63 Union Street, The Sundial Building, 1820 Federal Style

63 Union Street, The Sundial Building, 1820 Federal Style

Built in 1820, the Sundial Building was constructed by Seth and Charles Russell. This Federal style brick building housed multiple dry-goods stores in the early years, as well as lawyers offices, sheriff’s offices, and a sailor’s room library and museum. By the 1840s, the Russells no longer owned the property, and it was sold to William and Benjamin Cummings, whose family owned the building until 1942. The building then housed a variety of uses, including the New Bedford Police Department and the New Bedford Evening Standard in 1850. Zeno and James Kelley, local jewelers and horologists had a business in the Sundial Building by 1859. Zeno Kelley became infamous in the 1860s for a “blackbirding” venture that entail transforming a whaling ship into a slaver. Kelley was convicted on this charge after his third trial and sentenced to four years in jail. During the 20th century, the Sundial Building served as a hotel and tavern, a wholesale liquor store, and was the home of the State Fruit Company from 1937 until 1974. The building was vacant when a gas explosion in an adjacent building blew the roof off the Sundial building and resulted in much damage to the New Bedford Whaling Museum. The Waterfront Historic Area LeaguE purchased the Sundial Building for $26,000 and restored the building to a usable state. Today the Sundial Building is a part of the New Bedford Whaling Museum campus of several historic buildings located in New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park.

No Form B available on MACRIS

1. 63 Union Street, The Sundial Building, 1820 Federal Style

Built in 1820, the Sundial Building was constructed by Seth and Charles Russell. This Federal style brick building housed multiple dry-goods stores in the early years, as well as lawyers offices, sheriff’s offices, and a sailor’s room library and museum. By the 1840s, the Russells no longer owned the property, and it was sold to William and Benjamin Cummings, whose family owned the building until 1942. The building then housed a variety of uses, including the New Bedford Police Department and the New Bedford Evening Standard in 1850. Zeno and James Kelley, local jewelers and horologists had a business in the Sundial Building by 1859. Zeno Kelley became infamous in the 1860s for a “blackbirding” venture that entail transforming a whaling ship into a slaver. Kelley was convicted on this charge after his third trial and sentenced to four years in jail. During the 20th century, the Sundial Building served as a hotel and tavern, a wholesale liquor store, and was the home of the State Fruit Company from 1937 until 1974. The building was vacant when a gas explosion in an adjacent building blew the roof off the Sundial building and resulted in much damage to the New Bedford Whaling Museum. The Waterfront Historic Area LeaguE purchased the Sundial Building for $26,000 and restored the building to a usable state. Today the Sundial Building is a part of the New Bedford Whaling Museum campus of several historic buildings located in New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park.

No Form B available on MACRIS