Major Bibliographical References (Cite the books, articles, and other sources used in preparing this form on one or more continuation sheets.) Previous documentation on file (NPS): HPCA #18670 Primary location of additional data: - preliminary determination of individual listing (36 x State Historic Preservation Office CFR 67) has been requested _ Other State agency - previously listed in the National Register - Federal agency - previously determined eligible by the National x Local government Register - University - designated a National Historic Landmark _ Other - recorded by Historic American Buildings Survey Name of repository: # Watertown Free Public Library _ recorded by Historic American Engineering Record #. NPS Form 10-900-a (8-86) OMB Approval No.
1024-0018 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Coolidge School Watertown (Middlesex), MA Section number 8 Page 1 8. NARRATIVE STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE Criteria Statement: Designed by Clarence P. Hoyt and Curtis W. Bixby, the Classical Revival-style Coolidge School reflects the rapid growth of Watertown as a prosperous industrial town and the evolution of the public school system in the early 20th century. Named after one of Watertown's founding families, Coolidge School remained in continuous use as an elementary school until 1984. Architecturally the building is well preserved, and despite changes in fenestration, the original architecture and massing remain largely intact. The architects, Curtis W. Bixby, a native of Watertown, and Clarence P.
Hoyt, were both experienced in the design of schools, as well as other building types in Watertown and elsewhere in Massachusetts. Coolidge School occupies a commanding location overlooking the Lt. Paul Sullivan Memorial Playground (1987) leading to the intersection of Arlington and Mt. Auburn Streets. The school retains integrity of design, location, setting, materials, feeling, workmanship, and association. It fulfills the National Register criteria A and C at the local level. The period of significance is from its initial construction in 1915 to 1958. The end date is the standard fifty year cut-off, established to allow historical perspective. The Coolidge School at 319 Arlington Street was built in two phases in 1915 and 1925.
The early 20" century was a transitional period in American education, during which time students were being offered increased opportunities to attend new, progressive public schools. The Classical Revival was a favorite architectural style for early 20*-century schools and colleges, and indirectly reflected the importance of education in industrial America. At this time, the curriculum placed a new emphasis on the education of women and immigrants, and stressed the importance of physical education. Typically, Coolidge School was committed to the education of "a new wave of Americans --- instilling American and democratic hopes and dreams." In 1915 the Coolidge School fulfilled the urgent need for improved and expanded educational facilities in the east end of Watertown. In 1925 the second half of the school was built, completing the original design intent.
History of Watertown Watertown, situated along the banks of the Charles River, was founded in 1630 as the first inland settlement in Massachusetts. Initially, the economic base was grounded in agriculture, grazing and fishing. By the mid18th century, the town's civic center had been consolidated at the corner of Mt. Auburn and Common Streets where the meetinghouse (burned in 1836) stood within the Common Street Burial Ground (MHC#800). In the Colonial and Federal periods growth was rapid, with the population more than doubling between 1765 (693 persons) and 1830 (1,641 persons) by which time the power of the Charles River had been harnessed for the manufacturing of cotton duck, paper, medicines, soap, and candles. (continued) NPS Form 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service OMB Approval No.
1024-0018 National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Coolidge School Watertown (Middlesex), MA Section number 8 Page 2 By 1870, the population had reached 4,326, with Irish immigrants representing nearly a quarter of that number. While farming was a viable occupation during most of the 19th century, Watertown's economic base was firmly rooted in nanufacturing. The invention in Watertown of a paper bag-making machine revolutionized the packaging industry. Ready-made shirts were being sewn first in homes and then in the Hathaway factory, which also included a laundry anc spawned Watertown's starch industry. Economic expansion and development of new industries reached its peak in the Late Industrial period (1870-1915).
Particularly successful enterprises included Hollingsworth and Whitney Paper Mills, Lewando's French Dyeing and Cleansing Establishment, Empire Laundry Machinery Company, Metropolitan Laundry, Warren Soap Manufactory, Barker and Crystal Springs Starch factories, Aetna Woolen Mills, Hood Rubber Company, and the Stanley Motor Carriage Company. In addition, Watertown was the center of a thriving cattle trade, which occupied the Union Market Stockyards off Franklin and Walnut Streets. By 1915, Watertown's population had quadrupled to 16,515 persons. Some of the growth was due to the arrival of street railways and the extension of the subway system from Boston to nearby Cambridge, which made suburban life more ranks of the foreign-born swelled in response to Watertown's ready supply of jobs.
Irish and Italian immigrants were joined by waves of Armenians, who began arriving after the 1909 Adana Massacre in their homeland. Watertown remains an important center of Armenian culture within the New England region, supporting various Armenian churches, cultural institutions, and businesses. The public school system in Watertown developed in concert with the booming economy and explosive population growth. By the mid 19"h-century, there were three school districts serving the east, west, and central sections of town. It was during this time that the public education system began to shift from the one-room schoolhouse to a building where each grade learned in a different classroom. These wooden buildings were still small and typically housed only four classrooms. With the rapid growth of the city, these rooms quickly became overcrowded and outdated.
In the first quarter of the 20" century, Watertown was growing so fast and enrolling so many students in its public school system that five new school buildings were constructed in this time period, in addition to the various additions that were made to existing schools. The town maintained roughly eleven schools throughout its three districts. The Senior High School was centrally located, while the two Junior High Schools were located in the east and west districts. Various elementary and grammar schools were strategically situated throughout the east, west and center districts, depending upon the number of students living in the area. One of those five new school buildings was the New Coolidge School, constructed in 1915 with an addition completed in 1925.
This building was deemed necessary to provide a decent educational setting for the children of the East End, a section of Watertown that was growing rapidly due to the various industrial plants in the immediate vicinity. The town was growing in an easterly direction towards Cambridge, making the existing schools too distant for a lot of children to reach on foot. Until 1915, there was only one school that was convenient for the East End of town, but it was much too small to (continued) NPS Form 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number 8 Page 3 OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Coolidge School Watertown (Middlesex), MA accommodate the large number of students requiring a grammar school education.
