On the morning of February 9, the Holyoke Fire Department responded to reports of a fire in the octagonal house on the corner of Hampden and Parker streets. The fire broke out in the attic, and destroyed much of that and the second floor. Owner David Casali had been home, but escaped injury. The cause of the fire is unknown at this time.
Octagonal homes are a distinctly American architectural style. Orson Fowler, a phrenologist and 1840 graduate of Amherst College, first popularized the design with his book, A Home for All, which started a building fad in the early 1850s. Edward Hitchcock, former president of the college and the geologist who first discovered dinosaur prints in the Connecticut Valley, testified to the octagon's natural healing abilities; his study had eight walls. Fowler also argued they were cheaper to build, provided more living space, and were easier to heat in the winter and cool in the summer.
The Holyoke house was built in 1870 for a Mr. Bartlett, who planted a variety of fruit trees on the property and started a conservancy attached to the house.
