The William Chase House

8/14/25 29 Comments

Authored & Curated By

M.J.G.

This Châteauesque-style Victorian residence, complete with a carriage house and gazebo, stands at the corner of Pine and Appleton Streets in Holyoke. Built in 1878 by the Holyoke Water Power Company for its agent, William A. Chase, it is located at 171 Pine Street. According to the Digital Commonwealth, the property later became the home of attorney William H. Brooks. On the left side of the exterior facing the street, the first floor features a bay window, topped above by a bow window.

At the time of the 1880 Census, William Chase was 35 and lived with his wife, Elizabeth, 36. They had two daughters, Elsie T., 12, and Mary L., 10, as well as a son, John F., 9. According to Find a Grave, two more children were born after this census: Charlotte E. Chase in 1883 and Edwina in 1885.

Non-family members were also listed in the household. Two with the same last name—Lizzie Marau, 22, listed as a servant, and Katie Marau, 20, listed as a boarder—were both from England. Another servant from England, Delia Finn, was 14 years old, and an American boarder, Ada Strong, was 28.

This is the 1881 Bird’s Eye View of Holyoke. As seen here, in 1881 the property included the main home, a summer house to the right, and a carriage house. In this picture, Chase Street was not cut through the block.

A full view of the Bird’s Eye Map can be found here.

This 1884 Atlas of Holyoke City indicates that by this time, the land had been split by a street, with additional homes built upon it.

Here is the 1889 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map of Holyoke, which shows the property after a road that was installed to the right of the house and named after him, Chase Avenue.

This photo, taken from Picturesque Hampden: 1500 Illustrations, 1891, shows the home from the corner of Chase, giving us a different perspective. However, it is labeled in the book as the residence of E. S. Waters. Was this a mistake in the publication? In the tower, a large arched window can be seen at the center—presumably the location of the staircase, featuring a large stained glass window. We also get a good view of the carriage house. To the right of the house and in front of the carriage house, the “summer house” is shown completely covered in vines.

In illustrated county and city volumes of the late 19th century, labeling errors were not uncommon. Publishers often relied on local informants, previous property lists, or outdated records, meaning captions could reflect earlier owners, nearby residents, or even simple transcription mistakes.

The 1884 Atlas of Holyoke City includes an etching of the residence, suggesting that the earlier photo is likely mislabeled. The etching gives us a crisp, artistic view of the home.

Here is a westerly view from the City Hall tower, taken from the book Picturesque Holyoke. It must have been a beautiful sight to walk through a neighborhood where all the homes were painted in rich colors and adorned with intricate detail and ornamentation.

Can you spot the home and its carriage house?

Focusing on the front porch, we can see heavy railings with chamfered crisscross beams. Four trellises support climbing vines. The steps have a wide stance, flanked at the base by large monument-like posts. On the left side of the porch, the same type of trellis is present, along with a wire mesh material to support additional vine growth.

The property featured a “summer house”—the 19th-century term for what we know today as a gazebo—covered in vines to provide shade. In an era before air conditioning, staying cool was approached quite differently than today. Strategies included installing summer awnings, closing window shades or blinds, using exterior blinds, relaxing on porches, or resting in shaded spots under trees or in “summer houses.” Behind it, a home facing Chase Avenue can be seen.

The second floor offers a closer view of the brickwork. The window capstones are consistent in design, and a belt course with diagonal brick includes ornamental inserts similar to those seen in other brick homes we have studied recently. All the bedroom windows are fitted with shutters. The large exterior cornice is substantial and richly detailed. The roof does not appear to be shingled, but rather covered with roll roofing paper.

Roll roofing paper was a common and economical roofing choice in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, particularly for less visible roof areas or where a lighter-weight covering was desirable. It provided weather protection at a lower cost than slate or wood shingles and was relatively easy to install.

Looking at the third floor, with one shutter open and one shutter closed, we see more of this brick château and its dormer window, which is completely shuttered.

Pay close attention to the soft yet creative execution of the brickwork here. In the upper sections of the gables, the bricks are arranged in alternating stacked horizontal and vertical patterns. Above the windows is a large archway, with the bricks inside laid in a zigzag pattern. Within that arch is an ornamental brick or terracotta insert. Details like these are often overlooked due to their simplicity and monochrome color, but the craftsmanship involved adds a level of refinement to this structure that is absent from many other homes.

Companies like the Boston Terracotta Co. in the 1870s and 1880s were manufacturing ready-made terracotta details for homes. The example in the middle is similar in design to the one seen in the recent photograph of the top floor. While not identical, it provides an example of the many options available at the time.

Historical note: In the post–Civil War building boom, terracotta became a popular architectural material due to its durability, fire resistance, and ability to be molded into elaborate designs. Firms like the Boston Terracotta Co. supplied builders and architects with an array of decorative elements—from window crowns and cornices to intricate panels—allowing for high style at a lower cost than carved stone.

