Following David McCormick's death, the company passed to his son, John J. McCormick. John J. McCormick was born in Holyoke in March 1891, attended Sacred Heart Grammar School, graduated from Holyoke High School in 1908, and furthered his education at Williston Academy. He graduated with a degree in engineering at Cornell University.
Prior to David McCormick's death, the company changed its name to David McCormick & Son in early 1911. It continued to advertise services as designers and builders of monuments and mausoleums, using granite, freestone, and marble. The company offered services in lettering monuments and other stonework. The company continued to supply cut stone to building contractors erecting various buildings for use as tenements, by colleges, and for factories and homeowners.
John J. D. McCormick served as a member and chairman of the Holyoke Board of Appeals and, similarly, of the municipal Gas and Electric Commission.
David McCormick & Son advertised as the largest retail manufacturer of memorials in Western Massachusetts. This included production of statuary, mausoleums, crosses, tablets, fonts, and sarcophagi.
Here are some of the major projects where David McCormick & Son were awarded contracts:
1911- M. J. Walsh contractor, Snowden tenement block, Beacon Ave.- cut stone work
1911- Mrs. J. J. O'Connor tenement block, Hampden St. at Miller Ave.- cut stone work
1911- Holyoke Water Works- 100 boundary monuments
1912- D. J. Toomey, apartment block, Chestnut between Essex & Cabot Sts.- cut stone work
1912- Japanese Tissue Mills, new factory building, Winter St.- cut stone work
1912- National Equipment Co., Springfield, new factory- cut stone work
1912- Beckwith & Pike, Pittsfield, building- cut stone work
1912- Int'l Y.M.C.A., Springfield, new building- cut stone work
1912- Albert Steiger, Springfield- residence- cut stone work
1912- Charles U. Roy, Main St., Holyoke, apartment block- cut stone work
1912- Second Congregational Church, Holyoke- granite base for the new fence around the property
1912- Bijou Theater, Main St., Holyoke- new theater building- cut stone work
1912- Casper Ranger Contractor for Dietz Baking Co., Commercial St., Holyoke- cut stone work
1912- Casper Ranger Contractor for new Thos. Childs building, High St., Holyoke- cut stone work
1913- Lynch Bros. Brick Co., new Holyoke High School and Gymnasium, Pine St.- Ohio sandstone
1914- Treffle Beaudoin & Alexander Beauregard, 5-story block, Appleton/Wanut Sts.- cut stone work
1914- Flint Bldg. & Construction Contractors, Manchester, N.H., new business block- cut stone work
1914- St. Peter's Church, Slavic Hall, Westfield, MA- cut stone work
1914- Mt. Holyoke College, S. Hadley, Alumni Bldg. & Skinner Recreation Bldg.- cut stone work
1914- A. L. Green, Appleton St., Holyoke- brownstone wall
1914- Holyoke Supply Co., new Knights of Columbus Bldg., Suffolk/Chestnut Sts.- cut stone work
1915- Late Chicopee mayor, Frank A. Rivers, Notre Dame Cemetery, S. Hadley- Barre Granite monument
1915- Whiting Street Bldg., Main St., Holyoke- retouching the stone front face
1915- P. J. Kennedy & Co. for James Baker, new Strand Theater bldg., Maple St.- cut stone work
1916- P. J. Kennedy & Co. for Nonotuck Paper Co. (AWPCo)- building addition- cut stone work
1918- Thomas Dillon Est., St. Jerome Cemetery- 20' Westerly Stone Exedra monument, statue base, and steps
1922- Yale University, New Haven, CT, new forestry building- furnish brownstone or Longmeadow sandstone from the Marra Quarry in East Longmeadow
1927- Hadley Falls Trust, Suffolk St., Holyoke- the entire building's stonework: Indiana Limestone
1930- Merrick Lumber Co., Appleton St., Holyoke- cut through 4' thick granite wall for a showroom window to display rustic garden furniture
1930- H. B. Lawrence School, new building- cut stonework (2nd lowest bid but was selected as a Holyoke contractor with an excellent performance reputation and using Holyoke labor)
1931- Mt. Holyoke College, S. Hadley, new Science Building- East Longmeadow brown sandstone
1932- Soldiers' Field (now Crosier Field), Northampton St., foundation and brownstone Ives Memorial drinking fountain
1934- Mt. Holyoke College, S. Hadley, Williston Memorial Library addition- 15,000 feet of East Longmeadow brownstone
1935- Scott Tower, Holyoke- inscribed boulder honoring Walter Scott's donation of land in 1923 for the park and philanthropies to Holyoke
1937- Pennsylvania Railroad Station, Harrisburg, PA- carload of Longmeadow brownstone
In 1931, the company purchased the Longmeadow brownstone quarry located in East Longmeadow. It was at this location that stone was quarried to be cut to architects' specifications at its Appleton Street plant.
In 1933, there were plans advanced to construct a new post office building in Holyoke. Postal officials decided to use Indiana limestone as a building material instead of using the local East Longmeadow stone. The mayors of three cities, Holyoke's Henry J. Toepfort, Springfield's Dwight R. Winter, and Chicopee's Anthony J. Stonina, signed on to a petition with 2,522 local residents to reconsider the use of stone from David McCormick & Son's quarry. George P. B. Alderman, the building's architect, advised that the Indiana stone would be unsuitable in the New England climate.
The local stone was superior to the Indiana stone, and using local stone would create local jobs, as area workers were struggling to find employment during the Great Depression. On January 3, 1934. John J. D. McCormick was notified by the Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, L. W. Roberts, Jr., that the postal service was following through with its plan to use Indiana stone.
A similar situation occurred in 1935, when the architect's plans called for limestone for the new Soldiers' (War) Memorial Building. An attempt to change to brownstone in keeping with the appearance across from the Second Congregational Church was unsuccessful.
In 1938, John J. D. McCormick announced he would close his stone-cutting shop at the southeast corner of Appleton and Winter Streets, consolidating operations at his quarry in East Longmeadow. His decision was hastened when the Holyoke Department of Public Works (DPW) bypassed his apparent low bid on a project in favor of a higher bidder. Despite considerable public protest, the DPW did not alter its decision. Mr. McCormick continued operating at the out-of-city quarry into the 1950s.
John J. D. McCormick continued as Chairman of the Board and owner of McCormick Longmeadow Stone Co. in East Longmeadow until his passing in 1965. The plant continued to operate until closing in 1971. As noted throughout this story, the McCormick family's stone companies played a significant role in numerous construction projects in Holyoke and beyond over their 86-year history.
Citations:
Newspapers.com (paid subscription): Citations: Holyoke (Massachusetts) Transcript & Transcript-Telegram; Springfield (Massachusetts) Republican; publication dates and pages are shown.
Ancestry.com (paid subscription): Genealogy Records and Price & Lee, Holyoke, Massachusetts, City Directories
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