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Motif Number 1

Buildings and structures in Essex County, MassachusettsFishing in the United StatesLandmarks in MassachusettsLandscape paintingRockport, Massachusetts
Motif1
Motif1

Motif Number 1, located on Bradley Wharf in the harbor town of Rockport, Massachusetts, is a replica of a former fishing shack well known to students of art and art history as "the most often-painted building in America." The original structure was built in 1840 and destroyed in the Blizzard of 1978, but an exact replica was constructed that same year.Built in the 1840s as Rockport was becoming home to a colony of artists and settlement of fishermen, the shack became a favorite subject of painters due to the composition and lighting of its location as well as being a symbol of New England maritime life. Painter Lester Hornby (1882–1956) is believed to be the first to call the shack "Motif Number 1," a reference to its being the favorite subject of the town's painters, and the name achieved general acceptance. It appeared in the work of Aldro Hibbard and of impressionist Harry Aiken Vincent who arrived in Rockport in 1917.In the 1930s, painter John Buckley used the shack as his studio. He sold it to the town in 1945, dedicated "In 1945, the town of Rockport purchased the Motif as a monument to Rockporters who had served in the Armed Services." The town, recognizing its iconic value, has taken pains to preserve both its structure and appearance, finding a red paint which appears weather-beaten even when new, and keeping the area clear of overhead wires, traffic signs and advertising.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Motif Number 1 (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Motif Number 1
Bradley Wharf,

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Latitude Longitude
N 42.6592 ° E -70.6148 °
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Motif #1

Bradley Wharf
01966
Massachusetts, United States
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Old Rockport High School
Old Rockport High School

The Old Rockport High School, now the Rockport Community House, is a historic school building at 58 Broadway in Rockport, Massachusetts. The 2+1⁄2-story wood-frame building was built in 1865, with Italianate styling, and served as the town's first public high school until 1926. Three years later it was reopened as a community center, a role it continues to fulfil today.The main portion of the building is a rectangular block that is minimally styled in with nominally Italianate features, such as a gable end returns and corner trim. The front facade originally had two separate entrances (one for boys, one for girls), but these have been replaced by windows. There is a two-story addition on the side of the building, and two further additions on the rear, all added in the 19th century. The main entrance to the building is now made through the side addition. The interior is dominated by decorative features that date to c. 1900. The first floor front classroom still contains a number of details from that time, including wooden floors, benches, and blackboards, although the latter have been covered over.The building when first built was only a single story. Due to growing enrollment, the building was raised in 1869 and a new first floor built. In 1890 the school was again increased in size, adding the first of the rear additions to accommodate more students as well as labs for chemistry and physics, although adequate facilities for those classes were not added until 1908. The side addition was added in 1900 to provide a stairway, making additional room in the main part of the building. Continued overcrowding and issues with the age and inadequacy of its physical plant led to the construction of a new high school in 1926.The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.