Nomination for Egleston Substation

From the form

The catalogue entry the section above was filed under.

United States Department of the Interior NATIONAL PARK SERVICE 1849 C Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20240 December 27, 2010 Notice to file: This property has been automatically listed in the National Register of Historic Places. This is due to the fact that the publication of our Federal Register Notice: "National Register of Historic Places: Pending Nominations and Other Actions" was delayed beyond our control to the point where the mandated 15 day public comment period ended after our required 45 day time frame to act on the nomination. If the 45* day falls on a weekend or Federal holiday, the property will be automatically listed the next business day. The nomination is technically adequate and meets the National Register criteria for evaluation, and thus, automatically listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Edson Beall Historian National Register of Historic Places Phone: 202-354-2255 E-mail: Edson_Beall@nps.gov Web: www.nps.gov/history/nr NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 (Expires 5/31/2012) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service 1066 RECEIVED 22501 National Register of Historic Places NOV 08 2010 Registration Form NAT. REGISTER OF This form is for use in nominating or requesting determinations for individual properties and districts. See instructions in National Register Bulletin, How to Completethe NationalRegister ofHistoric Places Registration Form.If any item does not apply to the property being documented, enter "N/A" for "not applicable." For functions, architectural classification, materials, and areas of significance, enter only categories and subcategories from the instructions.

Place additional certification comments, entries, and narrative items on continuation sheets if needed (NPS Form 10-900a). 1. Name of Property historic name EGLESTON SUBSTATION other names/site number BOSTON ELEVATED RAILWAY SUBSTATION 2. Location street & number 3025 WASHINGTON STREET NA not for publication NA city or town BOSTON [ROXBURY] state MA code MA county SUFFOLK code 025 vicinity zip code 02119 3. State/Federal Agency Certification As the designated authority under the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended, I hereby certify that this nomination_ request for determination of eligibility meets the documentation standards for registering properties in the National Register of Historic Places and meets the procedural and professional requirements set forth in 36 CFR Part 60.

In my opinion, the property meets does not meet the National Register Criteria.I recommend that this property be considered significant at the following level(s) of significance: - national - statewide Llocal Brosa Smion Signature of certifying official/Title Brona Simon, SHPO october 28, 2010 Date State or Federal agency/bureau or Tribal Government inmy opinion,the property - meets does not meet the National Register criteria. Signature of commenting official Date Title State or Federal agency/bureau or Tribal Government 4.

National Park Service Certification I hereby certify that this property is: entered in the National Register -determined eligible for the National Register - determined not eligible for the National Register _ removed from the National Register _ other (explain:) or ld son Vf, Beall Signature of the Keeper 12.27.10 Date of Action 1 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 EGLESTON SUBSTATION Name of Property 5.

Classification Ownership of Property (Check as many boxes as apply.) private public - Local public - State public - Federal Category of Property (Check only one box.) building(s) district site structure object (Expires 5/31/2012) SUFFOLK COUNTY, MA County and State Number of Resources within Property (Do not include previously listed resources in the count.) Contributing Noncontributing 1 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 buildings sites structures objects Total Name of related multiple property listing (Enter "N/A" if property is not partofa multiple property listing) N/A 6. Function or Use Historic Functions (Enter categories from instructions.) TRANSPORTATION/rail-related; GOVERNMENT/public works Number of contributing resources previously listed in the National Register N/A Current Functions (Enter categories from instructions.) INDUSTRY/communications facility 7.

Description Architectural Classification (Enter categories from instructions.) 20" CENTURY REVIVAL/Italian Renaissance Materials (Enter categories from instructions.) foundation: CONCRETE BRICK; CONCRETE/Cast Stone; walls: STUCCO roof: ASPHALT BRICK (Trim elements); METAL/Wrought- other: Iron (fence) 2 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 EGLESTON SUBSTATION Name of Property (Expires 5/31/2012) SUFFOLK COUNTY, MA County and State Narrative Description (Describe the historic and current physical appearance of the property. Explain contributing and noncontributing resources if necessary.

Begin with a summary paragraph that briefly describes the general characteristics of the property, such as its location, setting, size, and significant features.) Summary Paragraph Egleston Substation is located near Egleston Square in the Roxbury section of Boston, two blocks east of Columbus Avenue on Washington Street, a main transportation and commercial thoroughfare. At the time it was constructed in 1909, it was one of the larger buildings in the area, which consisted primarily of two-to-three-story wood frame buildings. Rectangular in plan with a lower side aisle along the east (Bray Street) elevation, Egleston Substation was designed in the Renaissance Revival style. The building sits at the southeast corner of the lot, which is enclosed along Washington and Bray Streets by an ornamental wrought-iron fence set between cast stone piers.

The building's stucco walls with red brick trim sit on a tall cast-stone base and rise to deep overhanging eaves at the east and west elevations. The bays along the side elevations are delineated in brick. The most prominent features are the colossal, compound round arches at the north and south elevations, which frame a tall multilight round-arched window in the upper section and entrance doors below. The scale and architecture of the substation create a commanding presence at this corner. Narrative Description EXTERIOR Egleston Substation (1909) faces southeast at 3025 Washington Street at the corner of Bray Street, in the Egleston Square commercial center in the Roxbury section of Boston. (Photo 1) A rehabilitation of the building was completed in building sits at the southeast corner of the lot.