Known as the Old Coolidge School, it vas constructed in 1860 on the eastern edge of one of the Coolidge properties, on School Lane near the intersection witl Vt. Auburn Street. The small, wooden, four-room schoolhouse was outdated and overcrowded by 1912. When the Nev after 1925 it was referred to simply as the Coolidge School. The Old Coolidge School appears on a map of 1900, simply identified as "school." The 1923 Sanborn Map shows a Primary School on the site. The school is no longer shown on the 1928 Sanborn Map, the lot is vacant, and School Lane has been renamed Bostonia Avenue. It is assumed that the building was moved or demolished sometime between 1925 and 1928. The Coolidge Family The Coolidge name had a long and proud history in Watertown. Early settlers John Coolidge and his wife Mary emigrated from England in 1636.
John Coolidge soon became a prominent civic leader who was Selectman many times between 1638 and 1677. He died in Watertown in 1691, at the age of 87. It is said that all the Coolidges in Watertown were descended from the four great-grandsons of John Coolidge. Members of the Coolidge family held large tracts of land in Watertown, much of it surrounding the current site of the Coolidge School. An atlas of Watertown (1898) shows land owned by Joshua Coolidge (1813-1908) just west of Arlington Street near the border with the neighboring town of Belmont. South of Mt. Auburn Street, Herbert Coolidge owned a large parcel of land abutting the Fitchburg railroad. This prominent family has lent its name to various streets, avenues and civic buildings around Watertown including Coolidge Hill Street and Coolidge Avenue.
Members of the Coolidge family and other early settlers are buried in the Arlington Street Cemetery (formerly the Old Burying Ground), located south of the intersection of Mt. Auburn Street and Arlington Street. History of the Coolidge School At a town meeting in 1912, the School Committee recommended the investigation of a site for a new grammar school, the procuring of plans, and the estimation of cost for this new building. Thus the East End Schoolhouse Committee was established. It was not until the following year that a large plot of land on the east side of Arlington Street, near but not directly on Mount Auburn Street, was determined to be the best place to build the new school. It is believed to have been the site of the second meetinghouse.
This spot was centrally located within the East End and was accessible from secondary roadways, for it was important that children would not have to travel along the busy and potentially dangerous Mt. Auburn Street to get to school. The parcel of land, later occupied by the Coolidge School can be seen in Walker's Atlas (1889). At this time, the land on (continued) NPS Form 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number 8 Page 4 OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Coolidge School Watertown (Middlesex), MA the east side of Arlington Street is shown as an open lot, which contains two houses and one stable owned by Dorcas J. A plan by engineer and surveyor E. F.
Bowker, recorded on January 11, 1899, at the Middlesex Registrar of Deeds (Plan Book 113 : Plan 43) shows that Bridget Mullin of Watertown owned a large property, including a portion of land that fifteen years later would be used as the site of the Coolidge School. The Mullin property extended from Prentiss Street to Arlington Street, northerly beyond Dewey Street, and southerly to land owned by P. J. Keenan. In 1899, Bridget Mullin's land comprised 40 lots and each measured from 4,000 to 5,500 square feet. The town's first acquisition of land from the former Mullin property was registered in 1911 (Book 3930: 275). The parcel is shown as lot # 27 and measured 120 feet by 52 feet. The abutting lot # 38 to the south appears to have been acquired at the same time (further deed research would be needed to confirm this).
In 1914, fourteen more lots were "taken by the Town for school purposes."' The land was recorded on November 24, 1914, at the Middlesex Registry of Deeds, South District (Plan Book 227: Plan 21). The 1914 plan by Town Engineer Wilbur F. Learned noted that the lot sizes were the same as those shown on the Bowker (Mullin Property) plan of 1899. According to the 1914 Deed ( 3930: 275-276), these fourteen lots measured approximately 79,733 sq. ft., and included an unnamed way on the southern boundary, which is named as Sampson Street on the 1911 map. The 1914 plan shows Dewey Street to the north as a private way.
The lots were numbered respectively 1, 2, 3, 4, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 and outlined on the map showing the boundaries' The 1914 Deed also refers to, but does not specify, the taking of "registered land in the vicinity." The parcel borders Arlington Street to the west; abuts land of J.D. White to the east, the properties of Louise Cavalero and J.D. White to the north, and southerly to two properties, one owned by P. J. Keenan and the other by Clemena H. Drake. Of the fourteen lots purchased, J. D. White was the owner of twelve; the remaining two lots were owned by Julia A. Stake and Nicola Iannelli. The town paid $6,302.32 in compensation to J. D. White, $795.00 to Nicola lanelli, and $2,500 to Julia A. Stack. The outline of an asymmetrical dwelling at the northeast boundary of the land is straddling two lots; one owned by J. D. White, and the other by Julia A. Stack".
It is not known when the building was demolished. More research is required to determine the date of demolition. (see Appendix Map #1) In 1900, the large open lot where the Coolidge School now stands still contained two single-family dwellings and one (continued) 'A vote in favor of the taking of this land was passed at a legal meeting of Watertown voters on September 25, 1914. 2 Lot #37 is shown on the map as part of the taking but is not mentioned in the 1914 Deed. 3 This may refer to Town-owned vacant land south of the current school lot, which was once used by Coolidge School for sports activities and recreation, and currently known as the Sullivan Playground. The map is marked "J. Stake" probably a misspelling, because the same property on the 1911 plan was owned by James A. Stack.
NPS Form 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number 8 Page 5 OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Coolidge School Watertown (Middlesex), MA stable. According to the MHC inventory form, the surrounding lots were much smaller and contained one 2½-story dwelling in the area zoned as a two-family residential district. The form also states that the land on Arlington Street was purchased in 1914 from Lewis Perkins and a J. D. White. not before. More research would be needed to verify the dates. Since the 1910s, the land south of the Coolidge School property line, bounded by Arlington, Prentiss, and Mount Auburn streets, has been occupied by single and multi-family residences, retail, and commercial properties.
