LandmarkVan Deusen, H. M. Whip Company
Westfield · Hampden County
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The Story
The H.M. Van Deusen Whip Company factory at 42 Arnold Street in Westfield is a three-and-a-half story brick masonry industrial building erected in 1917 under the direct supervision of its owner, Henry Martin Van Deusen. It was the last major driving-whip factory built in Westfield, the self-styled 'Whip City of the World,' constructed just as the industry declined with the rise of the automobile. Van Deusen was a self-made industrialist and community leader who had risen from whip braider to independent manufacturer. It is significant for its association with the carriage-whip industry and its builder, and as one of the few such structures to survive; it was later home to Stanley Home Products and converted to apartments in 1984-85.
About this site
Van Deusen, H. M. Whip Company is a landmark in Westfield, 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 42.1228, -72.7505 near Westfield. The nearest cataloged historic site is Mill at 51 Church St (landmark), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include House at 45 Church St, Mill at 51 Church St, and House at 41 Church St.
This record is drawn from public historical records. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.
History
The H. M. Van Deusen Whip Company factory at 42 Arnold Street was the last purpose-built whip factory constructed in Westfield, a city nationally known as "Whip City," and was built in 1917 using somewhat dated late-19th-century construction methods. Henry Martin Van Deusen began making whips in 1872 and moved to Westfield in 1880; as demand for whips collapsed with the rise of the automobile, he converted the plant to making lawn swings in 1925. The building was later acquired by Stanley Home Products, which used it as corporate headquarters into the 1960s, and was converted to apartments in the 1980s. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Massachusetts