Having a Whale of a Time in New Bedford, Part II

From Dave Brigham:

I wrapped up the first installment of this series about New Bedford at the former New Bedford Textile School, located at the corner of Maxfield and Purchase streets, just north of downtown (see June 8, 2024, "Having a Whale of a Time in New Bedford, Part I"). In this segment, I will cover a landlocked lighthouse, some art galleries, a few ghost signs and murals, plenty of great architecture and much more.

Let's start with the unusual lighthouse situated in the neck of a wine bottle-shaped piece of land bounded by Hill, Mill and Summer streets (the address is 153 Grand Army of the Republic Highway, aka U.S. Route 6).

Providing a nice anchor to what is known as Peter Francisco Square, the lighthouse is made of stone, wood and metal, I believe, with glass windows around the top. Built by the Works Progress Administration in 1935-36, it was moved to this spot in 1982. As for the location, Peter Francisco Square is one of several monuments in this country and The Azores constructed in memory of a native-born Portuguese soldier who became a hero of the American Revolutionary War, according to the Peter Francisco Society.

As for the lighthouse, I don't believe it ever served to warn sailors about rocky shores. According to a comment on the Living New Deal web site, "The original location of this 'lighthouse' was nowhere near the water. It was located about six block (sic) up from the waterfront in the parking lot of City Hall. It was moved from there when the bus station was built. I can remember as a child in the 1960’s, going to City Hall with my mother, and there was a man sitting up in the lighthouse who would pount (sic) out where empty parking spaces were."

I love that.

As I walked past a building at the corner of Pleasant and Elm streets, I noticed a shuttered building, and thought, "Meh, doesn't look like much." But then my backside brain kicked in, telling me, "That may be so. But what did it used to be?" And so I made a photo.

This place, which was most recently home to the Quarter Deck Lounge, was built in 1896 as the William Cronin Harness Factory, according to MACRIS. My backside brain always knows...."Little information is available on the propietors of this city business other than, William Cronin, the leasee (sic) and builder later went into business under the name of The Standard Motor Car Company," MACRIS continues. I'm guessing the building was converted to an automobile garage at some point.

Just up the street is the John Duff Building, aka the Odd Fellows Building.

Currently home to a Consulate of Portugal office and I'm not sure what else, the Romanesque Revival Duff Building was built in 1889 as the Odd Fellows Building. "Aside from the Odd Fellow's (sic) meeting rooms, several businesses had offices there and the fifth floor had the largest banquet hall in New Bedford," according to MACRIS. "Many of New Bedford society's functions were held there. The expense of the building proved too much for the Odd Fellow's (sic) Building Association and they sold it after mortgage default to the estate of Samuel C. Hart. Harriet Hart Gillman purchased the building in 1898 for $29,000. It was then sold to John Duff in 1913. In 1934-5 under the supervision of Mr. Duff, the entire fifth floor was taken off and the roof leveled, tarred and graveled. Much of the ornate stonework and arches were also eliminated along with the iron balconies."

Well, that's an architectual bummer. Duff's children eventually sold the building to Merchants National Bank.

Across Mechanics Lane from the Odd Fellows Building is Biltmore Liquors, which, if a Roaring Twenties-era New Bedford resident visited today, might leave that guy thinking he was seeing pink elephants.

"This structure was originally built prior to 1860 on the south west (sic) corner of Pleasant Street and Mechanics Lane. After the Great Fire of 1859 it housed (in 1860) the city's first steam powered (sic) fire engine 'Onward No. one.' It is not known when the structure was moved to its present site, it is known that it was at its original site in 1859. In 1935, owner Max Levy had the third and second floors removed. This structure at its present site once housed the Hathaway, Soule and Harrington Shoe Factory and later on the F.H. Sargent Electro-Plating Co. The entire east side of this city block housed motor car sales, repair and supply concerns during the turn of the century."

Attached to the rear of that property is 17 Mechanics Lane, which has one of the better historic names I've come across in 14 years of operating this blog: Octave Susini Tonsorial Parlor and Beauty Salon.

From MACRIS: "In 1924 Octave Susini applied for a building permit for David Susini, Esquire, to erect a two story brick building. City Water Records show that Mr. Susini received water service in 1925 - to service his beauty salon and tonsorial parlor on the first floor and barber shop on the second story."