Budget and Architect Selection In 1914 Town Meeting appropriated $2,500 for plans for the new school. The same year, the East End School Committee was to interview and select qualified architects, as well as determine the overall cost of completing this project. The proposed school was to be built generally following the specifications of the Boston School House Commission. After posting an invitation in the local newspapers, the Committee received applications from seven out-of-town architects and five local architects. The selection process involved the presentation of plans from previously completed works, qualifications for the current project, and for a select few, a visit to offices and completed buildings. In March of 1915, the Committee reported at the Town Meeting that they had chosen two architects, Clarence P. Hoyt and Curtis W.
Bixby, and construction would cost $63,000, with an additional $10,000 to cover furnishings, architects' fees, and site grading. Once the plans were complete, the Committee received bids for the general contract, including plumbing and electric wiring. The contract was awarded to William Crane, who came in $2,400 less than the next lowest bidder. There was a lengthy and heated discussion that evening about appropriating the large sum, the total being $6,000 more than the Town approved earlier that year. In the end, it was School Board member A. C. Ely's poignant remark about how "the sanitary conditions in the Old Coolidge School were 'rotten', and that something must be done and done now," that closed the argument. The money was appropriated and construction began later that year on the New Coolidge School. Architects Clarence P. Hoyt and Curtis W.
Bixby occupied an office at 8 Beacon Street in Boston, and were chosen for their depth of experience in designing schoolhouses. At the Town Meeting, the Committee reported that Hoyt was a "designer of some twenty schools in New England," and that Bixby was "well known as guardian of the Town's finances and a competent architect." Curtis W. Bixby was born in Watertown in 1867 and was a product of its public schools. Bixby started his architecture career in the office of his uncle Sanford Phipps, whose firm designed public schools in Everett (MHC #159), Harvard (MHC #222), Ware (MHC #39) (NRDIS) and Weymouth (MHC #302). The firm built dozens of private houses and the Grand Lodge of Masons (MHC #2309) (NRDIS) on Tremont Street in Boston. Bixby started his own practice in an office in Boston, designing private houses and public buildings in the Greater Boston area.
His most successful years (continued) NPS Form 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Coolidge School Watertown (Middlesex), MA Section number 8 Page 6 were during the first quarter of the twentieth century. Bixby designed several residences in the Craftsman style, notably the Dr. Anna Skinner Double House and four Staff Residences at the Fernald State School (NRDIS 01/21/1994). The Marshall Spring Elementary School (MHC #18) in Watertown was designed by Bixby in 1907. He designed the Hunt School (MHC #304) in Weymouth in 1915, after he began working with Hoyt. Both of these schools were constructed in the Colonial Revival style. Bixby also served on the Watertown Finance Committee from 1909 to 1914, and was Selectman from 1916 to 1919.
He lived in Watertown until his death in 1923. Clarence P. Hoyt designed over twenty schools and institutional buildings in the New England area, along with several private residences. A number of Hoyt's buildings are individually listed in the National Register of Historic Places, or listed as contributing buildings in National Register districts. The Cross Street School (1896) in Leominster (MHC #159), and the Douglas Grammar School (1898) in Douglas (MHC #191) were designed in the Colonial Revival and Classical Revival styles, respectively. Hoyt was quite successful during the first part of twentieth century. In the first fifteen years, Hoyt designed several houses in the Craftsman and Colonial Revival styles, including the 1902 W.B. Luce House (MHC #490)(NRDIS) in Hingham, and the 1911 James Foord House (MHC #177) (NRDIS) in Amherst.
He also designed several educational and institutional buildings during this time period, including the 1905 Spaulding School (MHC #156) in Mansfield and the 1911 Federal Street Elementary School (MHC #166) in Greenfield. The Easthampton High School - Park Primary School (NRDIS 1986) and the Newburyport Police Station (MHC #320) (NRDIS) were both designed in the Colonial Revival style in 1912. The successful collaboration of Hoyt and Bixby began in 1915 with design of the New Coolidge School and the Hunt School (MHC #304) in Weymouth and continued into 1923 with the design of the Marlborough City Home (MHC #104). Both of these buildings were designed in the Colonial Revival style.
After Bixby's death in 1923, Hoyt continued to work into the 1930s, designing three separate buildings for the Fernald State School in Waltham, including Seguin Hall (the infirmary), the Food Service Building, and the Administration Building (NRDIS 1994), all in the Colonial Revival style. Seguin Hall at the Fernald State School and Hoyt's Merrill Infirmary at Wrentham State School (NRDIS 1994) are examples of Colonial Revival style, single-story brick buildings designed in the double-Y plan, which was popular for infirmaries in the 1930s. The School and the Community The program for the Coolidge School, set forth by the School Committee, included a two-story, ten-room schoolhouse with each classroom to hold a maximum of 44 persons, and a hall large enough to hold 440 students.
The walls and floors of the corridors, the floors of the hall, and all of the staircases were to be entirely fireproof, meaning they were to be made of concrete. In addition to the ten classrooms, the basement was to have playrooms and toilets for boys and girls, including cooking rooms, the boiler, storage, and a workroom for the janitor. The principal's room was on the first floor, the teachers' room was on the second floor, and the nurse's office was on the landing of the southern stair of the west wing. The ingenuity of the architects and forward thinking of the School Committee resulted in a building that was designed to easily accommodate a ten-room addition at a later date. Construction began in 1915, and was completed before the year was out. (continued) NPS Form 10-900-a (8-86) OMB Approval No.
1024-0018 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Coolidge School Watertown (Middlesex), MA Section number 8 Page 7 When it opened, the school taught the first seven grades (including kindergarten). The Coolidge School had been open for less than a year before it was occupied to capacity, at a time when the School served the most populous area of town, the east end. A majority of students at Coolidge School had family roots in Armenia, Italy, France, Canada, Greece, Lithuania, Scotland, and Ireland, reflecting the ethnic diversity of Watertown's population of 18,000 people. In 1915 "'oolidge School's student population was 182, taught by five female teachers including the principal, Minnie L. Hackett One year later the school had eleven teachers including the principal, Walter Putnam.