The remainder of the parcel is enclosed by a wrought-iron fence supported between cast-stone piers along the north, east, and south borders of the site and by a corrugated cast-stone wall along the west border. A large ornamental wrought-iron gate, framed by brick piers supporting a brick arch, is located at the southwest corner of the building facing Washington Street. (Photo 2) The brick piers sit on tall cast-stone plinths, and the gate is sheltered on the north and south elevations by a pent roof supported on large, carved wood brackets. A parking area is paved at the rear (north) of the lot; a new paved walkway runs along the west side of the building. Grass and plantings were installed in the side (west) yard. Egleston Substation is one story, approximately 46 feet tall, above a basement.

The building was constructed as an electrical substation for the Boston Elevated Railway Company: The 87 x 52 foot building in a basilican form is almost rectangular in plan, consisting of a main gable-roofed block, with a lower pent-roofed side aisle running along most of the east elevation. The steel-and-concrete structure is clad on the exterior with stucco with brick trim. The brick and stucco walls sit on a high watertable, constructed in cast stone scored to simulate stone. (Photo 4) Brick pilasters define the bays and the building corners, and brick detailing outlines the watertable, entryways, and eaves. Historic views of the building show pan-and-roll roofing at the main block, the side aisle, and the gate. The depth of the roofing in the historic images suggests that it was a metal roof molded to look like terra cotta tile.

An early Boston Landmarks Commission (BLC) survey form (1981) indicates that remnants of the copper roof were still in situ. The pan-and-roll roofing on the main roof was replaced with asphalt shingle prior to 2005, and the aisle roof was stripped and left bare. The aisle roof deck is concrete with I-beam rafters, providing excellent fire protection. An asphalt shingle roof was installed on the entire building during the 2007-2008 rehabilitation. The south elevation is faced in stucco, framed by brick corner pilasters rising to a shouldered pediment. The entrance in the south (Washington Street) façade is set within a monumental compound rounded rowlock arch that sits beneath the pediment, which is outlined by a brick corbel table enriching the raking cornice. (Photo 1) The upper half of the arched opening is made up of a fixed, multilight, tripartite, copper-clad wood window.

(Photo 7) There is an ornamental iron spandrel panel below the window, and copper-clad transom panels above the three entrance doors. The wood and glass panel entrance doors were installed in 2008. (Photo 9) 3 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 (Expires 5/31/2012) EGLESTON SUBSTATION SUFFOLK COUNTY, MA Name of Property County and State Brick beltcourses and brick pilasters articulate the bays on the west elevation: one brick beltcourse delineates the upper clerestory from the lower portion of the walls, another brick beltcourse runs across the base of the wall at the watertable, and a brick fascia course terminates the wall at the eaves. Brick pilasters separate the west elevation into seven bays. The central five bays contain clerestory windows with flat arches.

They are tripartite windows with a central sixteen-light sash framed by eight-light sidelights. The north elevation is a simplified version of the south, with a much taller base due to the sloping grade. It has the same shouldered pediment at the gable end, stucco facing with brick corner pilasters, and a brick corbel table at the eaves. The monumental arch and the upper tripartite window are the same. Below the window are a flush-brick spandrel panel, and a door set below a paneled steel lintel. The aluminum and glass storefront entrance was installed in 2008. (Photos 3,5) The east elevation has an aisle-like structure framed by pedimented pavilions at either end. (Photo 4) The pavilions and the five center bays are outlined in brick. The second story window openings on the side aisle are original. The three first- story openings and the basement door were added in 2008.

The south and north elevations of the side aisle each have two windows, one at each story. Above the side aisle on the east elevation of the nave, the central five bays contain clerestory windows half as tall as those found on the west elevation. They are tripartite windows with a central eight-light sash framed by four-light sidelights. The east clerestory windows have pivot sash. The east wall of the nave framing the clerestory windows is brick. The two end bays are faced in stucco with typical brick borders. INTERIOR The interior of the substation has been converted to television studios and administrative offices. It originally had two floors, the basement and the first floor. (See 1st Floor Plan "Before") One floor has been added (2008) within the main tall basilica space, which had been open from the first floor to the underside of the roof, a height of 46 feet, 6 inches.

The new second floor is held back at the vestibules at the north and south entrances so that the full height of the building is visible at each vestibule from the main floor to the wooden deck at the underside of the roof. At the second floor, the trusses and the underside of the roof are visible along the east corridor, which is against the east wall of the main building. Also at the second floor, the studios back up to the west wall of the main building, the roof trusses are exposed in the studios, and a soundproof material was used on the underside of the roof. (Photo 6) Original features that remain visible include the steel structure of I-beams and H-columns, which are exposed along corridors and side walls. The steel roof trusses (Photos 8) and the wood roof deck are visible as described above. Small sections of the concrete wall are exposed on the interior at the second floor.

The east side aisle always had two floors, and the steel I-beams and H-columns that support the aisle's second floor are exposed along the east corridor in the main building. Other original features that are visible include the glazed buff brick, exposed on the exterior walls at the north and south vestibules, each of which is lit by an oversized round-arched window. Spanning the main tall basilica space (called the operating room), an original rolling crane with chains, block and tackle is visible from the north vestibule and from the second floor's north corridor. The cranes were presumably used to move the rotary converter and other heavy equipment. As part of the 2008 rehabilitation, new gypsum-board partition walls were installed. New floor finishes are typically carpet or tile, and ceilings at the first floor and offices are acoustical tile.

The first floor conference room and the vestibules have aluminum-framed, glass partition walls. (See 1"floor plan current, Photo 9) The basement is exposed concrete with three thick concrete walls running north to south. The basement is used for storage and utilities. [End Section 7] United States Department ofthe Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 EGLESTON SUBSTATION Name of Property 8. Statement of Significance

Statement of significance

Applicable National Register Criteria (Mark "x" in one or more boxes for the criteria qualifying the property for National Register listing.) B Property is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history. Property is associated with the lives of persons significant in our past. C Property embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction or represents the work of a master, or possesses high artistic values, or represents a significant and distinguishable entity whose components lack individual distinction. Property has yielded, or is likely to yield, information important in prehistory or history.

