The F.W. Smith Silver Company is a historic factory building at 60 Chestnut Street in Gardner, Massachusetts. It was built in 1892 by Frank W. Smith,[2] who had begun manufacturing sterling silver silverware in 1886. The business continued under a succession of owners until 1958. The building is locally distinguished for its late Victorian commercial style, including a tower with pyramidal roof, and stained glass windows.[3] The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.[1]
F. W. Smith Silver Company | |
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| Location | 60 Chestnut St., Gardner, Massachusetts |
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| Coordinates | 42°34′43″N 71°59′14″W / 42.57861°N 71.98722°W |
| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1892 |
| NRHP reference No. | 79000376[1] |
| Added to NRHP | November 14, 1979 |
The Smith Silver Company building is located in a mainly residential area east of downtown Gardner. It is an L-shaped three story masonry structure, built out of red brick with granite trim. The main section, three stories topped by a square tower, presents a short five-bay facade to the street, and extends toward the back of the lot. A two-story ell, six bays wide, extends to the right. The tower features rich Romanesque detailing, including round-arch windows set in recesses, and is topped by a steeply pitched slate roof capped by a finial in the shape of a knife.[4]
Frank W. Smith was trained as a silversmith by his uncle, William Durgin, and opened his own shop in 1886, making sterling silver flatware.[5] His business grew rapidly, and the present factory was completed in 1892. Smith hired Arthur J. Stone, a Scottish silversmith, as a lead designer and supervisor, and also began producing handcrafted products as well as machine-made ones. Stone left Smith in 1901 to establish his own shop.[6] Silverware produced by the company was sold to Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Grace of Monaco.[6]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
- ^ Encyclopedia of American Silver Manufacturers, 3rd edition revised, Dorothy T. Rainwater, 1986, Schiffer Publishing, West Chester, PA
- ^ "MACRIS inventory record for F. W. Smith Silver Company". Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved 2014-03-21.
- ^ NRHP nomination for F.W. Smith Silver Company; available by requested from the Massachusetts Historical Commission
- ^ "Frank W. Smith Silver Lion Carving Set". Replacements.com. Retrieved 2018-08-19.
- ^ a b "The History of the Silver Smith Industry in Gardner". Gardner Museum. Retrieved 2018-08-19.