Whiting Street Building (Pt.3 1915-1977)

 Over its many years. The Whiting Street estate building was home to many start-up businesses that later moved to larger facilities. Some business and professional operatives remained long-term. This is the final chapter of the story of one of Holyoke’s most prominent commercial buildings.

The Whiting street block had suffered two major fires in 1899 and 1914 and was rebuilt each time. Some of the better years for occupancy occurred between 1915 and 1930. 

Companies such as Affleck Ruling & Binding, American Pad & Paper, Bullard Thread, Plymouth Paper, Hewitt Rubber, Holyoke Worsted Mills, Saxon Machine, Mt. Holyoke Lithia Spring Water, United Paper Box, and Putnam Express spent their formative years in the Whiting Street building.

There were law firms, an architect, and a paper industry executive renting office space, and retail space was available at street level.

In 1921, the building left the Street family when Charles Street Houston sold the property to Edward P. O’Connell and Thomas E. Quirk.

At the height of the Great Depression in the 1930s, occupancy suffered a precipitous decline. Some newcomers enjoyed longevity in the building, including the Royal Paper Company, Nonotuck Cleaners, and Mt. Tom Fire Door Company. From the 1950s through the mid-1960s, there were several vacant spaces in the building.

On May 27, 1977, a massive fire engulfed the building. Hampered by poor water pressure, firefighters valiantly fought the blaze, but the building could not be saved. The land has subsequently been owned by a succession of owners, but has not been developed since. 

Although not as expansive as Holyoke Water Power Company’s Cabot Street Mill complex, used extensively for new business start-ups, the Whiting Street building provided a valuable service with similar opportunities for newly formed businesses. 

Citations:

Newspapers.com (paid subscription): Citations: Holyoke (Massachusetts) Transcript & Transcript-Telegram; Springfield (Massachusetts) Republican; publication dates and pages are shown.

Ancestry.com (paid subscription): Price & Lee Holyoke, Massachusetts, City Directories

Assessors Office, Holyoke Massachusetts

Hampden County Registry of Deeds, Springfield, Massachusetts

The Flatiron Building is prominently shown in the center of this photo (Main & Race Streets). 

The large, light granite building to the left on Main Street is the Whiting Street estate building.

(Outlined in blue) Plot of Land at 28-36 Main Street, where the Whiting Street building once stood.

A 5-year incremental chronology (1915-1964) of Price & Lee Holyoke City Directory 

occupants of the Whiting Street building.