DOORS OPEN LOWELL 2009
BUILDING SCHEDULE

Please click on name of building to see a detailed history.

Thursday, May 14

Opening Reception and Awards Presentation (5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.)

Lowell National Historical Park

Boott Cotton Mills Museum

115 John Street

Join Lowell National Historical Park and the City of Lowell at this event celebrating the opening of Doors Open Lowell and acknowledgement of excellence in cultural heritage and historic preservation.  NOTE:  Please RSVP to Cheryl Clark at 978-275-1700, or email Cheryl_Clark@nps.gov by May 7.

Progressive Dinner & Live Jazz Night (6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.)

Various restaurants, Downtown Lowell Historic District

Doors Open Lowell starts early this year with a special “progressive dinner” where you can celebrate spring in style with international cuisine, live jazz, and heritage talks in downtown Lowell.  Sample delicious appetizers, entrees, and desserts at featured restaurants.  Discover local architecture with National Park architect Chuck Parrott (7:00 at the Bon Marche Building/155 Merrimack Street and 8:00 at the corner of Palmer & Middle Streets) and one of Jack Kerouac’s former haunts with Paul Marion (8:30 outside Ricardos’s/110 Gorham Street) during these brief 15-minute talks.  More information on the Progressive Dinner can be found at www.cultureiscool.org.  NOTE:  restaurants are responsible for their own menus and prices as part of this event.

Friday, May 15 (6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.)

1.  Dutton Yarn Building

305 Dutton Street

Built in 1923 by the Saco-Lowell Shops, this reinforced-concrete former industrial building has been rehabilitated into apartments.  See how the building’s industrial features including large steel sash windows, concrete, and soaring interior spaces have been used to create unique residences in Lowell.

2.  Bennett Building

269 Dutton Street

Discover the Queen Anne style Bennett Building built in 1888 and the residences found in this historic structure.

3.  Whistler House Museum of Art

243 Worthen Street

Originally built ca. 1825, this wood-frame Federal/Greek Revival building was built as the residence for the Lowell Machine Shop’s agent.  Best known as the birthplace of artist James McNeil Whistler, the home was acquired by the Lowell Art Association in 1908. 

4.  Market Gallery

181 Market Street

The Italianate style J.C. Ayer Company Laboratory (1858) has been converted into residential lofts, gallery, and retail space.  See how this former patent medicine company building has been reborn for residential use.

5.  Birke Building

61 Market Street

Explore the C.B. Coburn Building (ca. 1874) and the L.M. Andrews Building (ca. 1878), more commonly known as the former Birke’s Department Store.  See how the building has been converted into new commercial and residential use.

6.  Trio

30 Market Street

The Hamilton Manufacturing Company was incorporated in 1825, the second of Lowell’s original ten large textile corporations.  See how their Italianate style former dye house (1883) has been redeveloped for residential use.

7.  Old Lowell National Bank

88 Prescott Street

The Old Lowell National Bank building was built ca. 1920 in the Classical Revival style.  See how the building,  

as well as the adjacent Greek Revival Spaulding Building (ca. 1845), has been rehabilitated for residential use. 

8.  Fairburn Building

10 Kearney Square

The Victorian Fairburn Building (ca. 1892) has been converted into residential lofts as well as rehabilitated commercial space.  Discover the building’s rebirth and visit a unit containing one of the foremost private collections of Lowell patent medicine memorabilia.

Saturday, May 16 (11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.)

9. National Streetcar Museum

25 Shattuck Street

Built in 1886, the Queen Anne style Mack Building was originally home to W.A. Mack and Company, a manufacturer and dealer in cast iron stoves, architectural elements, fences, and other metal products.  NOTE:  Site is open from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

10.  Masonic Temple

79 Dutton Street

Built ca. 1928 as Lowell’s Masonic Temple, the building serves the same use today.  Learn about the Masons and view several meeting rooms as you tour this Classical Revival structure.  Doors Open XTRA

11.  St. Anne’s Church

227 Merrimack Street

Completed in 1825, this Gothic Revival church dates from Lowell’s earliest period of development and originally provided public worship for the mill girls.  Discover the fascinating history of the church and significant interior artifacts including several Tiffany stained glass windows.

12.  Boott Cotton Mills – West Mill

130 John Street

The Boott millyard is one of the most historic and architecturally significant millyards in the United States, having been constructed in phases between 1835 and the early 20^th century.  Discover old spaces transformed into office space and new residential development. 