In the 1960s and 1970s, this space was occupied by a series of bars, including Anesti's Lane Tavern, Jimmy Connors Tavern and The Topsider Lounge. I'm not sure what, if anything, is located here now.

Next I scooted one block south to the cobblestoned William Street, where I was enchanted by two art galleries.

The Alison Wells Fine Art Studio & Gallery (top photo), which is located in a small annex, and the Paradise McFee Studio (bottom image) are located directly behind the New Bedford Art Museum.

Around the corner on Purchase Street, I spied the Rite-Aid building, and asked myself, "What the heck did you used to be?"

The answer to my question: a Kresge Five and Ten Cents Store. Built in 1935, the store was part of the Kresge department-store chain. In May 2022, I wrote about another store in the chain, this one located in Waltham, Mass. Here's what I cribbed from a Roadside Architecture profile of the company: "Sebastian Spering Kresge opened his first five and dime store in Detroit in 1899. At that point, he was partnering with J.G. McCrory. He also opened other stores with his brother. In 1912, the S.S. Kresge Company was established with 85 stores. By 1938, there were 742 stores. In 1977, the company changed its name to the Kmart Corporation."

At the rear of the building there are located King of Kings Christian Church and the affiliated WFHL radio station. While the Rite-Aid was open when I visited last fall, it has since been shuttered.

On the rear of the aforementioned former William Cronin Harness Factory there is a beautiful mural promoting different facets of New Bedford's history and modern life.

Created by Superflat NB, the work was done by several artists. It features different postcard-type paintings of nautical scenes, different creatures, one artist's great-grandmother, retro lettering and, most poignantly, a commemoration of Cape Verdean teenager Lester Lima, who was killed in July 1970 during rioting in the city.

On the corner of Acushnet Avenue and Middle Street, there is a nicely restored ghost sign.

Located on the rear of the Slocum Building, which was built in 1908 and originally housed a furniture store, the old sign advertised The New Bedford Times newspaper. In 1934, the Times merged with The New Bedford Standard to form The Standard-Times, which is still in business today.

From there I headed south on Acushnet Avenue and its quaint cobblestones, where I spied a very faded ghost sign.

This advertisement touted N.P. Hayes Company, which was a hardware store in New Bedford. This sign could be more than 100 years old.

On the corner of Acushnet Avenue and William Street is Carter's Clothing, which is not affiliated with the kids' clothing store chain of the same name.

Established in 1947, the store is located in a gorgeous building that dates to 1887.

On the west-facing wall of Freestone's City Grill (which I will get to in a moment), is a stunning work of art depicting the Fifty-fourth Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment, which was the first military unit consisting of Black soldiers to be raised in the North during the Civil War.

Recruiting for the Fifty-fourth began in Boston in February 1863, and three months later, the regiment was comprised of 1,000 enlisted men and a full complement of white officers. "On February 12, 1863, forty-six New Bedford residents answered the call to serve their country and fight against slavery," according to this New Bedford Historical Society web site. "The recruiting office was located just west of the U.S. Customs House (in Boston) where many prominent abolitionist figures including Frederick Douglass, James Bunker Congdon, Wendell Phillips and others promoted its efforts."

Painted by artist Jared Bader, the mural depicts scenes of recruitment, training camp, the Battle of Fort Wagner and soldiers returning to their families. The work was dedicated in 2015.

As for Freestone's, it has been in business in a historic former bank since 1979, under various owners.

From MACRIS: "The Citizen's National Bank was organized in 1875 and the private banking house of Beauvais and Co. was transferred to it....The bank originally occupied quarters on the east side of Water Street just north of Centre Street. In 1891 the bank moved into this building which it had built. The Citizen's Bank remained here until 1899 when the bank was liquidated for the purpose of uniting with the Mechanic's National Bank. The building was occupied in part by the Automatic Telephone Company in the early years of [last] century."

The Freestone's web site picks up the story, which gets a little spicier. "The Citizens’ National Bank eventually moved on, and the building would be used for banking and warehousing before beginning its restaurant and bar career. First came the famed Haskell’s Cafe, complete with Go-Go Girls, in cages, then the Pequod Lounge."

