Sundial Building
Location: 63 Union Street
The Sundial Building in New Bedford was built in the early 1820s by brothers Seth and Charles Lowell and was originally used for office and retail store space. The building gets its name from a sundial located on the exterior wall that faces Union Street. It is not known for sure when the sundial was installed, but the prevailing thought is that when clockmaker Ezra Kelley moved in around 1830 that it was he who installed it.
On January 18, 1977, a gas explosion leveled three buildings on Union Street and damaged dozens more in downtown New Bedford. The explosion originated at O’Malley’s Tavern, which was adjacent to—literally touching—the Sundial Building. Next to the tavern was the Macomber-Sylvia House, a historical building that had just completed renovation four days earlier and sold only two days earlier. O’Malley’s, the Macomber-Sylvia House, and a building on the other side of Johnny Cake Hill were completely destroyed. The Sundial Building caught fire and was so severely damaged that the city inspector wanted it torn down. However, the Waterfront Historic Area League convinced the city to spare the building and began raising funds for its restoration. A year later the work was completed.
The Sundial Building is used for retail and office space.
With a few exceptions, use of any photograph on the National Park Planner website requires a paid Royalty Free Editorial Use License or Commercial Use License. See the Photo Usage page for details.
Last updated on June 12, 2020
