth century (Stearns 1908:1892). Among Goss's other endeavors in the development of Berlin, he helped organize the Berlin Aqueduct Company in 1892, he served as director of the People's Building and Loan Association, and was the director of the Berlin Savings and Trust Company. Finally, in 1902 he was instrumental in organizing the Berlin Street Railway Company (Stearns 1908:1892).
Upon purchasing land, the Berlin Heights Addition began subdividing the property into blocks and lots and laying out a grid of streets. Although there were physical constraints including rocky outcroppings, the Grand Trunk Railroad to the east and Mt. Forist to the west, this area was a desirable location for speculative building. The depot for the railroad was located on Exchange Street, just to the east. Green Street, east of the railroad, was developed by the 1890s with hotels and boarding houses.
The first areas to be platted in the subdivision were east of the railroad tracks (Plans A through C). Although the land west of the railroad tracks was purchased in 1891, the first subdivision in this area was not laid out until March 1892 in Plan D (Deed Book 59, Page 210). Plan D includes the land west of the railroad track to the rear lot lines of those properties fronting Second Avenue. The southerly terminus is Mt. Forist Street. The plan, as filed, indicated the railroad, the former route of West Milan Road (formerly Jericho Road and today known as NH Route 110) and the new grid layout of streets, blocks, and lots. The streets were unnamed on the plan. The north-south running avenues are indicated but only two of the existing intermediary east-west streets, known today as Roderick and Madigan Streets, were originally included. The area was divided into seven numbered blocks (25-31) each block then divided into individual building lots, and numbered 1-8 or 1-26, as space warranted. Lot sizes were almost always uniformly 50' wide and between 100' and 125' deep.