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): 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: _ recorded by Historic American Engineering Record # NPSForm10-900-a(Rev.8/2002) OMB No.
1024-0018 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number_8 Page 1 (Expires 5-31-2012) Revere City Hall and Police Station Name of Property Revere (Suffolk), MA County and State Name of multiple listing (if applicable) 8. Statement of Significance The Revere City Hall and Revere Police Station The Revere City Hall and Police Station are well-preserved, architecturally distinguished, and reflect th development and maturation of the city of Revere at the turn of the 20th century. Retaining integrity of materials, workmanship, feeling, setting, location, design, and association, the two buildings fulfill criteria A and C at the local level, with areas of significance for architecture, community planning and development, politics, and social history.
The period of significance is 1897, when the former town hall (later city hall) was constructed, until the 50-year cut-off date of 1961. Summary Municipal buildings have been located on the parcel at the northwest corner of Broadway and Pleasant Street since the mid 1830s. From modest beginnings as the site of a wooden, Greek Revival town hall, with small, wooden, town-owned structures that housed a fire engine and a hearse, the parcel became the site of more modern and commodious town hall and police station buildings by the turn of the 20th century. The former Revere Town Hall of 1897-1898, now Revere City Hall, and the Revere Police Station of 1909 are symbolic of the maturation of Revere as a municipality.
No longer an agricultural backwater, thanks to railroads and the rise of Revere Beach as a nationally known summer resort, the former town hall and police station were built, in part, as a response to a new complexity inherent in tending to the needs of a more numerous and diverse population. The former town hall was also built to commemorate one of the American Revolution's great heroes, Paul Revere. The Revere Police Station represents a less ambitious but still significant design effort. Revere Town (City) Hall Built in 1897-1898, the Revere City Hall at 281 Broadway, originally called the Revere Town Hall, was designed by the Boston architectural firm of Greenleaf and Cobb. (Revere became a city in 1915 and the Town Hall became City Hall.
For the purposes of this nomination, the building will be referred to as Revere City Hall.) The building's construction as a new seat of municipal government was long overdue, given the inflexible, overcrowded, and generally antiquated quarters that characterized the old Greek Revival town hall. The construction of a new facility was hastened by a fire that destroyed the old building in January, 1897. The old town hall was located at the northwestern corner of the Revere City Hall's present, expanded, lot. A police station had been situated on the lot since 1873, when a former "engine house" or fire engine storage facility dating to the 1830s was enlarged to serve as a headquarters for Revere's fledgling police department.
Located just to the east of the town hall, this wooden structure was moved to another location in the town in order to accommodate a new police station, which was built in 1909. (continued) NPS Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8/2002) OMB No. 1024-0018 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number 8 Page 2 (Expires 5-31-2012) Revere City Hall and Police Station Name of Property Revere (Suffolk), MA County and State Name of multiple listing (if applicable) The Revere City Hall's architectural and historical significance is inextricably bound to the original purposes of the building. First and foremost, the building was constructed to house local government and municipal services. Second, its purpose was consciously symbolic: to serve as a memorial to the great American patriot, Paul Revere.
For the first five years after its completion, the building also housed Revere's public library. The various aspects of the building's construction are unusually well-documented, from the identities of the service providers and furnishing manufacturers, to descriptions of the building's exterior and interior fabric at the time of its completion. The primary source of construction information lies in detailed records kept by the town's building committee. In addition, numerous articles in the Revere Journal chronicle the progress of the building's construction - from the early planning stages, through the laying of the cornerstone, to the dedicatory ceremonies. Original plans for the building, as well as the Revere Police Station, are in the collection of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Archives.
Development of Revere Initially called Rumney Marsh, Revere's land was owned by Boston from 1634 until 1739. From 1739 until 1847, Revere, together with present-day Winthrop (Pullen Point) and Chelsea (Winnissimet), constituted the town of Chelsea. In 1846, Chelsea was reduced to its present boundaries when Revere and Winthrop broke away to form the independent town of North Chelsea. In 1852, Revere assumed its present configuration when Winthrop broke away to become one of the smallest independent municipalities in the Commonwealth. The old settlement of Rumney Marsh was named Revere in 1871, in honor of the great patriot, artisan, and industrialist, Paul Revere. Revere, with a population of over 25,000 people, was incorporated as a city in 1915. From the 17" century until as late as ca. 1880, agricultural pursuits were the key to local prosperity.