Overwhelmingly female, almost all the teachers lived in Watertown. In 1915, the School Committee was planning a school system that would achieve high standards. Efforts were made to ensure that common (public) school education should progress by following "scientific, logical and well-articulated steps." From the beginning, students at Coolidge School were given standardized tests designed to measure their progress in "the tools of knowledge" i.e. arithmetic, reading and writing. The cooking rooms in the basement were used to teach female students how to prepare meals. The girls were also expected to write reports about their "home conditions." These rooms were also used for holding evening classes for foreign-born mothers. At this time, Watertown was measuring its schools' progress against the industrialized towns of Worcester and Springfield.
Boston was also cited as progressive for using the 13-year system, lately introduced in Watertown. Generous playground areas for physical education were considered an important part of a well-rounded education. According to town reports, from 1923 - 1926 the Coolidge School upgraded its playground area and equipment at considerable expense. This was the open part of the lot east of the school. In 1920, the Watertown population had reached 21,457, increasing the pressure on the lower grades of the school system. Coolidge School was employing 13 teachers to serve the student body of 447. This forced the town to prepare the junior high schools and high school for the expected increases in enrollment. The Chairman of the School Committee acknowledged that expenditures for the school system were large but necessary if Watertown was to keep up with is neighboring communities.
The School Superintendent reported that teachers were taking courses at the Harvard School of Education. Professor Walter F. Dearborn acted as advisor to the Watertown public schools on educational assessment and statistics. In 1919, Massachusetts passed the Americanization Law that mandated education for immigrants, and Watertown played its part in this endeavor. The state reimbursed the school half of its expenses for day and evening classes to "adult aliens." Americanization was designed to inculcate values of good citizenship and American ideals in an effort to secure democracy. It was believed that to be effective education must concern itself with the adult as well as the child. By 1930, the "adult alien" education program employed 16 teachers. Women were taught English language "to correlate with household activities." Factory classes were held at the Hood Rubber Co.
Factory, in association with Watertown schools. In 1930 evening classes as well as mothers' classes met Tuesday afternoons at the Coolidge School. By the 1940s, funds for Americanization classes declined, and by 1945 the schools were offering new programs known simply as adult education and evening classes. (continued) NPS Form 10-900-a (8-86) OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Coolidge School Watertown (Middlesex), MA Section number 8 Page 8 It was not until ten years after the original 1915 building program that the School Committee could focus its attention again on the situation of the grammar schools in the East End of town.
Throughout that time they were quite busy building five new schools for various education levels and constructing additions to existing schools as the town continued to grow rapidly. Watertown was struggling to keep pace with the growth of the town. This was true for the Coolidge and Hosmer Schools. In 1924 the Committee to Consider the Advisability of a Ten-Room Addition to the New Coolidge School and of Building an Elementary School in the North Section of Town was established to examine the facilities in these two sections of town. That school year, four of the classes housed at the Coolidge School were scheduled in double shifts, a system deemed inadequate for proper learning although no better than overcrowded classrooms.
The Old Coolidge School was also still in use at this time, despite the fact that it had been "long since pronounced unfit for school use." The Committee recommended in January of 1925 the appropriation of $180,000 to complete the ten-room addition that had been designed in 1915. The unanimous vote approved the requested sum and construction began immediately. The addition, overseen by the original architect Clarence P. Hoyt, was completed by the end of 1925 and included a manual training room and a dental clinic. However, this relieved the problem only temporarily, for the school was filled to capacity almost immediately. In 1931 Town Meeting ordered a survey of Watertown schools, which rated them according to a point score and also made recommendations.
For example, the survey notes with admiration that the Coolidge, Hosmer, Lowell, and Browne elementary school sites were "strategically located." Coolidge School was reviewed, and plans for additions recommended. It introduced standards in an effort to help Watertown's schools remain competitive with the surrounding communities. Despite the Depression, the School Committee stressed the need to continue upgrading educational facilities. The Coolidge School population in 1935 reached 608. In 1940 Watertown was forced to reduce expenditures, although enrollment continued to increase. The onset of World War II stiffened the School Committee's resolve to maintain the core curriculum, in particular "classics." At the same time, the elementary schools, including Coolidge, were reported to be excelling at standardized tests.
Elementary teachers were upgrading their skills by attending courses at Harvard's and Boston University's Schools of Education. An Elementary Social Studies Committee was formed to experiment with new units of study in geography, history, and civics. By the mid-1950s, Watertown's ethnic diversity was reflected in the names of its teachers, who were attending the Teachers College in Framingham and Boston College. A 1970 report " School Needs in Watertown," noted that although Coolidge School was once located in the most densely populated section of Watertown, residential growth had moved the center of the town westward. Consequently Coolidge was not expected to increase its enrollment. The Coolidge School has endured several minor alterations throughout its history.
None of those alterations, however, (continued) Report of the Survey of the Schools of Watertown, Institute of Educational Research, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York : Bureau of Publications, 1931. NPS Form 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number 8 Page 9 OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Coolidge School Watertown (Middlesex), MA have involved the basic layout or structure of the building. At some point before 1985, all of the original wood-frame windows and doors were replaced with metal-frame windows and doors. Some of the classrooms were subdivided into smaller office spaces. In 1987, the prominent Boston landscape architecture firm Carol R. Johnson Associates, Inc. was Carol R.
Johnson Associates, Inc., was founded in 1959 and in those nearly fifty years has grown from a one-person business to a 60-person design firm with offices in Boston and Knoxville, TN. The firm has won many awards for both landscape architectural design and environmental planning. Their design capabilities range from commercial and corporate to parks and cemeteries, residential to academic buildings, including many primary and secondary schools in the Greater Boston area. The Coolidge School was used as an elementary school from the time that it opened until 1984. After 1984, 4,000 square feet of space was used for an alternative high school program.
The remainder of the building was leased to private office tenants, the New England School of Acupuncture, and an organization called Earthwatch (now in Maynard MA and various international locations), who occupied the building in the 1980s or thereabouts. The former elementary school was vacated in June of 2000. In July of 2000, the Watertown School Committee "relinquished care, custody and control of the property" to the Town Council, who relinquished care to the Town Manager. In December of the same year, the Coolidge School Reuse Advisory Committee was established to examine possible uses for the vacant building. The committee developed a list of Highly Recommended, Recommended, and Not Recommended uses for the school, based on the needs of the town and input from the public, both immediate and town-wide.
