Oddfellows Building

The Oddfellows Building is a historic mixed-use commercial building at Central Square in Stoneham, Massachusetts. Built in 1868, it is one of three Second Empire buildings that give downtown Stoneham its character, despite some exterior alterations. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984,[1] and was included in the Central Square Historic District in 1990.[2]

Oddfellows Building
Oddfellows Building
Oddfellows Building is located in Massachusetts
Oddfellows Building
Oddfellows Building is located in the United States
Oddfellows Building
LocationCentral Square, Stoneham, Massachusetts
Coordinates42°28′51″N 71°5′59″W
Arealess than one acre
Built1868 (1868)
Architectural styleSecond Empire
Part ofCentral Square Historic District (ID89002277)
MPSStoneham MRA
NRHP reference No.84002765[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPApril 13, 1984
Designated CPJanuary 17, 1990

Description and history
The building on an early-20th-century postcard

Stoneham's Oddfellows Building stands prominently facing the town's main square, at the northeast corner of the square with Franklin Street. It is a 2+1⁄2-story wood-frame building, with a dormered mansard roof providing a full third floor. Its square-facing facade originally had two storefronts, now combined into one, with entrances at angled corners. Another commercial space occupies a ground-floor space facing Franklin Street near the rear of the block. The exterior of the building is finished in stucco, possibly over original clapboards. The roof is finished in patterned slate, and has an embellished cornice. The roof dormers are generally topped by gables with partial returns and brackets; that at center of the main facade is more elaborate, including the carved date 1878.[3]

The Second Empire style building was constructed in 1868 by Isaac Hersam, and is one of three such buildings dating to the mid-19th century that give the town's Central Square its character. It was acquired by a consortium of related Oddfellows organizations in 1878, and housed retail operations on the ground floor, and the Oddfellows meeting space above.[4]

See also

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
  2. "MACRIS inventory record for Odd Fellows Building". Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved January 26, 2014.
  3. "NRHP nomination for Oddfellows Building". National Archive. Retrieved October 26, 2017.
  4. "NRHP nomination for Central Square Historic District". Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
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