Skirting a Superfund Site to See Some Ruins

From Dave Brigham:

Located in a "four corners" area where Acton, Sudbury and Maynard meet with the southwest corner of Concord, Powder Mill Woods Conservation Area is a peaceful little oasis with an explosive past.

Nestled between residential developments, the Thoreau Club (about which more below) and a Superfund site (also about which more below), Powder Mill Woods is the latest tucked-away area of intrigue I've explored in Concord (see April 20, 2024, "More Military Relics in the Home of the American Revolution" and December 4, 2012, "Concord, Part I: Old Rifle Range").

"The area has a 100-year history of gunpowder manufacture, the depressions in the landscape ideal for protecting individual buildings," according to the Town of Concord's Powder Mill Woods Trail Guide. "Trails follow 19th-century cart paths and narrow gauge railroad beds once used to move materials among separate buildings of the production process."

I knew from looking at the trail guide ahead of time that I'd stumble across the twisted rails shown below, but I still was pleasantly surprised.

"These narrow-gauge rails are relics of a railroad used by the American Powder Mills and other gunpowder manufacturing companies that once operated here," according to a sign posted next to this display of gnarled metal. "Horse-drawn rail-mounted carriages hauled materials on the railroad from as early as 1880 until at least 1913."

There are other small remnants spread throughout the woods.

As I strolled along, I was aware of fences and "No Trespassing" signs along the northern perimeter. That's because between the conservation area and Main Street, there is the Nuclear Metals, Inc., site. "The Nuclear Metals, Inc. site – also known as the Starmet Corporation site – is located on a 46-acre parcel in Concord, Massachusetts," according to this U.S. Environmental Protection Agency web site. "Nuclear Metals made depleted uranium products, primarily for armor-piercing ammunition. It also manufactured metal powders for medical applications, photocopiers, and specialty metal products such as beryllium tubing used in the aerospace industry. From 1958 to 1985, waste was discharged into an unlined holding basin. Facility operations contaminated soil and groundwater with hazardous chemicals. Following immediate actions to protect human health and the environment, the site’s long-term cleanup is ongoing."

I'm not sure what will become of the site once it has been cleaned up entirely.

I knew from the trail guide that there were ruins in the area, so I kept tromping until I found them.

Gunpowder production began on this site in 1835. "At its peak, production involved forty buildings scattered throughout the 400-acre area in Acton, Concord, Maynard, and Sudbury," according to the trail guide. "The mills produced 1,000 lbs. (450 kg) of gunpowder per day during the American Civil War."

"Ruins of these buildings and the roads between them can still be found in the land along Forest Ridge Road, both sides of Route 62, and in the Thoreau Club property. Remnants of a large concrete building can be seen beside the old roadbed that passes through the northeast corner of the Thoreau Club land."

Those concrete ruins are what I photographed here.

Nearby I checked out some cabins associated with the Thoreau Club's summer camp.

The club was founded in 1951 by Clifford and Dorothy Pulis. The camp "was the fulfillment of a dream to create a day camp where they could share their love of nature, the outdoors and their camping expertise," per the club's web site. "Incorporating their own wilderness camping experiences and a quote from Henry David Thoreau’s Walden, 'Every morning an opportunity to make life of equal simplicity with nature,' the...Pulis team created a unique camp environment that captured the feeling of the deep woods of Maine in rural Concord, MA."

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

From Dave Brigham:

Welcome to the third and final installment of my series on New Bedford, a one-time whaling port located on the Acushnet River in southeastern Massachusetts (see Part II here and Part I here). In this post I will discuss more great historic buildings, an old bank that's been turned into a music venue, a beautiful chapel, a sculpted monument to the whaling industry, and much more.

This leg of the journey starts at The Cozy Crib, a spa offering hair, nail and waxing services - and a neat piece of New Bedford's history on the exterior of its building.

While the business is located in a handsome, circa-1915 building and I'm sure it provides excellent service, what caught my eye was the interesting feature on the side wall: a gigantic tea kettle.

The copper kettle, which has been dated to before 1850, was recently restored and attached to this building at 1 Johnny Cake Hill. The city used $12,000 in Community Preservation Act funds to refurbish the kettle, which over the decades has been showcased on several buildings in New Bedford, according to this South Coast Today article.