The Highly Recommended uses included a school, specifically an elementary school, elderly housing, and assisted living housing. Recommended uses included a variety of housing, particularly nursing/retirement housing, 100% affordable housing, market rate condos/apartments with the 10% minimum requirement of affordable housing, artists' lofts. Recommended uses also included office space, recreation, religious space, research and development, and daycare. Uses suggested as Not Recommended included spaces that would diverge from the residential character of the neighborhood, such as retail, entertainment, storage, and warehousing. After many public hearings and debates, the Town Council agreed to lease the building and grounds to a developer who is rehabilitating the Coolidge School into apartments.
(end) NPS Form 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Coolidge School Watertown (Middlesex), MA Section number 9 Page 1 9. MAJOR BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES Books and Articles "Coolidge, Browne Schools Close Their Doors," Watertown Press. Vol. 30, No. 25, June 20, 1985. Harris, Elizabeth E. ' "Teacher Awaits Decision on Retirement Benefits." Watertown TAB & Press. 9 April 1998: 4. Hodges, Maud de Leigh. Sigrid R. Reddy, ed. Crossroads on the Charles: A History of Watertown Massachusetts. N.H.: 1980. Powers, Genevieve M. "Chalk Talk." 30 January 1964. Robinson, G. Frederick and Ruth Robinson Wheeler. Great Little Watertown 1630-1930: A Tercentenary History. Cambridge, MA: 1930.
Maps and Atlases Atlas of the boundaries of the cities of Cambridge, Somerville, Waltham and towns of Belmont, Burlington, Lexington, Watertown, Middlesex County. [Boston?]: Commonwealth of Massachusetts Harbor and Land Commission, Bailey's Birds Eye Map of Watertown. 1879. Beers. F. W. Altas of Watertown. New York: 1874. Sanborn Map Company. Insurance Maps of Watertown, Massachusetts, 1916, 1923, 1928. Stadly, George. Atlas of Watertown. 1898. Walker, George. Altas of Watertown. Boston: 1889. Local and State Documents Boston Directories: 1914, 1919. "Coolidge School Reuse Advisory Committee." Final Report. July 2001. Hoyt, Clarence P. and Curtis W. Bixby, Architects. Architectural Drawings. "East End School, Watertown, MA." Massachusetts. State Archives, Public Health Dept. Collection.
Massachusetts Historical Commission files: National Register Nominations and Inventory forms Waltham/Watertown Directories, 1912, 1916, 1928, 1951, 1971. Watertown Annual Reports. "School Committee Reports, 1912-1926." Watertown Annual Report. "Coolidge School Reuse Advisory Committee, Final Report 2001." (end) Coolidge School Name of Property Middlesex,MA. County, State 10. Geographical Data Acreage of Property 2.2 acres UTM References See continuation sheet. (Place additional UTM references on a continuation sheet) 1.19 322300 4693260 Zone Easting Northing *Zone Easting Northing 3. Zone "Zone Easting Northing Easting Northing - See continuation sheet Verbal Boundary Description Describe the boundaries of the property on a continuation sheet. Boundary Justification (Explain why the boundaries were selected on a continuation sheet.) 11.
Form Prepared By name/title_Leslie Donovan & Kate Matison, Tremont Preservation Services. LLC with Betsy Friedberg, NR Director organization. Massachusetts Historical Commission date December 2008 street & number220 Morrissey Boulevard city or town Boston _ state _MA _ telephone _ zip code_02125 617-727-8470 Additional Documentation Submit the following items with the completed form: Continuation Sheets Maps A USGS map (7.5 or 15 minute series) indicating the property's location. A sketch map for historic districts and properties having large acreage or numerous resources. Photographs Representative black and white photographs of the property.
Additional items (Check with the SHPO or FPO for any additional items) Property Owner (Complete this item at the request of the SHPO or FPO.) name Coolidge School LLC, c/o Mitchell Properties street & number 20 Park Plaza, Suite 520 _ telephone 617-542-6500 city or town Boston state MA _ zip code 02116 Paperwork Reduction Act Statement: This information is being collected for applications to the National Register of Historic Places to nominate properties for listing or determine eligibility for listing, to list properties, and to amend existing listings. Response to this request is required to obtain a benefit in accordance with the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended (16 U.S.C. 470 et seq.).
Estimated Burden Statement: Public reporting burden for this form is estimated to average 18.1 hours per response including the time for reviewing instructions, gathering and maintaining data, and completing and reviewing the form. Direct comments regarding this burden estimate or any aspect of this form to the Chief, Administrative Services Division, National Park Service, P.O. Box 37127, Washington, DC 20013-7127; and the Office of NPS Form 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Coolidge School Watertown (Middlesex), MA Section number 10 Page 1 10.
