Central New Bedford Historic District

The First Baptist Church is a historic Baptist church meeting house in New Bedford, Massachusetts. The Greek Revival building was constructed in 1829, and has been a prominent landmark of the city ever since. Its tower appears on the city seal.The church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975, and included in the County Street Historic District in 1976.In 1863 Major Henry M. Robert attended the annual general meeting at the First Baptist Church in New Bedford and on the spot was elected the chairman pro tem of the meeting. He was embarrassed because he knew nothing of how to run a meeting. It was that meeting that caused him to begin studying parliamentary law, which culminated in the publication of the first edition of his book, Robert's Rules of Order, in 1876.In 2015 the landmark was declared a National Treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

The Times and Olympia Buildings are a pair of historic buildings in central New Bedford, Massachusetts. The Times Building, also known as the Slocum or Evans Building, stands at 908–912 Purchase Street, and was built in 1897 to a design by Nat. C. Smith. Originally a furniture store, it was home to the New Bedford Times until the 1950s. The Olympia Building stands next door; it was designed by Mowll & Rand of Boston and built in 1921. It is a four-story brick building, with shops on the ground floor and offices above.The buildings were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

New Bedford Friends Meeting House, also known as New Bedford Friends Meeting, is a Quaker house of worship in New Bedford, Massachusetts. This meeting house has since 1822 been the home to the New Bedford Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers); the meeting meets every Sunday at 10:00 a.m.

Abolition Row is a neighborhood in New Bedford, Massachusetts. A number of the families that founded the town of New Bedford lived on Sixth and Seventh Streets and were active members of the Abolition movement in New Bedford. They also represent the whaling industry employers who employed a diverse workforce. It is located near the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park.

The Nathan and Mary (Polly) Johnson properties are a National Historic Landmark at 17–19 and 21 Seventh Street in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Originally the building consisted of two structures, one dating to the 1820s and an 1857 house joined with the older one shortly after construction. They have since been restored and now house the New Bedford Historical Society. The two properties are significant for their association with leading members of the abolitionist movement in Massachusetts, and as the only surviving residence in New Bedford (out of three known) of Frederick Douglass. Nathan and Polly Johnson were free African-Americans who are known to have sheltered escaped slaves using the Underground Railroad from 1822 on. Both were also successful in local business; Nathan as a caterer and Polly as a confectioner.

The United States Customhouse is a historic and active custom house at 2nd and William Streets in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Architect Robert Mills designed the custom house in 1834 in a Greek Revival style. It has been used by the U.S. Customs Service ever since, and today serves as a port of entry.The building was designated a National Historic Landmark and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970 for its architectural significance as one of the finest modest Greek Revival government buildings in New England.

The New Bedford Historic District is a National Historic Landmark District in New Bedford, Massachusetts, United States, west of the community's waterfront. During the 19th century, when the city was the center of the American whaling industry, this was its downtown. After its decline in the early and mid-20th century, through the efforts of local activist groups the district has since been preserved and restored to appear much as it was during that period. Most of its buildings were erected between 1790 and 1855 by Russell Warren and other builders working in the Federal and Greek Revival architectural styles. Many of them reflect the legacy of whaling in the city's development. The district was designated a National Historic Landmark (NHL) and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1966. Later it was recognized as a local historic district and protected by local zoning. One building within it, the U.S. Customhouse, is the oldest such facility currently in use and has been independently recognized as an NHL. Since 1996 the district has also been a part of New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park.

The Seamen's Bethel (or Seaman's Bethel) is a chapel in New Bedford, Massachusetts, United States, located at 15 Johnny Cake Hill.

The Old Third District Courthouse in New Bedford, Massachusetts, United States, is located at the corner of Second and William streets. It was built in 1853 by Russell Warren in the Greek Revival architectural style, as the home of the New Bedford Institute for Savings, a local bank. After the bank moved, the Bristol County courts came in. They, too, eventually outgrew it and moved elsewhere in the city. Since the creation of New Bedford Whaling National Historic Park in 1996, it has been used by the National Park Service (NPS) as the park's visitor center.

The Wamsutta Club is a private social club in New Bedford, Massachusetts, founded in 1866. It was a club for the affluent members of New Bedford's community, which at the time was supported by the flagging whaling industry as well as the up-and-coming textiles. The club was founded by Charles Warren Clifford, who organized an athletic club to play a new version of baseball. The social club was formally chartered in 1889. The present location was built in 1821 by James Arnold and purchased by the club in 1919. The club's popularity soared from the 1890s to the mid-1920s when the textile industry was at its height in the city, and cotton was bought and sold by businessmen at the club. During the Great Depression the club faced the problem of declining membership. In order to meet the needs of the expanding community dues were lowered and membership was re-established on a broader base. Today, the club remains as a social center of the downtown New Bedford community. In the 1960s the club was the site of a meeting between Otis Stanton, brother of Seabury Stanton, and Warren Buffett when Buffett finalized his takeover of Berkshire Hathaway.

The Waterfront Historic Area LeaguE, also known as WHALE, is a non-profit historic preservation organization located in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Its mission is: "to promote the value and reuse of greater New Bedford's historic structures through preservation, education and advocacy". The organization often promotes its cause with the words of Sarah Delano (President of WHALE, 1966-1982). Delano said, "If you bulldoze your heritage, you become just anywhere".

New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park is a United States National Historical Park in New Bedford, Massachusetts, and is maintained by the National Park Service (NPS). The park commemorates the heritage of the world's preeminent whaling port during the nineteenth century. Established in 1996, the park encompasses 34 acres (fourteen hectares) dispersed over thirteen city blocks. It includes a visitor center, the New Bedford National Historic Landmark District, the New Bedford Whaling Museum, the Seamen's Bethel, the schooner Ernestina, and the Rotch–Jones–Duff House and Garden Museum. The only properties owned by the NPS are the Visitor Center and the Corson Maritime Learning Center. The park is a historic district administered under a partnership between the NPS, the City of New Bedford and private building owners to preserve the historic landscapes, structures, and collections and promote research and educational programming associated with the history of whaling. The enabling legislation also established a formal affiliation with the Iñupiat Heritage Center in Utqiaġvik, Alaska, to commemorate the more than 2,000 whaling voyages from New Bedford to the Western Arctic. The city promotes visitation to the park through advertising that calls it "New England's real seaport", as opposed to Connecticut's Mystic Seaport Museum which is a collection of historic buildings and vessels moved from various other locations throughout the region. Although the Whaleman Memorial is not within the park's boundaries, it is located only two blocks beyond its western boundary at the corner of William and Pleasant Streets in front of the New Bedford Public Library.