Heading west on Union Street, I decided to make a photo juxtaposing an old New Bedford building with a future one.

Built in 1865, the brick building to the left is known as the Moby Dick Chandler Building. As part of the construction project evidenced by the rising elevator tower on the right side of the photo, the Moby Dick building will be restored. The project will feature 45 units of mixed-income housing, including 14 studio apartments, 21 one-bedroom apartments and 10 two-bedroom apartments, according to this article from The Standard-Times. There will also be approximately 3,500 square feet of ground-floor retail space.

A "chandler" is a dealer of provisions for ships. Moby Dick, of course, was written by Herman Melville, who spent time on a whaling ship that sailed out of New Bedford.

Around the corner from the new development, along Acushnet Avenue, I spied a great and greatly appropriate mural, next to Wing's Court, a pocket park located where the former Wing's Department store once stood.

The ship mural was painted by artist Greg Pennisten of Pawtucket, Rhode Island, and is titled, "Winds of Change," according to this article from The Providence Journal. I'm not sure whether the milk-carton art is related.

Along William Street, in the Rite-Aid building I mentioned in the second New Bedford post, is a storefront church that goes by the name of King of Kings Christian Church.

Next, I headed south on Purchase Street, where I saw a former bank that's been converted to a music hall and pub.

The Vault is located in the former New Bedford Five Cent Savings Bank building, which dates to 1891.

Across an alley is a Family Dollar outlet, which is located in a great building that dates to 1884 (or 1914 - you choose between the assessor and MACRIS).

From MACRIS: "The Saltmarsh store has been the location of various merchants for many years. The original proprietor of the building was Steiger-Dudgeon Co., a dry goods store. Steiger-Dudgeon occupied the building from 1914 until 1932. Charles H. Cox who had previously been employed by Steiger-Dudgeon purchased the business in 1932. The Cox Company was in existence until 1937. In 1937 a large New England based chain of department store known as 'Lincoln Stores' opened for business in the building. The firm closed their doors in 1961. In 1964 Robert C. Saltmarsh bought the property which included the old Steiger-Dudeon (sic) Building from the trustees of the Maria T. UpJohn (sic) Estate. Mr. Saltmarsh opened his bookstore the very same year. Prior to the opening of the Saltmarsh store, Mr. Saltmarsh operated Hutchinson's Book Store located on Union Street."

Directly across the street is the Bristol Building. I was captivated by the old tile entryway for what I believe was a Kay Jeweler's store.

This space is currently occupied by Hewn, which calls itself a non-binary boutique. As for the Bristol Building, it dates to 1914.

Back on Union Street, I really dug the three buildings below.

I will discuss the building on the left below. In the middle is the Phinney Building, which rose in 1915. From MACRIS: "Seth J. Besse built this structure in 1915 and named it after his wife's maiden name (Clara Phinney). It was used as an office building with a ground floor storefront. Mr. Besse was the president of The New Bedford Textiles Company - and was active in the business community until his death in 1939."

On the right is the circa-1913 New Bedford Dry Goods Building, also known as Star Men's Clothing Store.

Below is a shot from a different angle of the other building in the above trio: the Star Store.

I love that the name of the store is carved into the facade. These three buildings were erected at different times and were once all part of the same business. "The New Bedford Dry Goods Company opened the Star Store at 715 Purchase Street at the corner of Union Street in 1844," according to this WBSM article. "As New Bedford grew, so grew the Star Store." In 1969, Boston-based department-store chain Gorin's acquired the Star Store. In 1983, Almy purchased the store from Gorin's, but two years later the outlet closed.

The City of New Bedford acquired the building in 1995, and shortly thereafter signed a 20-year lease with the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, which operated its College of Visual and Performing Arts there. Unfortunately, last fall the campus closed in a funding dispute, according to the WBSM article. I'm not sure what the plan is for the building.

At 555 Pleasant Street is the Standard Times Newspaper Building.

I made that photo because I like the simplicity of the Cafe Italia awning. Little did I know that the restaurant closed back in 2022. As for the building, here's what my old friend MACRIS has to say: "The four story building was built in 1894 by the Pleasant Street Trust Co....In 1954 the site was sold to E. Anthony & Sons by Mrs. Basil (Mary C.) Brewer. The Standard, under E. Anthony and Sons purchased the Union For Good Works (later Boys Club) in order to house its expanding operations. The original building had equal frontage on Market and Pleasant Sts (sic). The present site is half the size of the original due to the widening of Pleasant St. in 1923 & 1925. A fifth story was added in 1912 along with the building to its South."

