T. L. Thorpe Building, 19 Traction Street, Manchester, Hillsborough County, NH

Significance: The T.L. Thorpe Building is significant for its association with a well-known local Manchester merchant in the textile trade and for its architectural design, which employed an arcaded facade of a type common in Manchester in the last two decades of the nineteenth century. It has been postulated that large glazed openings of the type used on the first floor of this building were very common among grocers' and provision dealers' buildings. Indeed, the first floor of this building was occupied by Chandler and Company, Wholesale Commission Merchants and Produce Dealers. G.B. Chandler was influential in founding the Manchester Board of Trade in 1891-92. Begun in a period of civic improvement nationwide, the Board of Trade set out to "promote the prosperity of the Queen City of New Hampshire" in such a way as to encourage the improvement of the municipality. Thomas L. Thorpe, whose office was upstairs, was one of the most widely known textile merchants in the city and held various public offices including those of councilman, alderman, and state representative.
Survey number: HABS NH-121
Building/structure dates: ca. 1881 Initial Construction
Building/structure dates: 1982 Demolished