Haverhill Board of Trade Building

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The Haverhill Board of Trade Building is a historic seven-story brick factory at 16-18 and 38-42 Walnut Street in Haverhill, Massachusetts. Built between 1906 and 1908 by the Haverhill Board of Trade, a group of local businessmen, it was designed to provide affordable space for small manufacturers—especially shoe makers who powered Haverhill’s economy in the early 20th century. The project also expanded the city’s industrial district into a nearby residential area.

The building is a large U-shaped brick structure with the open end facing south and a long facade on Walnut Street. The 25-bay Walnut Street front is the most decorative part, featuring two entrance bays with round-arched openings, brick piers, and dentil arches. The end bays are buff-colored, and a buff dentillated brick band runs between the second and third floors.

Construction was completed by 1908, and the building quickly filled with small shoe-related firms. In the 1930s, competition grew and other industries moved in. The three parts of the building were sold to separate owners in 1944–45. Shoe businesses remained until 1969. It later served as the Cabot Furniture headquarters and showroom, with Cabot owning two parcels until 2004, when all three were reunited under a single owner. It has since been converted into residential units and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007.