GEOGRAPHICAL DATA Verbal Boundary Description The Coolidge School parcel is located on Watertown assessor's maps 44, 45, and 61, parcel number 1602-13-0-319 The Coolidge School premises consist of the registered and unregistered land, and the former Coolidge Elementary School and the other improvements located on such land, BEING A CERTAIN PARCEL OF LAND SITUATED IN THE TOWN OF WATERTOWN, COUNTY OF MIDDLESEX AND THE COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS, BEING MORE PARTICULARLY DESCRIBED AS FOLLOWS: BEGINNING AT THE MOST SOUTHWESTERLY CORNER OF THE PREMISES ON THE EASTERLY SIDELINE OF ARLINGTON STREET, BEING N27°30'22"W, A DISTANCE OF 25.25 FEET FROM A STONE BOUND WITH A DRILL HOLE ON THE EASTERLY SIDELINE OF ARLINGTON STREET, THENCE RUNNING N27°30'22"W, BY SAID EASTERLY SIDELINE OF ARLINGTON STREET, A DISTANCE OF 93.53 FEET TO A POINT OF CURVATURE; THENCE BY A CURVE TO THE RIGHT, BY SAID EASTERLY SIDELINE OF ARLINGTON STREET, HAVING A RADIUS OF 370.00 FEET AND AN ARC LENGTH OF 109.94 FEET TO A POINT OF TANGENCY; THENCE N10°28'52"W, BY SAID EASTERLY SIDELINE OF ARLINGTON STREET, A DISTANCE OF 38.19 FEET TO A POINT; THENCE N73°10'26"E, BY LAND NOW OR FORMERLY OF SING, LAND NOW OR FORMERLY OF RIVERSIDE MENTAL HEALTH RIVERSIDE RETARDATION CENTER, LAND NOW OR FORMERLY OF RAPOSO, LAND NOW OR FORMERLY OF NOWICKI, LAND NOW OR FORMERLY OF DEFELICE, LAND NOW OR FORMERLY OF VANGELATOS AND LAND NOW OR FORMERLY OF SARTORI, A DISTANCE OF 391.40 FEET TO A POINT; THENCE S16°48'00"E, BY LAND NOW OR FORMERLY OF FERRARI AND LAND NOW OR FORMERLY OF THE TOWN OF WATERTOWN, A DISTANCE OF 120.00 FEET TO A POINT; THENCE S73°12'00"W, BY SAID LAND NOW OR FORMERLY OF THE TOWN OF WATERTOWN, A DISTANCE OF 15.68 FEET TO A POINT; (continued) NPS Form 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service OMB Approval No.
1024-0018 National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Coolidge School Watertown (Middlesex), MA Section number 10 Page 2 THENCE S16°48'00"E, BY SAID LAND NOW OR FORMERLY OF THE TOWN OF WATERTOWN, LAND NOW OR FORMERLY OF SOUKIASIAN AND LAND NOW OR FORMERLY OF PERRI, A DISTANCE OF 121.04 FEET TO A POINT; THENCE S69°26' 10"W, BY LAND NOW OR FORMERLY OF CASSIDY, A DISTANCE OF 148.86 FEET TO A POINT; THENCE THE FOLLOWING SIX COURSE BY LAND NOW OR FORMERLY OF THE TOWN OF WATERTOWN; N22°21'09"W, A DISTANCE OF 4.52 FEET TO A POINT; N67°38'39", A DISTANCE OF 27.81 FEET TO A POINT; S71°06'55"W, A DISTANCE OF 11.68 FEET TO A POINT; N20°51'25"W, A DISTANCE OF 15.09 FEET TO A POINT; S69°49'01"W, A DISTANCE OF 158.09 FEET TO A POINT; S30°17'22"W, A DISTANCE OF 23.56 FEET TO A POINT ON THE EASTERLY SIDELINE OF ARLINGTON STREET, ALSO BEING THE POINT OF BEGINNING.
SAID LEASED LAND CONTAINS APPROXIMATELY 89,009 SQUARE FEET OF LAND, Boundary Justification The boundaries represent the lot associated with and originally acquired for the Coolidge School in 1914, and the current boundaries of the site have remained essentially the same since that date. (end) NPS Form 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number photographs Page 1 Photographs Date: 2008 Photographer: Katherine Matison Photo No. Description 8 X 10 photographs 1 South and west elevations OMB Approval No.
1024-0018 Coolidge School Watertown (Middlesex), MA 5X 7 photographs 2 6 South elevation looking NE Main Entrance, south elevation West elevation, looking SE Typical side entrance to stair, west elevation North and west elevations, east wing (rear) North elevation south wing; east and north elevations, auditorium wing 1915 1925 Arlington st.
West block Assembly Hally KEY PLAN, FIRST FLOOR - 2006 Coolidge School 319 Arlington Street Watertown, MA 1915 1925 soutth block East block UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES EVALUATION/RETURN SHEET REQUESTED ACTION: NOMINATION PROPERTY Coolidge School NAME: MULTIPLE NAME: STATE & COUNTY: MASSACHUSETTS, Middlesex DATE RECEIVED: 1/14/09 DATE OF 16TH DAY: 2/17/09 DATE OF PENDING LIST: 2/02/09 DATE OF 45TH DAY: 2/27/09 DATE OF WEEKLY LIST: REFERENCENUMBER: 09000055 REASONS FOR REVIEW: APPEAL: N DATA PROBLEM: N LANDSCAPE: N LESS THAN 50 YEARS: PDIL: N PERIOD: PROGRAM UNAPPROVED: REQUEST: Y SAMPLE: N SLR DRAFT: N NATIONAL: COMMENT WAIVER: N VACCEPT RETURN ABSTRACT/SUMMARY COMMENTS: REJECT 2/25/09_DATE RECOM./CRITERIA_ Acept Asc REVIEWER Patrick Andrus DISCIPLINE Nistorian TELEPHONE DATE 2/25/2009 DOCUMENTATION see attached comments y/N see attached SIR X/N If a nomination is returned to the nominating authority, the nomination is no longer under consideration by the NPS.
ARLINGTON STREET 25 2 B-ONO CHUATASING MIND A TAI SHWEN SING 20 s3 R=94.63 TH=92.6 P98210. 3 CLF M«ZS,8Z.OLN ,661 dNng 033dS R=94.43 fD|=91.0 BITUMINOUS CONCRETE 3596 96x8 -4 CLF ON CONCRETE WALL! GRASS 15" 75. 50AT DOORA GRAS;S 98×35 2 1/2 STORY BRICK 319 R=93.12 C<mUOWa 1=86. I=83.4 I=80.6 R=370.00° 21 109.94 -002 94,597 BITUMINOUS CONCRETE 9812 CONCRETE S -TBM A 95:4 GR Ai S S si/i CONCRETE 98.8 TWIM 12° SIDFWALK- 69.0 GRASS 98:6 N27:30 193.53 1° CLF ON CONCRETE WALL. Coodidgenaons Watertown. MA Site PlaR HIV CCOMMITY MINIAI 1N A1 11I RIVERSIE D TARDADON CINAR N/1 AMY 5. PAPAUA N MANUEI D. HAPDDO JAHI 1" 12- N731020°C -321.10 sh R=98.61 R-98.64 A IT33.0 C 1=93.7 R=98.66 NO ACCESS BITUMINOUS CONCRETE d. 105:01 § CU 59.00 -7-METAL GUARDRAIL 99.251 CLF GATE dn) 2TA 000 TOTAL AREA=96,360+S.F. OR 2.212+ACRES PROPOSED LEASE AREA=89,009+S.F.