(Expires 5/31/2012) SUFFOLK COUNTY, MA County and State Areas of Significance (Enter categories from instructions.) ARCHITECTURE ENGINEERING TRANSPORTATION Period of Significance 1909 - 1960 Significant Dates 1909 Criteria Considerations (Mark "x" in all the boxes that apply.) Property is: A Owned by a religious institution or used for religious purposes. B removed from its original location. C a birthplace or grave. D a cemetery. E a reconstructed building, object, or structure. F a commemorative property. G less than 50 years old or achieving significance within the past 50 years. Significant Person (Complete only if Criterion B is marked above.) Cultural Affiliation Architect/Builder Frederic F. Low; Robert S.

Peabody (architects) Stone & Webster (engineers) Period of Significance (justification) The period of significance represents the year the building was built through 1960 to allow for the typical 50-year cut-off to allow for perspective. Criteria Considerations (explanation, if necessary) 5 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 (Expires 5/31/2012) EGLESTON SUBSTATION Name of Property SUFFOLK COUNTY, MA County and State Statement of Significance Summary Paragraph (Provide a summary paragraph that includes level of significance and applicable criteria.) Egleston Substation was an integral part of a transition for Boston's transit system as it changed to producing AC (alternating current) in its main power plant.

The AC was transmitted to a new series of substations where it was converted to DC (direct current) that served the electric trolley system. Before implementing the entire plan for AC generation, there was one alternating-current generator at the Dorchester Power Station, which fed to the Egleston Square station.' Before this, Boston's transit system had a series of power stations generating DC power, which was not suitable for the planned expansion of the transit lines. Designed in Italian Renaissance Revival Style and suggesting a basilica, Egleston Substation is one of the substations designed by the impressive team of Robert S. Peabody of Peabody & Stearns as architect, engineers Stone & Webster, and Frederic F. Low, architect with the Boston Elevated Railway (BERy).

With some common features, such as scale, massing, and a colossal round-arched opening at the two gable ends of the building, the stations vary in exterior detailing, representing examples of the Neoclassical and Renaissance Revival styles. The high quality of architectural design and engineering that was commissioned for what might have been utilitarian buildings conveys the pride and significance attributed by the owners and many others to the BERY system and to the latest improvements that would expand trolley service in Metropolitan Boston.

The substation played an integral role in the history of Boston's public transit and was designed by internationally notable architects and engineers; it is eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places at the local level under criteria A Narrative Statement of Significance (Provide at least one paragraph for each area of significance.) Located at 3025 Washington Street in Roxbury, the Egleston Square substation was last used by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) to convert AC (alternating current) electricity to DC (direct current) for use by its street railway cars and elevated cars. The Boston Elevated Railway Company (BERY), predecessor of the MBTA, built the substation in 1909.

The Egleston Substation represents an intact example and the first of a series of stations designed to convert AC to DC power to run the street railway for BERY during a period of expansion. In operation from 1909 to 1987, it was among the oldest operating transit substations in the United States. It is no longer used as a substation, and the elevated railway that ran along Washington Street was demolished in 1987. Egleston substation retains integrity of location, design, materials, workmanship, and feeling, and remains at the edge of the commercial center known as Egleston Square. The Boston Section oftheInstitute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) notes the historical importance of Boston's rail system: "Electric traction for large cities was first developed in Boston by the West End Street Railway Company beginning in 1889?

As a result of the company's pioneering efforts, large integrated mass transit systems took a foothold nationwide. Over 100 years later, electrical engineering traditions of safe, efficient and reliable electric power for Boston's rapid transit are still evident today." The substation played an integral role in the history of Boston's public transit and is thus eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places at the local level under criteria A and C. "MBTA Power Facilities," Rollsign 7 (November 1970): 11. 2 The IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc.) Milestones in Electrical Engineering and Computing program honors significant technical achievements in areas associated with IEEE. Milestones recognize the technological innovation and excellence for the benefit of humanity found in unique products, services, seminal papers, and patents.

Each milestone recognizes a significant technical achievement that occurred at least twenty- five years ago in an area of technology represented in IEEE and having at least a regional impact. The dedication for the Power System of Boston's Rapid Transit was held in Boston on Nov. 10, 2004. 3IEEE Boston Section Milestone Committee, "IEEE Milestone Nomination Proposal for Power System of Boston's Rapid Transit" (Boston, 2004), 2 6 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No.

1024-0018 EGLESTON SUBSTATION Name of Property (Expires5/31/2012) SUFFOLK COUNTY, MA County and State Egleston Square The Egleston Square neighborhood developed from a semi-rural area with small clusters of urban density in 1870, to an urban node of relatively dense commercial and residential districts, much of which was in place by the 1930s. Growth in the Egleston Square area went hand in hand with the growth of the streetcar, and later the elevated service. In 1873, large lots, estates, farms and some clusters of development had appeared around Egleston Square, especially near the Boston &Providence Railroad depot and along Shawmut Avenue (which later became Washington Street). The Codman and Amory families owned several of the largest lots, thus Amory Street and Codman Avenue were two of the earlier streets in the neighborhood.

Streetcars were running along Washington Street from Roxbury to Jamaica Plain by the early 1870s. This in turn attracted more residential development, and later, commercial development to the Egleston Square neighborhood. Typical of Boston's transit pattern, the Egleston Square station became a transfer point between the elevated railway and streetcars which delivered passengers to Boston's southern neighborhoods. In 1888, Columbus Avenue did not exist. Built between 1898 and 1901, the elevated railway ran down Washington Street with a stop in the middle of Egleston Square. BERy at that time had a large one-story wood-frame building at the southeast corner of the square (at the intersection of Washington St and Columbus Ave.) The neighborhood was characterized by predominantly wood-frame, detached triple-deckers, two-family, and single-family houses, commonly two or three stories.

