The Ice House

Kat · Post by **Kat** » Sun May 06, 2007 10:39 am

I found the Ice House on Fourth Street after all. Some may recall that Shelley was showing us a pic of a weird little building and said Len Rebello had told her it was once an ice house. We couldn't find a reference in the 1892 or 1896 City Directory.

I just borrowed from Stefani a couple more City Directories and looked up ye olde Ice House and got the address, cross-referenced it with the address of the photo and it was once an Ice House! Yay Len!

The sources are:
1921 FRCity Directory
&
1926 FRCity Directory

"Artic Ice and Cold Storage Co."
178 Fourth Street

By 1946's Directory it was no longer located there but is listed at 35 Lowell, and there is no more ice on Fourth, because I checked the rest of the addresses listing ice houses.

I checked currently for the address 35 Lowell, and there doesn't seem to be one listed. The closest numbers are 27 Lowell, an auto repair shop, built c. 1950, and at 43 Lowell there's an industrial warehouse built c. 1983. Then the numbers jump to 112 on Lowell.

Here again, is a pic of 178 Fourth Street.

Shelley · Post by **Shelley** » Sun May 06, 2007 3:54 pm

Great news- the Great Guru of Jones Street is seldom mistaken.

Societygirl1892 · Post by **Societygirl1892** » Sat May 26, 2007 9:36 am

Kat,
I've seen that building before in my travels! Wow!
Pammie

mbhenty · Post by **mbhenty** » Sat May 26, 2007 12:31 pm

Shelley · Post by **Shelley** » Sat May 26, 2007 3:03 pm

Yep- sounds about right to me, mb. The interior, which I finally saw, is all office space- some original woodwork, staircase to the second floor was remaining which was great to see.

Kat · Post by **Kat** » Sun May 27, 2007 12:36 am

It probably has *offices* because it now is owned by "Fall River Educators Assoc., Inc."

I'm using the designation *Ice House* as coming from either Shelley or Len. Since it was called that here repeatedly we kept that phrase for ease of reference. Thanks MB!

Hi Pammie!

Shelley · Post by **Shelley** » Sun May 27, 2007 5:44 am

Not to pick nits here, but what I meant by office space NOW, and original-looking woodwork is that the size of the main floor (which is miniscule) as the staircase going upstairs takes up a good chunk of the southeast corner, does not now or then lend itself to ice storage. Unless there was a part of the building demolished out back (and the lot is large), the remaining small and narrow brick building would not have the configuration for storing ice blocks and equipment on the first floor. The upstairs has only small office space. Ice company, rather than icehouse is probably a more apt description. The topic came up in the first place as we had been discussing weapons which might have been handy in an ice house and there was one on Third Street. This building dicussed here being so close to the Whitehead house was of interest as well.

Kat · Post by **Kat** » Sun May 27, 2007 10:35 am

That's great that you described what you saw inside. That helps a lot! Thanks! There might have been remodeling inside. I just wanted to post the name of the owners now.

I'm wondering now about the Cold Storage. Where would that be done? Could they have stored things there, but not sold ice from that location? And would the City Directory have listed the actual location of the place they stored ice itself?
Is the place on Third Street under the same constraints?

mbhenty · Post by **mbhenty** » Sun May 27, 2007 12:28 pm

Kat · Post by **Kat** » Sun May 27, 2007 12:51 pm

Cool!

Thanks!
The red square building is on Fourth- do we know what the Third Street building looked like?
Are we saying that ice could have been stored temporarily on this Fourth Street property or in this red brick building- or it was offices only?
I'm getting a bit confused.

mbhenty · Post by **mbhenty** » Sun May 27, 2007 1:51 pm

mbhenty · Post by **mbhenty** » Sun May 27, 2007 4:48 pm

mbhenty · Post by **mbhenty** » Mon May 28, 2007 11:10 am

Kat · Post by **Kat** » Mon May 28, 2007 1:16 pm

Oh if someone tells me something and I pass it along, there is room for me to make an error. It's that way with everyone- no one exempt from that- not even The New York Times!

That's the only reason I may ask for more info as to what a member says someone told them- even if I'm told "Len said" - even Len would provide a source. You are perfectly right to ask for Directory info!
Love those Directories!

I agree that the 2 companies may not have co-existed in time that close together: on Third and Fourth. The Fourth Street business would have to have been established post- 1896.