Industry has never figured significantly in Revere's economy. Early exceptions to this rule include a tidal gristmill that was established on Mill Creek as early as 1734. By the early 19" century, a few Rumney Marsh residents owned sloops that transported ballast from the islands in the harbor to the wharves in Boston, selling stones to many trading vessels. Transportation developments and improvements had everything to do with the town's 19t-century growth. Broadway, Revere's principal north-south thoroughfare, was completed as part of the Salem Turnpike in 1803. The new toll road, together with bridges at Mill Creek and Pines River, provided Revere with more direct links to Boston and Salem.
The introduction of the Salem Turnpike encouraged industrial growth in the form of Cheever's brickyards near Mill Creek The beginnings of Broadway asa commercial center date to 1838, when a store, owned and operated by John Fenno and his son, Joseph, was built at the corner of Broadway and Beach Street. Prior to the Civil War, Revere had grown slowly despite the introduction of the Eastern Railroad, which linked Revere with Boston in 1838. Passenger service ended on what had been the Eastern's original route when a new main (continued) NPS Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8/2002) OMB No.
1024-0018 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number 8 Page 3 (Expires 5-31-2012) Revere City Hall and Police Station Name of Property Revere (Suffolk), MA County and State Name of multiple listing (if applicable) line to Boston was opened in 1854. The Eastern's Boston-to-Revere line was restored in 1872, in part, to compete with the Boston, Revere Beach & Lynn Railroad that was completed in 1875. These transportation improvements were factors in Revere's population doubling every decade between 1870 and 1900. By 1899, the population of the town had grown to nearly 6,000 people, or more than a fivefold increase since 1870. By 1915, the population, at 25,178, was 21 times the 1870 figure and sufficient to warrant Revere's incorporation as a city.
Driving the early 20**-century's rise in population was the settlement of various ethnic groups, including Italians, Jews, and Greeks. Many of these newcomers discovered the town during seasonal outings to Revere Beach. In addition, the town's proximity to employment in Boston and Lynn also figured in Revere's desirability as a place in which to permanently settle. After 1880, Revere turned to tourism as an important source of jobs and revenue. As early as 1881, a consortium of Boston businessmen, led by members of the Saltonstall family, invested funds in a seasonal resort at Point of Pines. At the time of the former town hall's dedication in 1899, Revere's fortunes were decidedly on the rise, thanks to the growing popularity of Revere Beach as a seasonal destination.
Only four years earlier, the Massachusetts legislature ordered the taking of nearly three miles of private seacoast land on what is now Revere Beach Reservation. The Metropolitan Park Commission was entrusted with the land in 1896. Charles Eliot, the landscape architect responsible for the design of the Middlesex Fells Reservation during the early to mid 1890s, was chosen by the Park Commission to design Revere Beach Reservation for the best use by the public. During much of the 20" century it was the variety of hotels, restaurants, and especially amusement rides, rather than the sand and ocean, that left an indelible impression in the minds of summer visitors.
For example, the section of the beach that contained Wonderland, a concentration of amusement rides, was only in business for five years (1900- 1905), but so great was its impact that the name lives on as the last stop on the MBTA.s Blue Line, and was also the name of a recently closed racetrack. Over time, Revere's local government has been housed in five structures, including the present building. Prior to 1800 town affairs were shaped in the old Congregational (later Unitarian) meetinghouse, built in 1710. Still extant at Beach Street, near School Street, the old meetinghouse has been altered beyond recognition. Beach Street was part of an old Colonial era road that linked coastal areas with inland estate farms. From 1800 to 1835, town business was conducted in the one-story schoolhouse that stood near the intersection of Central Avenue and Beach Street.
On May 21, 1835, the town fathers of what was then called Chelsea voted to purchase land on Salem Turnpike for a new town hall. The land was purchased from a John Wright for $3,030. The Old Chelsea Town Hall (later the North Chelsea Town Hall and Revere Town Hall): 1835- 1897. The Chelsea Town Hall (later the North Chelsea Town Hall and Revere Town Hall) was an imposing, temple-form, Greek Revival building, with a pedimented portico exhibiting four monumental fluted columns. Measuring 40 by 60 feet, the clapboard clad building stood on an 18,900-square-foot (continued) NPS Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8/2002) OMB No.
