42-44 State Street

History

The present appearance of this three-story brick block is almost entirely the result of Colonial Revival alterations made in 1955-6. At that time, the fenestration pattern on the upper two floors was changed from the original four bays to the present three-bay arrangement.

The entire facade was faced with new brick laid in a pattern alternating five courses of stretcher brick with a single course of stretchers and headers. The second-floor windows have a wooden 8/12 sash, while those on the third floor have a modern sash with applied muntins. All of the windows are flanked by shutters and have brick sills and flat arch brick lintels. The wooden cornice is embellished by triglyphs, guttae, and dentils. The brick building is capped by a low gable roof with brick parapets marking the fire walls separating this from the adjacent buildings.

The first-floor storefront retains little of its original features, aside from the granite base. Fluted pilasters outline a multipaned display window with a paneled surround. The recessed entrance is capped by a semi-elliptical fanlight and dentil course.

This building was initially constructed in the early 19th century, sometime after the 1811 fire. The building was owned by the Horton family for many years in the mid-19th century and is labeled as such on the 1851 map. A “Reminiscences” article appearing in the Daily News in 1886 indicates that Nathaniel Horton was operating a shoe shop here from 1816 to 1826. In 1852, 44 State Street was occupied jointly by Nathaniel Horton, who sold shoes, and Edward Horton, who sold dry goods. In the late 1860s and 1870s, the Daily Herald, printed by William Huse, was at 42 State Street, while William Horton’s boots and shoes store was at 44 State Street. The post office was located here about 1880, during the term of postmaster Isaac Noyes (1877-1886). In 1888, the Sanborn map indicates that the first floor was occupied \by a bookstore, but by 1894, it contained a stationery store. Directories indicate that the general store selling stationery, books, and wallpaper was operated by Moses H. Sargent. At the turn of the century, a series of photographers, including Walter R. Renley, Whittier Gallery, Whitman & Dunn, and Henry Couture, used the third floor, while the second floor housed offices.

In the 20th century, 42 was occupied by a beauty salon, while 44 housed a men’s store and later Gene’s Market. In 1955, the building was purchased by the Newburyport Cooperative Bank and extensively altered, with banking on the first floor and the directors’ rooms on the second floor. In addition to a new first-floor storefront, the fenestration pattern on the upper two floors was changed from four windows on each floor to three. The architect of the renovations was Russell M. Peirce (d. 1966) of Newburyport, and the bank was credited as one of the first downtown buildings to remodel in an “old” look. The Newburyport Cooperative Bank was previously located in second-floor offices in the Essex Hall building at the lower corner of Essex and State Streets (39 State Street, MHC2176) for more than 60 years.