In between the the police department and Our Lady's Chapel (which I will discuss below), I made a photo of Sears Court, assuming it was named for a local outlet of the nearly-defunct retail chain. There may have been a Sears in downtown New Bedford at some point, but this little alleyway is named for a local denizen.

"Sears' Court, as originally named, runs from Purchase to Pleasant Streets, an area formerly called Cheapside," according to this Digital Commonwealth photo description of a house that no longer stands. "The New Bedford Five Cent Savings Bank (site of the aforementioned Vault) occupies the land where this house stood....[F]ronting on Purchase Street...was the home of the late Willard Sears. Willard Sears once operated a tannery on the south of Sears' Court."

Cool. If you want to know more about Cheapside, check this out.

Now, let's talk about Our Lady's Chapel.

With an absolute stunner of a facade, the chapel really stands out amid the old commercial blocks and the rather staid library across the street. Operated by the Franciscans of the Immaculate, the chapel was built in 1950. The friars conduct Mass there every day.

In front of the library is the very dramatic Whaleman Statue.

Sculpted by Bela Pratt, the statue was gifted to the City of New Bedford on June 20, 1913, by William W. Crapo, according to Explore New Bedford. Pratt's works include ones for the World Columbian Exposition in Chicago, the Library of Congress, the U.S. Mint and the Boston Public Library.

The final stop in my tour of downtown New Bedford was the Genensky Samuel Building on Pleasant Street.

The two-story building has stores on the first floor and offices on the second, and was built in 1924.

At this point, I hopped back in my car to hit a few outlying destinations. Whenever I'm planning to explore a town or city, I search online for any old/current diners, movie theaters, bowling alleys, and the like. My first stop was the old Orpheum Theatre on South Water Street. It's decades past its prime, but holy cow is it an amazing building.

Designed in the Beaux Arts style, the Orpheum opened on April 15, 1912, the same day that the Titanic sank. It was built by -- get this -- the Club of French Sharpshooters, "a benevolent fraternal organization comprised of French Canadian residents that immigrated to the city to work in its burgeoning textile industry," according to MACRIS. The organization was looking for a building "that would house a theatre, an armored shooting range, a ballroom and several meeting rooms," MACRIS continues.

(Rear of the theater, seen from South 1st Street.)

The Sharpshooters leased the building to the Orpheum Circuit of Boston, which was one of the largest vaudeville and entertainment franchises in the country, according to MACRIS. As New Bedford grew into a bustling city, it was able to support two dozen theaters across its miles. The Zeiterion, which I mentioned in the first part of this series, is the sole survivor.

From MACRIS: "In 1962, the City of New Bedford came into control of the building for tax title causes. In 1971, the Lesco family purchased the building and operated a wholesale beverage company out of the building. In 1998, the Diaz family purchased the building and [operated] an ethnic grocery market on the first floor of the building."

There is more history buried in this place. When I posted photos of this place on Facebook, a friend did some detective work and determined that the old sign on the front facade is for a McCrory’s five and dime store. This was the same company that operated the J.J. Newberry’s chain.

I'm not sure whether Central Foods Market is the same store the Diaz family operated, and whether it's currently still in business.

As of the 2009 MACRIS report, the theater remained unaltered and intact. "The ornate plasterwork and detailing is in poor shape, yet remains....The building, which was once surrounded by other architecturally rich structures, now stands alone, a gentle reminder of what it once was. The French Sharpshooter’s Club, which once boasted hundreds of members, quietly disbanded in 1974."

What ever will become of this place?

From here, I trekked over to 805 Rockdale Avenue, site of the former Angelo's Orchid Diner.

The diner was in business from 1945 until its closure in 2019, according to this Fun 107 article. "After owning the diner for more than three decades, owners Geraldine and Angelo Carvalho were both ready to hang up the spatula. They had worked into their 70s and they were tired."

In early 2023, developer Dave Vermette made an offer on the diner, looking to fix it up and sell it, or rehab it and lease it to someone who knows restaurants. "I don't know how to run a restaurant," Vermette said. "I can barely cook breakfast at home, but I'm hoping this could be a great opportunity for the right type of person."

