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Varnum Building

Buildings and structures demolished in 2010Buildings and structures in Lowell, MassachusettsCommercial buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in MassachusettsDemolished buildings and structures in MassachusettsMiddlesex County, Massachusetts Registered Historic Place stubs
National Register of Historic Places in Lowell, Massachusetts
Burnt Historical Building in Lowell Feb 2010
Burnt Historical Building in Lowell Feb 2010

The Varnum Building was a historic mixed-use commercial and residential building in Lowell, Massachusetts. It was a four-story wood-frame structure with an angled front at the corner of Bridge and Third Streets, topped by a square cupola with bellcast pyramidal roof. It was built in 1882 by Leavitt and Daniel Varnum, who operated an insurance business on the premises, and was one of the oldest commercial buildings on Bridge Street. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.The building was heavily damaged in an electrically ignited fire on the morning of February 12, 2010, and was declared a total loss. It was demolished on February 18, 2010.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Varnum Building (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Varnum Building
Bridge Street, Lowell Centralville

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Latitude Longitude
N 42.650277777778 ° E -71.303888888889 °
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Address

Bridge Street 392
01850 Lowell, Centralville
Massachusetts, United States
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Burnt Historical Building in Lowell Feb 2010
Burnt Historical Building in Lowell Feb 2010
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Nearby Places

Rex Center

The Rex Center was an arena and entertainment center in downtown Lowell, Massachusetts, existing from 1933 to 1960. Entrepreneur and car dealer Charles Dancause created the Rex, which opened in 1933 in a renovated mill building, the old Prescott Division Plant of Mass Cotton Mills. The architect of the conversion was Harry Prescott Graves.Among the entertainments offered at the Rex was dining (the Rex Grille, which also offered floorshows), bars, a dancing ballroom, duckpin bowling (65 lanes), roller skating, pool (30 tables), and Turkish baths. There were five banquet halls; banquets, wedding receptions, and other events were held there. The Rex Center constituted an important part of Lowell social life in the mid 20th century; the Lowell Sun described it as "one of Lowell's landmark spots" and "the sports and dining showplace of Lowell".The Rex Arena in the center seated 1,000 or 2,000 and hosted boxing matches, and also wrestling matches (featuring appearances by Jim Londos, Ed "Strangler" Lewis, The French Angel, Man Mountain Dean, Dropkick Murphy, Bull Curry and many others), particularly after the older Crescent Rink on Hurd Street burned down. Semi-pro basketball games were played there, and the Harlem Globetrotters appeared there.The Rex Center burned down on June 25, 1960. The huge fire raged out of control for several hours, and of the more than 300 firefighters from Lowell and 14 other towns, sixteen were injured. The derelict building was torn down in 1971 and replaced with a parking lot. Wang Laboratories built a training center at the site in 1984, which in 1990 was purchased by Middlesex Community College and is now used as its Lowell campus.

Pawtucket Canal
Pawtucket Canal

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