_105,50 995 99:0 99:0 R=98.90 A 1=94.3 B 1=94.3 C =94.2 D I=94.2 SHRUBBERY GRASS 107-83 9BY2 2-11.-- b8NG 97:40 BITUMINOUS CONCHE I 3 COOLIDGE SCtOOL WATERTOWN, MA 2008 photo-K.MATISON photogsapher PHONO #FI S aud ELEVAMONS. coolidge School, klatertown, Middleser County MA Prob No.i COOLIDGE SCHOOL WATERTOWN (MIODCESEX)MA K. MATISON photo 2008 PHOrO #2 S ELEVATION, looking NE Culid.c Slet.s COLIDGE SCHOOL COOLIDGE SCHOOL WATERTONN (MIDDLESEX), MA 2008 photo K.MARSON photographar PHOTO #3 S ELEVATION, MAIN ENTRANCE Shool,!:t , Middlegey COOLIDGE SCHOOL WATERTOWN (MIDDLESEX), MA K MANISON photo 2008 PHoTo #4 W ELEVATION, loakig SE Coolidge School, Watertown, Middlesex Photo No. 4 COOLIDGE SCHOOL WATERTOWN (MIDDLESEX) MA K. MATISON PROto 2008 PHOTO # 5 W ELEVATON, SIDE ENTRANCE TO STAIR Colidge Schoo, Waterteaumilg, lesex Photo: No.
5 YTAIPA STOP CHILDREM COOLIDGE SCHOOL WATERTOWN (MIDDLESEX) MA K. MATISON phOto 2008 PHOTO # 6 N,W ELEVATONS, E WING(RENR) Coolidge School, Watertown, Middeex Photo No. 6 COOLIDGE SCHOOL WATERTOWN (MIDDLESEN) MA K. MATISON photo 2008 PItOTO #7 AUDITORIUM WING, E, N ELEVAMONS S WING, N ELEVATION Coolidge School, Watertown, Middleses Pholo No.
7 Coolidge School 319 Arlingtonst Watertousn MA 1147 1 81A #68 1146 10 69 .59 464 '47145 1147 3 150 .58 47,6 146 1147 5 147 #28 1137 295 .28 1137 30 6 #24 1137 13731 6 113732 1137 39 11 #8 APPLETON 113815 1138 14 BA 118913 4A1S 1138 12 3 #11 1138,112 1136101 1138, 9 16 1138 8 17 .19 1156- 12 38 114508 11468ot .55 146,5 89 #45 167 85 1152 STREET 1152 10 53 MAPLEWOOD 1153 11 70 .26 30-3 1472 75A 1139 14 64 #46 139 15 B2A 1153 39 69 14322-24 8 68 $32-35 1138 17 10 #41-43 1139 913 63 139 12 2 47-4 113348 75 KIMBALL 1136,169 113032 11721039 1152,9 51 1152 8 50 '12944 TEMPLETON #25 1152 7 49 42 83 14 56 1182-19 1831-2 1153 3 16 58 PARKWAY 8,3-15 1159 4 46 11826 66 1153,1-18 1153 13,5-95 81-12 ARLINGTON STREET 1152 16 41 #290-292 1152 17 42 #284 SULLIVAN PARK 1602 22 4 1152 2 44 #660 1138 18,24B 1138 19 25 45-7 113-2070 138.3-75 118,021 1139 8 20 #31 CLAYTON 13830 139 19 76 129-267) 192278 113027 1139 8 18 1153 4 64 1153 1C 0 .650 1139 23 55 1138 22 28 #32 AUBURN 128035-647 1230 5 1 .655 1230 4B 0 #643-649 822-20 138 37 29-3 40%g 38 26 3 1138 39 8 #34 138,40 9 182610 1138,36 5 38354 1138 24 A2 1139 25B 0 .628 MOUNT 123093 38 34 7- 11318 12 THIS MAP IS FOR ASSESSMENT PURPOSES.
IT IS NOT VALID FOR LEGAL DESCRIPTION OR CONVEYANCE THE HORIZONTAL DATUM IS THE MASSACHUSETTS CTATE PLANE COORDINATE SYSTEM NAD83 11386 19 CARTOGRAPHIC ASSOC. INC. PROFFSSIONAH GISCONSULTANTS RNCPN PLEASA KAGEMENT 1138 43 12 .18 1'38 44 13 1138 32 19-37 1A 1138 31B 0 #5 LEGEND =-= 1139 27A 1 #8 1139,3 15 11399 2 B 1139 1A O #608 1e R/W COOLIDGE SQUARE 1230 1 9 #2 #631 1138 46 14A 124060 #627 WELLS RICHT OS WAY/ACCES WATER COMMON OWNERSHP. FEET METERS REVISED SCALE 1" = 40' PROPERTY WATERTOWN AVENLIS INDEX DIAGRAM 43/14/45 77 78 79 MAD NO.
61 114 43 10F 1 143160° 10%64 ''1072'5 1140 0 11 43 0A F2 PARKWAY #123-125 1151,20-119 1151 16 23 #368 1140 4043 147 '432 '° 1151 193622 1143 1833108A 11512210 1140 406-18 HILLCREST 420-225 404014 401'" 1140 12 118 #60-62 4013 19 "4024 120 1151 1358-360 TEMPLETON 115123" 1151 13 26 #354 1151 #50-52 405-30 1140 15 121 40,3 142 11692513 13614 1151 12 27 .350-352 1151 11 28 #346-348 438 04 115112-344 ARLINGTON 140 46 121 36-3 151 27 #62-64 1479103 1151 9 30 #338-340 406- 381 40 16 1: SALISBURY 1151 28 16 #66-68 1140 1403 139 1151 8 31 .334-336 40-4.