I'm not sure of the status of that plan.

Next, I made my way to the Acushnet Avenue Commercial District in the city's North End. "The...[d]istrict survey area in New Bedford represents the core section of the North End’s retail business zone, which developed chiefly between 1900 and 1910 as hundreds of new houses were built on intersecting streets in response to the spread of textile mills north of the old city," according to MACRIS. My tour of this area was quick; I hope to check out more in the future.

The first place that caught my eye was Frem's Jewelry.

The building dates to 1907, and I'm assuming there are apartments or offices above the store. As for the jeweler, I haven't found out much information. MACRIS indicates that the storefront appears to be from the 1950s or 1960s. I really dig the sign.

The reason I headed to this area of the city is because of two old theaters located along Acushnet Avenue.

Currently home to the Cape Verdean Cultural Center, the former Vien Theater/Strand Theater/Loews Center Theater was completed in 1910 and was owned initially by Cordelia Vien and her son, Eugene, according to MACRIS.

"In 1903 [Cordelia] moved from Worcester to New Bedford and bought the Park Hotel in Weld Square....She managed and lived in the hotel with her son, and in 1906 they formed E. H. Vien and Company," MACRIS indicates. "That same year she acquired the Strand lot, and in 1909 she filed a plan for what she initially called Vien’s Theatre, a two-story brick structure."

(Side view of the former theater.)

The theater hosted movies and live performances. In 1916, the Viens renamed the building as the Strand. Six years later, they sold the theater to Manuel Senna, who, in turn, sold the place to E.M. Loew Theatres around 1920, per MACRIS.

Like so many theaters from the early 20th century, the Strand went through quite a transformation in the following decades. Again, from MACRIS: "In 1950 Loew’s closed the Strand to install larger seats, which reduced the theater’s capacity from 850 to 650 seats, and reopened it as Loew’s Center Theater. Six years later, apparently attempting to create a niche for itself, the theater began to show foreign and 'arthouse' films and to offer exhibitions of area artwork.

"From its first foreign film — Bread, Love, and Dreams with Gina Lollobridiga — the theater’s offerings slowly descended into what [Theater historian Arthur] Gartaganis described as 'soft core pornography and by degree into hard core porno films abounding in the 1970’s. The Center straggled on for many years in a lascivious cinematic miasma.'"

!!!!!!

By the mid-1960s the Center was offering strip shows. In April 1992 the Cape Verdean Association in New England bought the property.

Our final stop in New Bedford is the old Capitol Theatre.

Completed in 1920, the Allen-Charrette Building "contains six street-level storefronts [and] a long row of windows for offices above that concealed the 1580-seat Capitol Theater running the full length of the building in the rear," according to MACRIS.

As with the Vien/Strand theater, the Capitol has a colorful history. "In 1929 the theater was leased to Olympia Operating Company," according to MACRIS. "About 1944 New England Theaters, Inc., part of Paramount Pictures, acquired the theater and in 1962 sold it to Zeiterion Realty Corporation. Zeiterion, owned by the Zeitz family of New Bedford, also owned and operated the State, Empire, Olympia, and New Bedford Theaters.

"By the end of the 1960s, according to [historian Carmen] Maiocco, 'the films shown at the Capital were getting a little ragged, such as one highbrowed offering entitled I Spit on Your Grave. In the 1970s there were rock concerts and other special events. Sometime around 1980, the lights came down at the Capital (sic) Theater for a final time.'"

Zeiterion sold the property in 1971, and the theater closed. Two years later, according to MACRIS, Andre J. and Olivia Fournier bought the building and "by April 1975 reopened the theater, but attendance was poor, and by winter that year the theater again closed in November 1976. In July 1979 they sold the property to Harold C. and Barbara G. Nelson."

The former theater lobby has been occupied by various businesses over the ensuing years. Changes may be afoot for the building. The Community Economic Development Center (CEDC) and the Waterfront Historic League Area League (WHALE) have struck a partnership to rehab the old theater, adding coworking and community space, as well as affordable housing.

To see photos of the inside of the Capitol, check out this link and scroll down.

Whew! That wraps up New Bedford. I have a feeling I'll get back there this year, so stay tuned.

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.