Simonds Manufacturing Company, Building No. 1, 23-55 North Street, Fitchburg, Worcester County, MA

Significance: The building is significant as part of the plant of Simonds Manufacturing Company, a maker of saws and machine knives. From the late 19th century to the present, the company has been one of Fitchburg's major manufacturers. This building was used for hardening processes, in which the saw blades were treated with heat and chemicals, and also for blacksmithing, in which the saws were tempered by repeated hammering. Its single-story height, monitors, and steel internal framing are characteristic of early 20th-century mill design for heat-process buildings.
Survey number: HABS MA-1265-A