The buildings were of modest scale, tightly spaced on small lots. A great deal of this housing was occupied by workers from the breweries just west of Egleston Square. Only a few large estate parcels remained; most of the undeveloped land had been subdivided into small lots. The future site of Egleston Substation and the entire block on the east side of Bray Street were undeveloped at that time. To the northeast, the New England Hospital for Women & Children (presently DimockCommunity Health Center) and Notre Dame Academy occupied extremely large parcels. By 1915 Egleston Substation was in operation, a concrete parking garage had been built next door, and the number of brick apartment blocks increased substantially, although wood-frame, detached residential structures still predominated.

Many of the subdividedlotsnearby on West Walnut, Amory, Columbus Avenue, and Bray streets were still undeveloped. By 1931, many of the previously empty lots were occupied by residential buildings, many with garages at the rear. The number and scale of commercial buildings on Columbus and Washington had also increased. While it is well understood that the streetcar lines acted as a catalyst to the growth of the suburbs, the increasing density along the streetcar lines provided a growing ridership that spurred the improvements and further expansion of the transit system. West End Railway and BERy The Boston ElevatedRailwayCompany was originally known as the West End Street Railway Company. West End, which subsequently consolidated several different horse-drawn streetcar companies, was founded on November 12, 1887, to provide electric trolley service from Boston to Brookline.

In 1888, the company signed a contract for twenty electric trolley cars for a line from Park Street in downtown Boston to Brighton and Chestnut Hill that used an overhead power line system.* In 1889 West End ordered twenty more electric motors from a different company that were used on a route between downtown Boston and Harvard Square, Cambridge. West End tested and compared the two different systems for six months; and on June 1, 1889, West End contracted the second company (Thomson-Houston®) for 600 motors and other equipment.® By the time the last horse-drawn streetcar was retired in 1897,the West End Street Railway Companyhad replaced a fleet of 9,000 horses with electric streetcars The result was an increase in speed and potential range for the rail lines.

To power the streetcars, the company had built seven DC generating stations in downtown Boston, East Boston, Allston, 4According to several sources, the earliest line was from Boston to Reservoir in Chestnut Hill and to Oak Square in Brighton. The line startedat Park Street andthenwent from CharlesgatetoReservoir and from Charlesgate to Brighton. The Boston Electrical Handbook. Boston: The American Institute of Electrical Engineers, 1904:38; Louis P. Hager, History of the West End Street Railway. Boston, MA. January 1892: 12-13; John Winthrop Hammond, Men and Volts, The Story of General Electric, New York: J.B. Lippincott Company, p. 158.Boston Elevated Railway, Boston Elevated Railway 1899 - 1915 [Route Maps] Brookline 1899 - 1915. accessed at http://www.wardmaps.com/viewasset.php?aid=9593 5 Thomson-Houston later merged with Edison General Electric to form the General Electric Company.

http://www.ge.com/company/history/edison.html 6 "IEEE Nomination," 6-7; Men and Volts, p. 159. T "IEEE Nomination," 6,9. 7 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 (Expires 5/31/2012) EGLESTON SUBSTATION SUFFOLK COUNTY, MA Name of Property County and State Dorchester, Charlestown, Harvard Square, and East Cambridge.® The station in downtown Boston was the Central Power Station, built between 1889 and 1891, and located between Harrison Avenue and Albany Street.® BBy Ry, The Surtace ralirine iere i egraten via ce alenearers maes aho re coeaa ee arraieae crale raered J and operated by BERy, creating the country's first single, comprehensive transit system.

." The IEEE Milestone Nomination Proposal notes, The overall transit system then consisted of 421 miles of tramway tracks and 16 miles of elevated tracks, all within a radius of seven miles from downtown Boston. The 1904 transit company had 1550 closed tramway cars, plus a similar number of open cars and 174 elevated cars. Power was furnished by eight generating stations, all operating at 550 volts DC with track return. The power system had a capacity of 36 megawatts. While other electric rail systems produced AC electricity at a single central power station and transmitted that electricity to substations that then converted the electricity to DC for use by the rail lines, Boston's system produced DC electricity at a variety of linked but independent power stations. " However, this power-generation scheme did not last.

Although it was cost-effective at first, it could not support the increased demand for power caused by the expansion of the transit lines. Most of the power stations built up to 1909 were located on tidewater. To fuel the stations, BERy transported coal late at night along the rails from its coal pocket on Boston Harbor.' Building new DC generating stations further inland to supply the extended lines would have meant transporting coal great distances and finding water sources for steam. The problem with this system of independent power stations was fuel cost, and as early as 1905 the DC power-generation system was becoming strained. 1® The advantages of AC are that it can be relayed long distances without losing power, and the voltage can be reduced or increased by the use of a transformer.

DC power begins to lose strength when it is sent distances beyond one mile, but it is preferable for certain uses, such as powering traction motors for transit systems, which at the time ran on 600 volts. In 1908, BERy hired the Stone & Webster Engineering Corporation to investigate the power problem. Stone & Webster's analysis showed that the more economical method to produce electricity would be to generate AC electricity at a central station, then transmit that electricity along underground high-tension wires to rotary converter substations. According to a BLc survey, the Egleston Substation was built on an experimental basis before the new AC power station was constructed. Put into commission on December 31,1909, the Egleston Substation had three 1,000-kilowatt rotary converters that were powered by the Dorchester Power Station.

