Westfield, Massachusetts

The H. M. Van Deusen Whip Company is an historic factory building at 42 Arnold Street in Westfield, Massachusetts, USA. Built in 1917, it is the last purpose-built whip factory to be built in Westfield, which was nationally known as "Whip City". The building, used until 1930 for whip production, was also somewhat retardaire in design, using late 19th-century construction methods. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.

The Westfield Center Historic District is a historic district encompassing 157 acres (64 ha) of the civic, commercial, and industrial heart of Westfield, Massachusetts. It represents a major expansion of the Westfield Center Commercial Historic District, which included only two blocks of buildings along Elm Street in downtown Westfield. The district includes buildings representing the city's growth in the 19th century as a center of the whip-making industry, and its early years as a center for statewide educational institutions, as well as its growth as a regional center of western Hampden County. The commercial district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2008; the expansion and renaming of the district took place in 2013.Westfield was settled in the 17th century by English colonists, with its town center forming just west of the confluence of the Westfield and Little Rivers. It was mainly agricultural until the early 19th century, when whip making began as a cottage industry, and the Hampshire and Hampden Canal provided reliable means for moving goods. The town center shifted westward around this time, becoming centered between Park Square and the Westfield River on what is now called Elm Street. The town developed a diverse industrial whose largest component was the whip industry, prompting it to be called "Whip City". That industry would predominate until the advent of the automobile in the 20th century greatly reduced demand. In the late 19th century the city also became home to the state's second normal school, now Westfield State University.The city center is architecturally reflective of much of this history, although buildings from the late 19th and early 20th centuries predominate. Important industrial elements survive, in particular whip factories that include the Sanford Whip Factory, the Westfield Whip Manufacturing Company, the United States Whip Company Complex. The early functions of the normal school are recalled in part by the Westfield Municipal Building (formerly housing that school, and now city hall), and the State Normal Training School, an elementary school built as a training vehicle for teachers in training. Residential neighborhoods developed on either side of the commercial area, portions of which are included in the historic district.

The State Normal Training School is a historic training school building at 27 Washington Street in Westfield, Massachusetts. It was constructed in 1899 to provide a teaching facility for teachers-in-training who were students at the Westfield State Normal School (now Westfield State University), the second-oldest such school the nation. It was operated jointly by the normal school and the city of Westfield from 1900 until 1956, at which point it was converted into a regular elementary school. The city formally acquired the property in 1977. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. The building now houses apartments, and is known in the community as Courthouse Square.

The Sanford Whip Company is a historic factory located at 330 Elm Street in Westfield, Massachusetts. Built in 1883, it was owned and operated by one of the whip-making business that led Westfield to become widely known as "Whip City". The building for many years housed a novelty toy manufacturer after the market for whips declined in the early decades of the 20th century. The factory was listed individually on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008, and as part of an expanded Westfield Center Historic District in 2013. It has been converted into affordable housing space.

Holy Trinity Parish - designated for Polish immigrants in Westfield, Massachusetts, United States. Founded 1903. It is one of the Polish-American Roman Catholic parishes in New England in the Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts.

Westfield Whip Manufacturing Company is a historic factory at 360 Elm Street in Westfield, Massachusetts. Built about 1887, it is the best preserved of Westfield's extant whip factory buildings. It is also home to the last surviving business of the many whipmakers that once operated in Westfield. The factory was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985, and included in an expansion of the Westfield Center Historic District in 2013.

The United States Whip Company Complex or "United States Line Company Complex" is a historic factory located in Westfield, Massachusetts. It was owned and operated by one of the whip-making businesses that led Westfield to become widely known as "Whip City". United States Whip, created in 1892 by the consolidation of several local manufacturers, was the world's largest manufacturer of whips. The factory complex was listed individually on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983, and as part of an expanded Westfield Center Historic District in 2013.

The Mechanic Street Cemetery is a historic early cemetery on Mechanic Street in Westfield, Massachusetts. The 4-acre (1.6 ha) cemetery is the city's oldest, with the oldest documented grave dating to 1683. It was used as a burying ground until the late 19th century, although its use began to decline in the middle of the century, with the advent of the popular rural cemetery movement, which was reflected in Westfield with the establishment of the new Pine Hill Cemetery in 1842. No burials were recorded in the 20th century. Although the cemetery has been subjected to some maintenance work, it continues to suffer the effects of vandalism and weather. The cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.

The Great River Bridge in Westfield, Massachusetts, is a pair of camelback truss spans over the Westfield River carrying US 202 / Route 10. The original bridge was completed in 1939, and a second bridge was finished in 2009.

The Octagon House is an historic octagonal house located at 28 King Street in Westfield, Massachusetts. It was built sometime between 1858 and 1864 by Joseph Watson, and is the only one of three 19th-century octagon houses built in the city to survive. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982, and included as part of expansion of the Westfield Center Historic District in 2013.

Westfield Municipal Building is a historic building at 59 Court Street in Westfield, Massachusetts. It presently houses the Westfield city offices and the local district court. It was built in 1889 to house the state normal school (now Westfield State University), serving in that role until its acquisition by the city in 1959. The building was designed by the architectural firm of Hartwell and Richardson. The second partner was William Cummings Richardson, not H. H. Richardson, but the design of this building, only a few years after the latter's death, was strongly influenced by his distinctive style.The building has an L shape, with a front facade of 140 feet (43 m). The main block is 65 feet (20 m) deep, and the ell extending off the east side is 55 feet (17 m) deep. It rests on a granite foundation, and is made of red brick with brownstone trim. There are two entrances on the front facade, each under classic Richardsonian arches, with additional entrances on the east side and the rear. In its first use as a training school, the first floor included a reception area, science classrooms, and training classrooms for elementary grades. The second floor housed a study hall and assembly hall capable of holding the whole student population (about 175), as well as the principal's office, science laboratories, other classrooms, and studio space for artistic disciplines. There was a gymnasium in the basement.The exterior of the building received only modest modifications when the city took over the building in 1959, although it was extensively remodeled inside. Two brick additions were added, one on the east side as vault space, and the other on the north side for storage. The entrance formerly used by the school now serves as the district court entrance, providing access to the clerk's office, a courtroom, and probation offices. The remainder of the building has been converted for the use of a number of city departments.The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978, and as part of an expanded Westfield Center Historic District in 2013.

The Prospect Hill School is a historic school building at 33 Montgomery Street in Westfield, Massachusetts. The Colonial Revival school was built in 1897 to a design by Augustus W. Holton. The school was built on the site of an earlier wood-frame school which was no longer adequate to support the school district's growing student population. It is made of red brick with white sandstone detailing. The hip roof was originally slate, but is now asphalt shingles. The school when it opened had eight schoolrooms and served 300 students. It represented the beginning of a change in the Westfield schools from wood-frame schoolhouses to modern buildings.With the town's student population growing, the school was expanded in 1919. The expansion retained the Colonial Revival style of the building, even though it gave it a completely new facade. Designed by Malcolm B. Harding, the addition included two more schoolrooms and an auditorium. The school continued to serve the town until 1991, when, after a wave of construction of new schools, the Prospect Hill School was declared obsolete and closed.The property then lay vacant and unused for fifteen years, despite numerous proposals for its use. The town finally accepted a proposal in 2005 to convert the school into an affordable housing complex. The school was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008.