13.  Boott Cotton Mills – Mill No. 6

115 John Street

Built in 1871 in the Italianate style, see how Mill No. 6 in the Boott millyard has been transformed into Lowell National Historical Park’s Boott Cotton Mills Museum.  NOTE:  Site is open from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. 

14.  St. Paul’s Church

34 Hurd Street

See how the Greek Revival style former St. Paul’s Church (1839) is being transformed for use by the United Teen Equality Center (UTEC).

15.  Loft 27

27 Jackson Street

The Hamilton Manufacturing Company was incorporated in 1825, the second of Lowell’s original ten large textile corporations.  See how Mill No. 7, built between 1911 and 1919, has been converted into residential use.

16.  Marston Building 

155 Middlesex Street

See how the Queen Anne style Marston Building (1889) has been rehabilitated for new residential and commercial spaces.

17.  Davis & Sargent Building  *New in 2009*

585 Middlesex Street

Built ca. 1880, this Italianate style building was originally home to the Davis & Sargent Company, a manufacturer of custom millwork and wooden boxes.  Discover how sustainable design and historic preservation was successfully combined at Lowell’s first LEED certified “green” building that is now home to Nobis Engineering.  Doors Open XTRA

18.  Western Avenue Studios   

122 Western Avenue

This complex of mill buildings built between 1890 and 1940 has historically been home to many industrial uses including the Massachusetts Mohair Plush Company.  See how portions of the millyard are being reused in exciting and creative ways by the artists of Western Avenue Studios.  NOTE:  Site is open from 11:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Saturday, May 16 (3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.)

19.  Apartments at Boott Mills

141 John Street

The Boott millyard is one of the most historic and architecturally significant millyards in the United States,
having been constructed in phases between 1835 and the early 20th century.  See how mill space has been

 transformed into exciting residential space.

20.  Perkins Place 

Perkins Street @ Cabot Street

Mill No. 12 (1907) and Storehouse No. 14 (1876) in the former Lawrence Manufacturing Company millyard are currently being converted into new residential use.  Discover the ongoing progress during this behind the scenes construction viewing.  Doors Open XTRA

21.  Renaissance on the River

Corner of Perkins and Aiken Streets

The Lawrence Manufacturing Company was chartered in 1831 as one of Lowell’s original ten large textile corporations.  See how portions of the remaining millyard have been converted into residential condominiums.

22.  St. Joseph’s Convent

517 Moody Street

Built in 1911, the former St. Joseph’s Convent was constructed in the Colonial Revival style and is a rare surviving structure from Lowell’s Little Canada neighborhood.  See how the Coalition for a Better Acre has rehabilitated the building for use as their headquarters.

23.  St. Jean Baptiste Church  *New in 2009*

741 Merrimack Street

Discover the Romanesque Revival former St. Jean Baptiste/Nuestra Senora del Carmen Church, completed in 1896, which has long been a dominant architectural presence on upper Merrimack Street.

24.  St. Joseph’s High School  *New in 2009*

760 Merrimack Street

The former St. Joseph’s High School was built in 1928 in the Romanesque Revival style.  Learn how the Coalition for a Better Acre plans to convert the structure into affordable housing during this pre-construction viewing.  Doors Open XTRA

25.  Franco-American School

357 Pawtucket Street

Originally built as a private residence, the former Frederick Ayer mansion built in 1876 is one of the most ornate buildings in Lowell.  Tour this Second Empire style masterpiece that has been well preserved through its reuse as the Franco-American School.

26.  Spalding House

383 Pawtucket Street

The Georgian style Spalding House, built in 1761, is the third oldest surviving house in Lowell.  Learn about the house’s early history, its connection to Pawtucket Falls, and the Lowell Parks & Conservation Trust’s efforts to preserve the house for future generations.    Doors Open XTRA

27.  Pawtucket Congregational Church

15 Mammoth Road

The Romanesque Revival style Pawtucket Congregational Church was built in 1898 and is the home of an 1812 Revere bell.  Tour the church and learn more about their ongoing stained glass restoration efforts.  Doors Open XTRA

28.  Allen House 

Solomont Way @ Broadway Street (UMass Lowell South Campus)

The Allen House (1854) is one of Lowell’s earliest surviving Italianate residential buildings.  See how UMass Lowell has restored the building for use as the Chancellor's Office and gallery space.  Doors Open XTRA

Sunday, May 17 (10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.)

29.  American Textile History Museum

491 Dutton Street

Located in the former Kitson Machine Shop (1866-1917), this complex houses the country’s foremost museum on textiles and related machinery.  Get a sneak peek of the museum’s new exhibits as they prepare for their grand reopening.