Westinghouse manufactured the converters, Westinghouse and GE manufactured the transformers, and Weston and GE manufactured the meters. Late in 1910, BERy, apparently pleased with the results of the Egleston Square substation experiment, authorized approximately $3.75 million to convert its power generation system to AC.2 On January 26, 1911, contractors broke ground on a new power station in South Boston. By the end of that year, the new power station was finished, five of the six new substations were completed, and 85% of the transmission lines were laid.? In addition to Egleston Square,five othernew substations were built to hold rotary converters including Coolidge Corner, Brookline (MHC #445, 19 Webster Street), Roslindale (MHC #10767, 4228 Washington Street), Kendall Square, 8 Ibid., 11. Ibid., 10 10 lbid., 11. 11 Ibid., 11,14 12 lbid., 11. 13 lbid., 11.

14 "Power Generation and Distribution System of the Boston Elevated Railway," Electric Railway Journal 38, no. 27 (December 1911): 1313 "IEEE Nomination," 12. 16 lbid., 12. 1 Ibid.; " Power Generation,": 1319 18 Boston Landmarks Commission, "Building Information Form, 3025 Washington Street." (Boston: BLC, 1981). 19 "MBTA Power Facilities," Rollsign 7 (November 1970): 11. 20 "Power Generation," Electric Railway Journal, 1315. 21 lbid. 8 United States Department of the Interior NationalPark Service /National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 (Expires 5/31/2012) EGLESTON SUBSTATION Name of Property SUFFOLK COUNTY, MA County and State Cambridge (Main Street, near Broadway, demolished 8/19/1989), Arlington (MHC #678, 5 Water Street), and Malden Substation (68 Middlesex Street, demolished after Sept.

1979).< The Arlington Substation has been converted to doctors' offices. Coolidge Corner is apparently in use.2 Egleston Substation houses the Boston Neighborhood Network, a public access media arts center and cable station. The Roslindale Substation has been vacant since it closed and it was considered for redevelopment, which has not yet occurred. A contemporary description of the design for the substations was included in an article about the electrical system in Electric Railway Journal. "The rotary foundations in all cases are built to take either a 1000-kw or a 2000-kw machine.... The interior walls have a wainscot of tile-glazed bricks and above the wainscot the walls are faced with buff pressed bricks."24 A later study indicated that the Egleston substation had originally been equipped with three 1,000-kw rotary converters, which were later adapted to higher capacity.

The six substations, which served the same use and had to house the same machinery and operations, were similar in plan and layout. They had a basement and first floor, which had a tall open space to the underside of the roof. The rotary converters were set in openings in the concrete floor, lined up along the long axis of the building with a row of transformers, a switchboard, and other equipment set parallel to the row of converters along the wall and at the mezzanine level.25 The architectural styles are described as Neoclassical and Renaissance Revival, a clear gesture to their intended prominence. The general massing is a rectangular box with a frontispiece; all of the other substations had flat roofs. Each of the stations had a colossal round arch on the primary elevation with multi-light glazing above and doors in the lower section.

Egleston was the only stucco-clad building; the other stations were brick with cast-stone trim. Unlike Egleston they had a shallow projecting pavilion at the facade, most of which were pedimented. In the other substations the pedestrian and industrial/equipment entrances were separate. The pedestrian entrances are on the side elevation, reached by a stair, and the industrial doors are over one story tall, whereas the first floor of Egleston is at grade at the front, and the only access is through the front or rear doors under the arch. Each of the other substations also has monumental round-arched windows along the side elevations, while Egleston does not. Frederic F. Low was listed as the architect on the building permit for the Egleston Substation; the consulting architect was Robert S. Peabody of Peabody and Stearns. Stone & Webster was the building's engineer.

The substation stayed in operation at least until 1984, when a BLC survey noted that "Egleston substation may be the longest-operating substation for rapid transit in America, with some of its original equipment still in use."? The elevated line that went through Egleston Square stopped running in May 1987, so presumably the substation was in operation until then.28 The Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA), a political subdivision of the Commonwealth of MA, was established on August 29,1947, at which time the MTA took over the Boston Elevated Railway and purchased all of its outstanding stock. It originally served 14 cities and towns in Metropolitan Boston. The state legislature voted in June 1964 to create the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA, known as the "T"), also a political subdivision of the Commonwealth, which expanded services to 78 communities.

As part of the services, the Massachusetts Bay Commuter Rail is under contract with the MBTA, which runs commuter trains on 12 routes throughout eastern Massachusetts. 22 An East Boston substation (1911) is also listed in some contemporary accounts of the new system of AC generation and conversion to DC. However, the East Boston building was built to replace an existing power station on the same lot and may not have been planned as part of the new power system. Stone & Webster, Public Service Journal: 34-35 and Fig. 3-14. "MBTA DRAFT Capital Investment Program FY2009 - FY2014." Accessed at: http://www.mbta.com/uploadedfiles/Aboutthe T/Financials/2%209-14%20Draft20CIP.pdf "Power Generation and Distribution System, the Boston Elevated Railway." Electric Railway Journal, Vol. 38, No. 27. Dec. 30, 1911.

25 The crane at Coolidge Corner was described as a "25-ton hand-operated traveling crane." The equipment was reportedly the same at all substations. "Power Generation and Distribution System of the Boston elevated Railway." Electric Railway Journal 38, no. 27 (December 1911). 2 Boston Landmarks Commission, "Building Information Form, 3025 Washington Street." (Boston: BLC, 1984). 28 The Boston Globe (Boston), 2 May 1987. United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 (Expires 5/31/2012) EGLESTON SUBSTATION Name of Property SUFFOLK COUNTY, MA County and State Frederic F. Low Frederic F. Low lived in Gloucester, MA as a child, and graduated from MIT in 1893.