1024-0018 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number 8 Page 4 (Expires 5-31-2012) Revere City Hall and Police Station Name of Property Revere (Suffolk), MA County and State Name of multiple listing (if applicable) lot on what is now the northeastern segment of the present city hall's parcel at the corner of Broadway and Pleasant Street. The architect of the town hall was an A. Sparrell (probably Boston architect William Sparrell), while the builder was Frances W. Broad of Boston. David Procopio, a reporter for the Revere Journal, noted in an article dated May 12, 1999, that "the classically styled Town Hall (upon completion) was surely an architectural highlight in a community that was mostly marshes, farmland and dirt roads." The first town meeting was held in the new building on October 28, 1835.
The business at hand was to participate in a statewide election, with a majority of Chelsea voters giving the gubernatorial nod to Edward Everett, who headed the Whig party ticket. The old town hall contained small offices on the first floor, while much of the second floor was devoted to a large meeting hall. By all accounts, the old town hall became an important social center for the community. During the Civil War, the town hosted meetings to encourage enlistment in the Union Army. Perhaps most memorably, this room served as the venue for the annual dances called "Division Balls," celebrating Revere's separation from Chelsea. The old Greek Revival building was expanded in 1878, via a 20-foot addition that cost $2,500.
By the time fire destroyed the old building in January of 1897, its importance to the life of the town as a social center was well established, and nearly as important as its principal role as the seat of government. Undoubtedly, the architects of the present city hall, Cobb and Greenleaf, were aware of the important role that the earlier building had played in the social life of the community, and made provisions for a similar commodious space to be included at the second floor of the new town hall. Shortly after the construction of the old town hall in 1835, two wooden structures were erected behind the building to house a fire engine and a hearse. The old wooden engine house was enlarged by the town in 1873 to accommodate the first police force in the town, and continued to be used as a police station until it was moved to Cheever Street and adapted for reuse as a residence.
The relocation of the engine house/police station was undertaken in an effort to accommodate the construction of the brick police station of 1909 at 23 Pleasant Street. Although the fate of the hearse house is not clear, it is probable that it was demolished and its wood materials used for firewood. By the early 20* century, funeral homes, not town governments, were the principal suppliers of hearses to carry the deceased to a cemetery. Indeed, the days of the town-supplied hearses were over, having gone the way of town pounds, town criers, and lamp lighters. 1897 - Fire Destroys Town Hall, Plans For Rebuilding The Revere Town Hall was destroyed by fire during the early morning hours of January 19, 1897. The cause of the fire was reportedly an unextinguished cigar butt. Most of the Revere fire service and its equipment was pressed into service to fight the raging conflagration.
According to a dramatic account of the catastrophe by a Revere Journal reporter, "Hastily they directed every stream of water on the doomed building. The greedy flames seemed to burn only the fiercer. The thermometer was at zero and the water froze nearly as fast as poured on the building, and the hard working firemen were coated with ice." (continued) NPS Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8/2002) OMB No. 1024-0018 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number 8 Page 5 (Expires 5-31-2012) Revere City Hall and Police Station Name of Property Revere (Suffolk), MA County and State Name of multiple listing (if applicable) Fortunately, most of the town records were saved thanks to the actions of Selectman Albert A.
Tapley and town clerk Walter Fenno, who carried the selectmen's books and papers out of the burning building. Firemen saved a historic banner associated with Paul Revere, that had hung in the main meeting hall since the town of Revere was renamed. The firemen's retrieval of this Revere-associated item may have inspired town officials to dedicate the new town hall to the great patriot's memory, complete with art works that celebrated his heroic deeds and character. In addition to the banner, the town assessors' office books and recordskept in a vault and two safes - were spared from destruction. Unfortunately, water damage ruined many of the books that were part of the library's collection. The city estimated the loss of the town hall at $8,000, and was insured by five companies for $6,700.
As early as 8 AM on the morning of the fire, the town government was moved to rooms in the Sherman Hannah Block (demolished) on Broadway. Carpenters and plumbers went right to work, and the rooms in the commercial block were fitted up for occupancy. The fire set into motion a bureaucratic process that resulted in the construction of one of the most unique examples of Colonial Revival/Classical Revival-style municipal architecture in Massachusetts. The beginnings of Revere's post-fire municipal building lie in the formation of a building committee. In more than a hundred meetings from February 1897 to December 1899, the eleven-member committee considered and voted on every detail related to the new town hall's construction. The committee members offered their services to the community free of charge.