Well, alrighty then!

There are so many great old buildings in this part of the city, but as usual, my time was a bit tight. My next stop was the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center along Bethel Street.

The Center, which "is dedicated to preserving and presenting the story of the fishing industry past, present, and future through exhibits, programs, and archives," is located in a wonderful circa-1880 building.

Around the corner, on North Water Street, is a lovely little building that's currently occupied by Haven Realty.

This is the back half of the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center building. Prior to the realtor's office, this place was occupied by Smithwick and Mariners Insurance, which is now located around the corner. As for the building, it looks as though as some point it was used as a service garage or perhaps a stable.

Across the street is the absolutely stunning Rodman Candleworks building (my photo doesn't do it justice).

Built in 1810 for Samuel Rodman, this Federal-style building was used to make candles until around the time of the Civil War. "New Bedford was a prime location for the candle industry because of its connection to whaling," according to this National Park Planner web page. "The brightest candles were made from spermaceti, a liquid found in massive quantities inside the skull of a Sperm Whale. Spermaceti was brought in by the barrel on a regular basis and offloaded on the docks just across the street from Rodman’s factory."

The building was converted to a warehouse before laying empty. Following a fire in the early 1960s, the building was rehabbed. It is currently home to a branch of Bristol County Savings Bank, Carmine's at Candleworks and perhaps other businesses.

Along Hamilton Street, I was equally as taken by the backside of New Bedford Ship Supply.

The supply company is located in a tight grouping of old buildings dating from the late-18th through the late-19th centuries. The assessor's office indicates that this one is from 1880.

Along Front Street, looking out over piers and boatyards, there are two absolutely adorable old buildings that have been converted to restaurants.

Rose Alley Ale House is a bar/restaurant/live music venue. I haven't found out much about this place, other than it dates to 1929. It looks like it was a workshop of some sort, which is exactly what its neighbor once was.

Cork Wine & Tapas, which also hosts live music, is located in a nearly 200-year-old building known alternately as the Joseph Taber Pump and Block Factory and New England Boiler Repair and Welding Company, according to MACRIS. In the photo below, you can see a ghost sign for the latter company.

After shooting those two places, I looked up Centre Street and my eyes jumped out of my head.

That's another Superflat NB masterpiece, known as JazzWall New Bedford. Designed by local artist Kat Knutsen, it was sponsored by Fiber Optic Center, Inc., Whaling City Sound and the New Bedford Historical Society, according to this New Bedford Guide article from July 21, 2020. The mural "celebrates jazz musicians who have made a lasting impact on the city and its inhabitants," according to the article. "It features Rick Britto, Armsted Christian, Paul Gonsalves, Bobby Greene, Herbie King, and Joe Livramento.

The mural is located on the side of the Fiber Optic Center, which is a consulting firm located in the circa-1820 John Harrison Building.

Over the years, the building housed a painting business, an ice plant and cold storage facility and, as you can see in the sign above, a beef and provisions business. I like that the Fiber Optic Center kept the old sign.

Heading west, away from the water, I dug the architectural details from the old building housing the New Bedford Whaling Museum.

Zoom in above the window to the left, where you should be able to read "NEW ENGLAND COTTON YARN CO." That company was formed in 1898 as a holding company for several outfits, under the ownership of Kidder Peabody & Company, a Boston-based bank. "The enterprise was a failure," according to this Whaling Museum document, "and the several mills were sold one by one, and, for the most part, converted into cloth mills."

The penultimate stop on this leg of the journey is the former home of a business that closed in 2019 after operating for more than 100 years.

Kruger Brothers were ship chandlers, which means they sold provisions, equipment and other supplies to local boaters. The shop closed in 2019 and there is talk of a -- wait for it -- seafood restaurant opening here.

The final shot isn't a great one, but it presents a nice juxtaposition of new ideas and old.

I assume that bubble was installed outside Cultivator Shoals during the pandemic, as a way to offer safer dining. The restaurant is located inside the Benjamin Taber House, which dates to 1792, per the eatery's web site.

Make sure to check back for the third and final part of my New Bedford series, which will feature a lot of great architecture, a beautiful chapel, a cool whaling sculpture, some nice tile entryways and much more.