He and his wife May lived in Gloucester when they were first married (1900), and moved to Arlington, MA where they lived from 1910 to 1930. From 1910 to 1920 he was employed as an architect by the Boston Elevated Railway. The MIT Alumni Association directory, in 1912,listed Low as the chief draughtsman of the Architectural Division of the Boston Elevated Railway. At the same time, he was listed in city directories under his own name (in 1915 and 1921) as an architect with an office in Boston suggesting that he was also working as a sole practitioner. He did not appear in the 1926 or 1932-33 Boston city directories, but he did appear in the 1930 census still working as an architect, but not for BERy. Low appears in MACRIS as the architect for only one other building: the Wilson House at 278 Clinton Road in Brookline (MHC #2024).

Robert Swain Peabody Robert Swain Peabody (1845-1917) was one of the eminent partners of the Boston firm of Peabody & Stearns, which he formed with John Goddard Stearns. Over almost 40 years, the firm's distinguished and influential work covered the range from urban and country residences to power stations for the Boston Elevated Railway, the Massachusetts Building and Machinery Building for the 1892 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, commercial buildings, churches, and schools. Their work is found in many major cities and in former resort areas such as Lenox, MA, Newport, RI, and in Maine. A graduate of Harvard College, Peabody studied at the Ecole des Beaux Arts. He was a proponent of the Colonial Revival style. He served as president of the Boston Society of Architects, had a one-year term as president of the national AIA, and was designated a Fellow (FAIA) in 1889.

He was the unpaid chairman of the Boston Parks Department. Stone & Webster The firm of Stone & Webster was founded in 1889 by MIT graduates Charles A. Stone and Edwin S. Webster. It would grow to become an international firm with numerous divisions in engineering and construction of utilities, manufacturing facilities, and also in investing. Getting their start in the field of electrical engineering, the two partners soon expanded the company to the design, construction, and operation of hydroelectric and coal-fired power plants. They also designed and managed several projects for electric street lighting and electric-powered street railways.

By 1910, "14 percent of the nation's total electrical generating capacity had been designed, engineered, and built by Stone & Webster." 29 They undertook numerous military construction projects in World WarI, the largest being Philadelphia's Hog Island Ship Yard, which had wartime employment of 35,000. By downsizing and depending on its consulting and engineering business, Stone & Webster survived the Great Depression of the 1930s. In addition to their engineering work, the two founders individually invested or served as directors in various utility, manufacturing, and investment companies. During World War II, they designed and built factoriesformanufacturing all manner of military supplies, equipment and arms. Among their wartime innovations, Stone & Webster developed a process to manufacture synthetic rubber, and the company "subsequently designed or built all U.S.

plants for the production of butyl rubber."30 As part of the Manhattan Project, Stone & Webster was commissioned to build the uranium-enrichment facility at Oak Ridge, TN. Not surprisingly, they subsequently built the country's first nuclear power plant in Shippingport, PA. With difficulties blamed in part on management, the company declared bankruptcy in 1999 and was acquired by the Shaw Group. As a subsidiary of the Shaw Group, Stone & Webster continues to operate as an international engineering and consulting group For more than 100 years, Stone & Webster's projects and influence have been international in scope; they are credited with numerous innovations and engineering designs.

In 1889 they worked for the West End Street Railway (the precursor to BERy) to make the transition from horse-drawn trolleys to streetcars powered by electricity, the first in the country for a large street railway system. 29 30 http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Stone-amp:-Webster-Inc-Company-History.html Ibid 10 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 (Expires 5/31/2012) EGLESTON SUBSTATION Name of Property SUFFOLK COUNTY, MA County and State Current Status In 2005, much of the equipment was still in place, but otherwise the building was empty, missing its roof, and in disrepair, suggesting that it had not been used since the substation stopped working in 1987.

In late 2005, two local organizations purchasedthe substation and renovated it to house studios and administrative offices for Boston Neighborhood Network Television, a public access media arts center. The project was completed in the spring of 2008. Except for the rolling crane, the remaining power equipment was removed to make use of the floor space inside the building, and the rehabilitation received LEED Silver Certification. [End Section 8.] Developmentalhistory/additional historic context information (if appropriate) 9.

The rest of the file

Bibliography, boundary description, and the people who prepared and reviewed the nomination.

Major Bibliographical References Bibliography (Cite the books, articles, and other sources used in preparing this form.) Boston Landmarks Commission. "Building Information Form, 3025 Washington Street." Boston: BLC, 1984. Bromley, G. W. & Co. Atlas of City of Boston, Maps of Roxbury, City of Boston, Vol. 2, 1873 1906, 1915, 1931 Hager, Louis P. History of the West End Street Railway. Boston, MA. January 1892. Hopkins, G. M. & Co... Atlas of Suffolk County, Wards 13, 14, & 15, City of Boston. Vol. 2 1873. IEEE Boston Section Milestone Committee. "IEEE Milestone Nomination Proposal for Power System of Boston's Rapid Transit." Boston: 2004. "Power Generation and Distribution System of the Boston Elevated Railway." Electric Railway Journal. 38, no. 27 (December 1911). Sanborn Fire Insurance Company. New York, New York. Insurance Maps Boston Massachusetts. Vol. 3, 1888, 1897, 1919.

Zaitzevsky, Cynthia R. Boston Elevated Railway Company, Elevated Mainline Structure. Historic American Engineering Record, HAER MASS, 13-BOST, 127; Photos: HAER MASS, 13-BOST,127-55 and 13- BOST,127-56 [End Section 9.] 11 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No.

