South Main Street Snow, Easter 1915

South Main Street looking southwestward from Nickerson Avenue (right) and Webster Street (left). The street is virtually impassable save for the street railway tracks.

Then & Now: Doane Block, South Main Street

July, 1973

May, 2006

Illustrations:

Doane Block, July 19, 1973

At the time this photograph was taken, Shurtleff Hardware (which had occupied the building since 1938 when it acquired both the building and the Doane hardware business) had itself closed its doors, and the building was for sale as indicated by the sign in the vacant storefront.

Doane Block, May 27, 2006, photograph by Michael J. Maddigan

For a period of time following the departure of the Shurtleff business, the building was occupied by Corsini Auto Parts. It is presently tenanted by the Hometown Mortgage Company.

Real Estate Then and Now

An interesting comparison between ads for the same property nearly 100 years apart reveals some interesting contrasts in the way realtors approached prospective buyers. The house in question, the James M. Coombs House at South Main Street, was advertised for sale by Sullivan & Sullivan realtors in November, 1914. While the agency's pitch stressed the durable construction of the house ("this was built for a good house"), it also highlighted the modern amenities such as "furnace heat" and hot and cold running water which were not then universally available in homes. In an interesting reversal, the modern advertisement by Uptown Realtors of Middleborough emphasizes the home's unique past and "Victorian elegance", drawing attention to building features which are no longer commonplace in modern houses. The house was built in 1877 by James M. Coombs, editor of the Middleboro Gazette.

Illustrations:

"Real Estate." Middleboro Gazette, advertisement, November, 1914.
"Uptown Realtors", The Real Estate Book, 19:6, advertisement, July, 2009