The particulars of the building's design and interior configuration took shape as the result of "the Popular Method" that was followed during building committee sessions, meaning that opinions were heard from officials and individual citizens. The building committee made sure that the general floor plan of the new building was, from the the outset, adapted for Revere's recently reorganized system of town government. The building committee's first meeting was held on February 20, 1897. The first order of business was to designate a site for the new town hall. The building committee reviewed the potential sites over the next three meetings. Among the sites considered were land just to the north of the old Shurtleff School, eleven adjoining lots owned by E. M. Farnsworth at Beach and Lowe Streets, and a lot at the corner of Broadway and Central Street, across from the Central Fire Station.
On March 26, 1897, the building committee voted in favor of erecting the new building on the old town hall's lot. Following the committee's recommendation, $80,000 was borrowed to pay for the additional lots and initial construction costs. The old lot was enlarged by the addition of the Towle and Lewis estates on Broadway, and the Standish estate on Pleasant Street. Three factors influenced the building committee's choice of location for the new town hall: convenient location, proximity to a wide street that was the town's major traffic artery, and above all, a price that the town could afford. In an effort to avoid "extravagant expenditure," the committee opted to build on land already owned by the town.
Since Revere did not have a town common or public park to provide a suitable foreground for such an important edifice, the building committee wished to incorporate a garden spot by expanding the old town hall (continued) NPS Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8/2002) OMB No. 1024-0018 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number _8 Page 6 (Expires 5-31-2012) Revere City Hall and Police Station Name of Property Revere (Suffolk), MA County and State Name of multiple listing (if applicable) parcel. The building committee secretary noted that the town hall's parcel would be "beautified by lawns, drives and walks, retaining very many of our beautiful old elm trees." The grounds were laid out by Joseph H. Curtis, gardener. The area of the old town hall lot combined with the three new lots was 75,190 square feet.
Cobb and Greenleaf, Architects of the Revere City Hall The next order for the building committee was to hire an architectural firm and a contractor to design and build the new municipal edifice. The building committee's stated goal was "to give Revere a Town Hall and Public Library worthy of her progressive spirit, and spacious enough to anticipate her needs for many years." In April 1897, seventeen architects submitted sketch plans. The design submitted by the Boston architectural firm of Cobb and Greenleaf was chosen out of an impressive field of applicants that included Charles E. Bateman, S. S. Woodcock, Willard M. Bacon, Loring and Phipps, and John L. Faxon. The process of hiring the Revere City Hall's contractor was less smooth than the process of the appointing the architects. After several false starts, W. L. Clark and Company of Boston was hired at a cost of $65,331.
The building's architect, Albert Winslow Cobb, was born in East Boston on March 2, 1835. On his mother's side of the family, Cobb was descended from Myles Standish, the Mayflower Pilgrim in charge of military affairs. During the 1870s, Cobb was educated in Boston public schools, an unspecified art school, and Tufts College. Around 1880, Cobb began work as a draftsman in the Pemberton Square offices of William Ralph Emerson. William Ralph Emerson's domestic architecture is scattered across America, from Colorado Springs to Mount Desert, Maine. Emerson's best-known Boston work is the former Boston Arts Club (1881) at the corner of Newbury and Dartmouth Streets. He is also credited with numerous substantial residences in the Sumner Hill section of Jamaica Plain and other suburban Boston communities.
It was through his work at Emerson's Pemberton Square office that Cobb met his future business partner, John Calvin Stevens of Portland, Maine. According to architectural historian Earle G. Shettleworth, Jr., 'Stevens made a national contribution to the development of the Shingle Style during the 1880s." Cobb and Stevens were partners in Portland, Maine, between 1888 and 1891. In 1889, Stevens and Cobb co-authored Examples of American Domestic Architecture, a work that brought international attention to their firm. Despite the brevity of their partnership, Cobb had the opportunity to expand his knowledge of the Colonial Revival style with Stevens, one of the early proponents of this architectural mode. As early as 1885, Stevens was exploring the formal symmetry of the Colonial Revival for upper-middle-class residential work in Portland and its vicinity.