1024-0018 EGLESTON SUBSTATION Name of Property (Expires 5/31/2012) SUFFOLK COUNTY, MA County and State Previous documentation on file (NPS): HPCA #18,669 preliminary determination of individual listing (36 CFR 67 has been requested) previously listed in the National Register previously determined eligible by the National Register designated a National Historic Landmark recorded by Historic American Buildings Survey # recorded by Historic American Engineering Record # recorded by Historic American Landscape Survey # Primary location of additional data: X State Historic Preservation Office Other State agency Federal agency Local government University Other Name of repository: Historic Resources Survey Number (if assigned): 10.

Geographical Data Acreage of Property Less than 1 acre (Do not include previously listed resource acreage.) UTM References (Place additional UTM references on a continuation sheet.) 1 2 19 Zone Zone 327155 Easting Easting 4687093 Northing Northing 3 4 Zone Easting Zone Easting Northing Northing Verbal Boundary Description (Describe the boundaries of the property.) The nominated property is Boston Assessor's Department Parcel 1101004000. Boundary Justification (Explain why the boundaries were selected.) The nominated property includes the entire parcel historically associated with the Egleston Substation. [End Section 10.] 11.

Form Prepared By name/title Leslie Donovan and Rachel Consolloy Nugent, with Betsy Friedberg, NR Director, MHC organization Massachusetts Historical Commission date_OCTOBER 2010 street & number 220 Morrissey Boulevard telephone (617) 727-8470 city or town BOSTON state MA Zip code 02125 e-mail donovanl@erols.com 12 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 EGLESTON SUBSTATION Name of Property (Expires 5/31/2012) SUFFOLK COUNTY, MA County and State Additional Documentation Submit the following items with the completed form: - 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.

Key all photographs to this map - Continuation Sheets - Additional items: (Check with the SHPO or FPO for any additional items.) Photographs: Submit clear and descriptive photographs. The size of each image must be 1600x1200 pixels at 300 ppi (pixels per inch) or larger. Key all photographs to the sketch map. Name of Property: Egleston Substation City or Vicinity: Boston (Roxbury) County: Suffolk State: MA Photographer: Kate Matison Date Photographed: 2010 Description of Photograph(s) and number: 1. Main (southeast) entrance, facing north 2. Southwest façade, with entrance gate, facing north 3. Bray Street façade, rear entrance, facing south 4. Detail, Bray Street façade, facing south 5. Detail rear entrance, facingsoutheast 6. Interior, studio, showing visible trusses 7. Interior, main entrance windows, facing south 8. Interior, visible trusses, east corridor 9.

Interior, main entrance doorway, facing south Property Owner: (Complete this item at the request of the SHPO or FPO.) name EGLESTON STATION LLC - ATTN: NOAH MASLAN street & number 6 FANEUIL HALL MARKETPLACE city or town BOSTON telephone (617) 989-9313 state MA zip code 02109 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.460 et seq.).

Estimated Burden Statement: Public reporting burden for this form is estimated to average 18 hours per response including 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 Office of Planning and Performance Management. U.S. Dept. of the Interior, 1849 C. Street, NW, Washington, DC. 13 B,R -69-..

A Y 69 BUFFALO GRAS STELLA DORO DAYLILY CANTITISS AS SHOWN - (7) WISTERIA (PURPLE) - LIGHI POLE - (2) WISTERIA (PURPLE) -CO N 3319'48" W LIRASH TOTES, NIC STREE BS 12.33 + $ 39'36'24"V - NWPILR IYPICAI FOK 4 121) SOFT SHILEDTEHNS POXYSTICHUM SE TIFERUM (28) FLANTAIN HOSIA 1 GALLON CILTA DORG DAYLILY QUANTITIES AS SHIOWN R)die 4 CAul'tH UHERtME .-.14 BOSTONIVY (19) CAIMINT NEPATA -TS74.48 BUFFALO GRASS 109.66 ()UNIPEH24 SPD PROCUAEENS NANA 4 O°W CONCHETE SILPS SIELLADOHODAYILY (UANTIES AS SIKIWN FF 75.50 TEUELIE 175.33 .75.00] 150.00 OWXAT CONCRETE WALK STELLA DORD DAYLILY QUANTITIES AS SHOWN 1 CONCHETE WALK WIDTH TO MATCH OPENING AT EXISTING GATE (13) INKBEHHY 36° HGT ESX GLABRA DENS (44) AUTUMA JOY SEDUM - SILEL EUGE RESIHAINI AT BHICK PAIIO SIILES & HAHT BOSTON CIIY IVALL*PAVER BRICK ON COMPACTED 2 STONEDUST SETTING BED OVER COMPACTED SUBGHADE (3/ 3 I/2 4 CALIPER ELMS SIELLA DCHO UAYLILY QUANTTIESASSHOWN 75.42 BUFFALO GHASS BS 75.25 FRAVSFORME RFURNSHED AND INSTALLED BY NSTAR CUNCHE TE PAD INSTALLED UY CUNTRACTOR SILLLA VOHO DAYLILY OANTTICS ASSHOWN 4'6° (6) INKBERRY 36 ILEX GLASRA DEI -ELECTRIC SWIC AND INSTALLED( -FIBERGLASS BAS BY NSTAR INSTA Si Sc City of Boston GIS 8/24/2010 Egleston STREET STREE STREET SHLON WEST WALNUT BRAGDON BANCROFT COBDEN STREET FENN DUNFO WESTMINSTER ARCADA STREET W WALNUT PARK WASHINGTON EGLESTON SQUARE ROAO STREET feet 240 STREET Property Information Parcel ID Owner Address Property Type Building Value Land Value Total Value Lot Size Land Use 1101004000 EGLESTON STATION LLC 3025 WASHINGTON ST 0435 $839,100.00 $183,900.00 $1,023,000.00 11843 sq ft Industrial BOSTONIA.

