Several of these blog stories have related to small commercial buildings set in the middle of a residential neighborhood. Another such building is a garage-like structure converted into a residence at 259 Sargeant Street. Today's topic is the history of 259 Sargeant Street.
First, here is some historical background. On August 11, 1892, James H. Newton, who owned acres of land along Sargeant Street in the Oakdale section, sold a 100-foot by 100-foot parcel of land to Richard Wagner. The property would later be noted as #259 and #265 Sargeant Street. Mr. Wagner did not hold the property long, as it was sold to entrepreneur Edward Hugo Friedrich on April 1, 1895.
On November 22, 1905, the property was sold back to Richard and Ernestine Wagner. In February 1915, Mr. Friedrich purchased the real estate at a foreclosure auction and then resold it to Cecelia Wagner, another member of the Wagner family.
It was about 1915 that this 100 x 100-foot property was subdivided into two parcels, each with 50 feet of frontage on Sargeant Street. The Wagners lived at 265 Sargeant Street, and the open land would be addressed as #259 Sargeant in 1920.
On February 20, 1920, Cecelia Wagner leased the 259 Sargeant Street parcel to Edwin T. Johnson, who would operate an automobile paint shop. The lease was for a term of three years, and Mr. Johnson could purchase the property at any time before March 1, 1923, for $2,500. In December 1922, Irene Johnson purchased the property. The Leading Auto Paint Shop is shown through the 1925 Holyoke City Directory.
The installation date of the brick addition on the front of the building is unknown. It was not shown on the 1915 Sanborn Map, but appears on the 1949 map.
The Johnsons later sold the property to Frank Stein on October 9, 1925. Mr. Stein was a manufacturer of store fixtures, and used the space for manufacturing and as an office, according to the Price & Lee City Directories. The Steins maintained a retail presence, selling store and office fixtures at 512 High Street. The business was incorporated, and Frank Stein & Sons Inc. owned the property from 1932 to 1959. City Directories indicated the property at 259 Sargeant as a vacant store throughout the Steins' ownership.
On February 2, 1959, the property was sold to James A. Curran, a carpenter who later became a building and demolition contractor. A portion of the property was converted to a residence for his family.
The property gained some notoriety as some St. Patrick's Day floats were constructed and decorated in his shop.
By 1973, Mr. Curran had moved his business to Lyman Street, and he resided in another part of the city. During that year, the city of Holyoke was establishing Team Police Unit sites in various neighborhoods. Team Police Unit Three would serve the upper half of Holyoke from 259 Sargeant Street.
On July 22, 1983, Mr. Curran sold the property to John Tierney and Kathleen (Tierney) Gonsor, father and daughter. Mr. Tierney operated a barbershop in the initial location of Emily and Jenny's restaurant on Sargeant Street at the corner of Beech. When the restaurant moved to a larger space in the same building, Mr. Tierney's barbershop, Mr. T's, rented the vacated restaurant space for his shop.
Kathleen (Tierney) Gonsor moved her dance studio to 259 Sargeant St. Kathy's Dance Studio remained there for 20 years until 2003. Ruth van Erp, a screen printing and stained glass artist, purchased the property in 2004. It has since been transferred to a new owner for continued residential use.
Citations:
Newspapers.com (paid subscription): Citations: Holyoke (Massachusetts) Transcript & Transcript-Telegram; publication dates and pages are shown.
Ancestry.com (paid subscription), Price & Lee City Directories, Holyoke, Massachusetts.
Assessors' Office, City of Holyoke, Massachusetts
Registry of Deeds, Hampden County, Springfield, Massachusetts
Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System (MACRIS), Secretary of the Commonwealth, Boston, MA
1911 Richard's Atlas of the City of Holyoke, MA
1973 View of 259 Sargeant Street with the garage bay door
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