824 123 1145 11 107 #71 1140 40 36 140 151 7 3 4330-33 49,5101 1151 474-76 1140 18 124 .20 45,2° 1140 22 117 H4 1140 19 125 1140 20 126 #16 .10 1454 100 118,31 19 145-12-79 1140 21 127A #6 1145 3 99 #63 1151 32 20 482-84 #15 EDGECLIFFE 298 1146 7924 #68-70 1146 12 828 #67 46 14 94 1146 13 96 .9 1146 3 91 #64-66 1151 3 36 #5 1151 2 22 1151 1 21 .9 #13 1146 11 83 #63 1146 4 90 #60-62 PARKWAY MAPLEWOOD THIS MAP IS FOR ASSESSMENT PURPOSES. IT IS NOT VALID FOR LEGAL DESCRIPTION OR CONVEYANCE CARTOGRAPHIC ASSOC. INC. THE HORIZONTAL DATUM IS THE MASSACHUSETTS STATE PLANE COORDINATE SYSTEM, NAD 83.
WATIR REVISED TO 1601 40 4 #369-371 1601 0335-367 603,38-363 1601 16 9 #359 1681351 1601 ASHLAND 160,45 9 1601 024° KEITH 1601 36 2 #36-38 1601 8 2 #78-80 1601 49 2A #21-33 TOUT 4744 1601 14 12 $19 1601 11601 12 8(60)," 6) 13 10 #15-17 #11 STREET 1601 1601 2009 #16 60,21* #6 1601 19 6 .20 1601 18 7 .26 1601 14 27 .11 1601 28 13 #15-17 16819012 60,30 " 023100 1601 01,32 9 STREET DEWEY 1602 2 5 #323 5143 STREET 1152 13 37 42 1602 13 0 #319 COOLIDGE SCHOOL WATERTOWN MASSACHUSETTS INDEX DIAGRAM 31 32 60 61 62 MAD NO.
44 Coolidae School 3)a Arlington Dt Watertocon MA n(17108 todkg school 319 Arlington st Watertow MA 1601 10 3 .72 1601 23 2 .56 6002 501 25 16 58-60 1054-50 1602 8 22 450 10300 18073-73 1604 35 191604 1067-69 1124126 112022 1605 605 26 48 27 AB4 .108 0 24490605 605 029 863-65 1053 25 47 1503-50 1605 30 14 1605 2-40 PRENTISS 16092 46 452-34 005353 18053-40 1605 05,23 45 1845 23 18951-53 60545 185244 $27" 16052-39 6037-20 16043-10 KEENAN 1053-53 16049-36 54339 1605 19 41 1604 9 #29 #30-32 160211 25 1605 160410 28 02.12 26 $26 STREET #25-27 1602 0 0 1602 14 39 #28 1602 15 40 1604 23 7 #29-31 1604 22 6 #25-27 1022-23 104 2-19 1605 604 11 25 #21-23 122-2.
160,26-19 608-20 16045 1605 15 37 #14-16 1604 14 32 #10 BELMONT STREET CAMBRIDGE 606 20 71 21695 .92 .88 606 22 72 484-86 .80 1607 8 88 1607 9 88/ $74 .70 1607 10 89 1607 11 89A .66 .64 BRIMMER 1605 6 54 #28 057 5 816-20 10059 57 1605 10 58 #10 16059-2, 19 70 1806, 1869 35 606 17 131-3. 606 16 67 8823-25 180614 65 15-1 1686,12 63 16952 FRANCIS 606 6 7 414-16 1606 778 #10 1607 7 87 #25 1607 6 86 #21 1607 12 90 $20 1607 10875 B5 1607 075 84 #8 1607 3 83 .9 1607 17 94 #764 .760 1607 2 82 160714756 #752- 754 ST. MARY 11605 80 STREET 1608 1 2 .46 188770° 1611 4769 1763 |606 10 62 .740 1611 2613 1606 #736 AUBURN .11 THIS MAP IS FOR ASSESSVENT PURPOSES. TIS NOT VALID FOR LEGAL DESCRIPTION OR CONVEYANCE THE HORIZONTAL DATUM IS THE MASSACHUSETTS STAIE PLANE COORDINATE SYSIEM. NAD85 CARTOGRAPHIC ASSOC.
INC 1005 116 #730 605 12 59 16111 #753 MOUNT NORSEMAN 12998 100523 30 $716 104,23 1611 15 17 #11 AVENUE 1611 16 18 PRCHT OF MAY/ACCESS. WATE WATERTOWN REVSED TO : MASSACHUSETTS 161134 12 113" 1611 22 10 #20 INUEX DIAGRAM 32 61 62 63 MAP NO 45 RECEIVED 2280 TIT-CPLAY SAVE LIBENATD JAN 14 2009 The Commonwealth of MassachusertsREGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACE JATIONAL PARK SERVICI William Francis Galvin, Secretary of the Commonwealth Massachusetts Historical Commission January 8, 2009 Mr. J. Paul Loether, Chief vational Register of Historic Place Department of the Interio National Park Service 1201 Eve Street, NW gi' floor Washington, DC 20005 Dear Mr.
Loether: Enclosed please find the following nomination form: Coolidge School, 319 Arlington Street, Watertown (Middlesex), MA The nomination has been voted eligible by the State Review Board and has been signed by the State Historic Preservation Officer. The owners of the property were notified of pending State Review Board consideration 30 to 45 days before the meeting and were afforded the opportunity to comment. Sincerely, Setry tredkey Betsy Friedberg National Register Director Massachusetts Historical Commission Enclosure CC: Coolidge School LLC, Mitchell Properties David Russo, Jr., Watertown Historical Commission Clyde Younger, President, Town Council Leslie Donovan, Tremont Preservation Services John B. Heard, Jr., Watertown Planning Board 220 Morrissey Boulevard, Boston, Massachusetts 02125 (617) 727-8470 - Fax: (617) 727-5128 www.state.ma.us/sec/mhc
Block