The slate is laid in two-toned bands. In the distance, behind the roof ridge, the pointed top of the tower is visible. To the right of the tower, a cable runs straight down, while another cable crosses the roofline. These are lightning rod conductor wires, guiding electricity safely to the ground. The cable seen here will later be visible running down the side of the chimney.

Lightning protection systems of this period used metal rods connected by conductor cables to divert electrical strikes away from the building’s structure. By channeling the energy into the ground, they reduced the risk of fire—a significant concern for tall, ornate homes with combustible interior finishes.

In this diagram from the book Lightning Protection, you can see how the wires are guided around the roof and brought down to the ground—“grounded.”

In the late 19th century, lightning protection systems became a safety feature several homes employed as well as public buildings. These systems used metal rods connected by conductor wires to channel electrical strikes safely into the earth, reducing the risk of fire. Manufacturers often marketed them not only as a practical safeguard but also as a modern improvement that demonstrated the owner’s awareness of the latest building technologies.

Looking at the side of the house, we see the same architectural execution as in the front, along with several lightning rods positioned in a few locations.

Lightning protection systems typically required multiple rods placed at strategic points along the roofline, towers, and chimneys. This ensured that no part of the structure was left vulnerable to a strike. The rods were connected by conductor wires, all leading to a grounding point, creating a complete protective network around the building.

Roof cresting and roof finials were so popular that they were mass-produced and offered in a wide range of prices.

Here we can see the lightning rod cable being guided over the roof, down the side of the chimney, and into the ground. One set of shutters is open, while the others are closed. The window shade is fitted with a long pull cord. The terra cotta cornice is striking. Let’s look at some similar designs in the catalog below.

Similar designs were mass-produced in the Boston Terra Cotta Co. catalog we saw earlier. Here, we see several variations on similar examples.

This full catalog can be found on archive.org here.

The third floor displays one shutter open while the left is closed, just as we saw in the front. A substantial bow window with a heavy cap likely provides the interior with a fantastic view.

Stained and painted glass windows appear to be set into the center mullions of these windows. There do not appear to be curtains over them, but to the right, an interior shutter is visible, and roller blinds are also in use.

The top sashes in this room display an older Gothic style, with what appears to be a pointed arch that subtly echoes the brick pattern on the third floor.

Looking toward the back of the yard, we see the kitchen wing, the carriage house, and, all the way to the left, what appear to be fruit trees—forming their own small orchard.

In the late 19th century, it was not uncommon for households to maintain small orchards on their property. These plantings provided fresh fruit for the family table and preserved goods for the winter months, while also serving as a point of pride in ornamental landscaping. Fruit trees were often carefully arranged to complement the overall garden design.

The carriage house features a built-in pergola covered with vines—perhaps grapevines. To the right, there appears to be a fence, possibly concealing the laundry yard, with diagonal lattice work.

The property featured a beautiful brick carriage house with an alternating slate roof pattern, echoing the design of the main home but in a slightly modified form.

In the Atlas of the City of Holyoke, Massachusetts, 1911 the home was still owned by Jennie Chase, but it also bears the name Brooks. At some point the home was said to be owned by attorney William H. Brooks. This history however has not be researched yet. At this time you can see an addition was added to the right of the home.

Period atlases often recorded both the legal owner and the primary occupant of a property. In cases where the owner did not reside in the home, the occupant’s name might appear alongside or instead of the owner’s. This could explain why both “Chase” and “Brooks” appear on the 1911 map.

What Happened to the House?

The Transcript Telegram of March 17, 1949, published a photograph documenting the land and its development. The Brooks Estate had either sold or donated the property for the construction of a new YMCA building, which was later destroyed by fire in the early 1940s. In the image, construction activity can be seen around the former home, with the carriage house notably absent from the grounds.

While this photo is pixilated, you can make out that at some point the porch was either replaced or extended to be a wrap-around porch. The roofline on the opposite side of the house get’s a little interesting as well. Was an addition added to the house on the original driveway side? Thanks to JimH for researching more, it appears the YMCA was connected to the house during this time.

Here is the 1950 Sanborn Map. here you can see the home was connected with the YMCA.

This article in 1979 speaks for itself. In 1979 it was announce the home was slated for demolition as part of a plan to expand the YMCA.

Unfortunately, the home was demolished. According to a Transcript Telegram article published on February 28, 1980, the home was in the process of being demolished. The tower was removed and relocated to a restaurant on Lyman Street called The Wherehouse?, where it was incorporated into the roof structure along with other salvaged materials from city buildings. The Wherehouse? is still in business today but so far I’ve been unable to locate this tower.

The site of the Greater Holyoke YMCA has remained here and expanded over many years. Over time, both blocks were absorbed by the YMCA and all buildings demolished which resulted in Chase Avenue being absorbed during the redevelopment of these two blocks years later.

This ends our our journey today but there will be more time travel to come.
You can find more articles here.

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