Olmsted - Hixon - Albion Block

The Olmsted/Hixon/Albion Block at 1645-1659 Main Street is a five-story brick commercial block in downtown Springfield, interconnected since 1927 but originating as three separate buildings whose parts date from 1862 to 1927. The southernmost section is the most elaborate, with delicate Adamesque motifs; the central section (rebuilt after an 1892 fire to plans by Jason Perkins) has a Panel Brick cornice and central oriel, and the northernmost section carries a bracketed cornice and quoined corners from the 1927 remodeling. Sections were built for leading Springfield businessmen John Olmsted (long-time president of the Springfield Street Railway) and boot-and-shoe manufacturer John Hixon, and were later associated with paper manufacturer William Birnie. Architect Wallace Dibble designed the 1927 consolidation, which unified the three buildings and added a fifth floor to the Albion Block. It meets Criteria A and C as a major Main Street block representing downtown Springfield's long history of building and rebuilding.

Olmsted - Hixon - Albion Block is a landmark in Springfield, Hampden County. It is one of 3,654 landmarks documented in Hampden County, among 3,815 historic sites cataloged across the county on MassRoam.

The site sits at 42.1045, -72.5940 near Springfield. The nearest cataloged historic site is Hampden Savings Bank (landmark), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include Chapin National Bank Building, Terminal Building, and Patton and Loomis Block.

This record is drawn from public historical records. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.