City of Boston PS MAP FOR REFERENCE ONLY NOT A LEGAL DOCUMENT The City of Boston makes no claims, no representations, and no warranties, expressed or implied, concerning the validity (expressed or implied), the reliability, or the accuracy of the GIS data and GIS data products furnished by the City, including the implied validity of any uses of such data. The use of this data, in any such manner, shall not supercede any federal, state or local laws or regulations.

WALDREN ARLINGTON MEDFORD EVERETT REVERE L CHELSEAF EELMONT SOMERVILLE CAMBRIDOE WATERTOVN NEWION BROOKLINE DEOMAM MIUN WESTWOOD CATTUN QUINCY WEYMOUTH BRAINTREE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES EVALUATION/RETURN SHEET REQUESTED ACTION: NOMINATION PROPERTY Egleston Substation NAME: MULTIPLE NAME : STATE & COUNTY: MASSACHUSETTS, Suffolk DATE RECEIVED: DATE OF 16TH DAY: DATE OF WEEKLY LIST: 11/08/10 12/28/10 REFERENCE NUMBER: 10001066 DATE OF PENDING LIST: 12/13/10 DATE OF 45TH DAY: 12/24/10 REASONS FOR REVIEW: APPEAL: N DATA PROBLEM: N LANDSCAPE: N LESS THAN 50 YEARS: N OTHER : N PDIL: N PERIOD: N PROGRAM UNAPPROVED: REQUEST: N SAMPLE: N SLR DRAFT: N NATIONAL: N N COMMENT WAIVER: N ACCEPT -RETURN ABSTRACT/SUMMARY COMMENTS: _REJECT 12.27,10DATE Entered in The National Register of Historic Places RECOM./CRITERIA REVIEWER DISCIPLINE TELEPHONE DATE DOCUMENTATION see attached comments Y/N see attached SLR Y/N If a nomination is returned to the nominating authority, the nomination is no longer under consideration by the NPS.

NNS HATABEH SI DEUS SICLT CATTA BOSTONIA CONDITA A.D. 1630 SOBIS. Boston Landmarks Commission City of Boston The Environment Department Boston City Hall/ Room 805 Boston, Massachusetts 02201 617/635-3850 www.cityofboston.gov/landmarks Susan D. Pranger, Chair Cyrus Field. Vice-Chair John Amodeo David Berarducci David Colton John Freeman Susan Goganian Thomas Herman Kirsten Hoffman Thomas Hotaling Adam Hundiey Diana Parcon Jeffry Pond Yarai Tsipis Charles Vasiliades Richard Yeager Ellen J. Lipsey, Exec. Director Usra Kiaeu J0U0033 goat DTATY RECEIVED BF AUG 1 6 2010 MASS. HIST. COMM August 11, 2010 Ms. Brona Simon Executive Director Massachusetts Historical Commission 220 Morrissey Boulevard Boston, MA 02125 Re: Egleston Substation, 3025 Washington Street, Roxbury BLC Support of National Register of Historic Places Nomination Dear Ms.

Simon: The Boston Landmarks Commission is very pleased to support the listing of the Egleston Substation, 3025 Washington Street, Roxbury, in the National Register of Historic Places. The BLC unanimously voted to support the listing of the Egleston Substation in the National Register of Historic Places at its August 10, 2010 public meeting. Thank you for providing the BLC with the opportunity to support this deserving nomination. BLC staff looks forward to the MHC's review of this nomination at its September 8, 2010 quarterly meeting Sincerely, Eminy woy Emily Wolf Architectural Historian Cc: Betsy Friedberg, National Register Director, MHC Leslie Donovan, Tremont Preservation Services VOTE TO SUPPORT THE LISTING OF THE EGLESTON SUBSTATION, -3025 WASHINGTON STREET, ROXBURY IN THE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES MOTION: C. Vasiliades SECOND: D. Parcon IN FAVOR: C. Vasiliades, T.

Herman, K. Hoffman, A. Hundley, C. Field, J. Pond, D. Berarducci, J. Amodeo, D. Parcon. OPPOSED: none. REC 280 NOV 08 2010 PLACIDAN SUR LIBENTANO NAT. REGIS OF HISTORIC PLACES NATIONAL PARK SERVICE The Commonwealth of Massachusetts William Francis Galvin, Secretary of the Commonwealth Massachusetts Historical Commission October 28, 2010 Mr. J. Paul Loether National Register of Historic Places Department of the Interior National Park Service 1201 Eye Street, NW 8 floor Washington, DC 20005 Dear Mr. Loether: Enclosed please find the following nomination form: Egleston Substation, 3025 Washington Street, Boston [Roxbury] (Suffolk), 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 in the Certified Local Government community of Boston were notified of pending State Review Board consideration 60 to 90 days before the meeting and were afforded the opportunity to comment. One letter of support has been received. Sincerely, Betay fredheig Betsy Friedberg National Register Director Massachusetts Historical Commission enclosure CC: Leslie Donovan, consultant Emily Wolf, Boston CLG coordinator Thomas Menino, Mayor, City of Boston Susan Pranger, Boston Landmarks Commission Noah Maslin, Egleston Station LLC 220 Morrissey Boulevard, Boston, Massachusetts 02125 (617) 727-8470 - Fax: (617) 727-5128 www.state.ma.us/sec/mhc