While Cobb's life and career is relatively well-documented, little is known about Luther Carroll Greenleaf, Cobb's business partner. Born in Abbott, Maine, on December 27, 1866, Greenleaf, according to a Revere Journal article dated 10/16/1897, was "bred in the rugged life of rural Maine." Greenleaf "rose through the ranks of the building trades of Maine and Boston, eventually becoming recognized (continued) NPS Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8/2002) OMB No.
1024-0018 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number_ 8 Page ] (Expires 5-31-2012) Revere City Hall and Police Station Name of Property Revere (Suffolk), MA County and State Name of multiple listing (if applicable) as an architect with a "thorough construction knowledge." Greenleaf' s role in the partnership was to keep the firm's accounts and provide advice on matters pertaining to the practicalities of construction. Cobb, on the other hand, was a talented designer. The nephew of artists Cyrus and Darius Cobb, who would create Revere memorials on the building's interior, Cobb clearly shared his famous uncles' artistic abilities. The possibility remains that an important factor in the committee's choice of Cobb and Greenleaf was the building's architects role as a preservationist.
During the early 1890s, Cobb was part of the successful effort to save the Charles Bulfinch-designed Massachusetts State House (1795-1797) when its demolition was subject to serious discussion. The building, the great dome of which was originally covered with copper rolled by Paul Revere at his Canton foundry, was deemed obsolete by many legislators on Beacon Hill. Additionally, Revere's town fathers liked Cobb's insistence that fine art should enliven the building's interiors in the form of paintings, sculpture, and stained glass. The committee was evidently unconcerned with the fact that the artists slated to create the artistic memorials to Paul Revere were relatives of Cobb - in this case his 66-year-old twin uncles, Cyrus and Darius Cobb. In its final report, the committee wrote: "To the Architects, Albert W. Cobb and Luther C.
Greenleaf, is due much praise for a building unique in its happy blending of practical utilities and arrangements with historical and memorial embellishments." Historian Robert Forrey, in his essay The Architecture of Americanism: The Revere Town Hall, noted that Albert W. Cobb's firm was chosen because "he was credited with toning down the extravagances of European-inspired styles." Cobb relied on the Colonial Revival and Classical Revival styles' signature bold forms and symmetrical fenestration for maximum visual impact, rather than the profuse ornamentation that had been so characteristic of earlier Victorian-era architecture. Colonial Revival: The Appropriate Architectural Style for the Revere City Hall Beginning with the Centennial Exhibition of 1876, the Colonial Revival style had become popular within the lexicon of American architectural modes.
The Fairmount Park fairgrounds of Philadelphia encompassed numerous pavilions with exotic designs that introduced Americans to the architecture of foreign cultures. The United States pavilion, in addition to a wide variety of contemporary machine-made products, also showcased Revolutionary War-era material culture. By all accounts, the Colonial kitchen fitted out with butter churns, bible chests, and spinning wheels, captured the imaginations of millions of fairgoers, providing a nostalgic look back at America before the Industrial Revolution. As the 19#h century drew to a close, architects in the United States shifted their focus from historic European modes to styles that were popular along America's eastern seaboard during the 18t and early 19"h centuries.
The Colonial Revival is a "big tent" style, which revisits and frequently hybridizes the forms, features, and elements of the Georgian, Federal, and even Greek Revival styles. The Revere City Hall's design relies heavily on the use of Classical elements, while still remaining within the Colonial Revival style. Ionic columns and pilasters, as well as the belfry that references ancient Greece's Choragic Monument, are used in conjunction with Georgian features such as splayed lintels, keystone arches, and (continued) NPS Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8/2002) OMB No. 1024-0018 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number 8 Page 8 (Expires 5-31-2012) Revere City Hall and Police Station Name of Property Revere (Suffolk), MA County and State Name of multiple listing (if applicable) hipped roofs.
Professor Robert Forrey sets forth an interesting theory as to why the Colonial Revival was the style of choice for the Revere building. He postulates that motives other than pure patriotism, nostalgia for bygone days, and reverence for Paul Revere were behind the town fathers' choice of Colonial Revival for the design of the building. Professor Forrey maintains that the Colonial Revival style may have been chosen by the town's overwhelmingly Protestant officials due to disdain for the town's Irish Catholic immigrant population. He sees the building's design as symbolic of the need to maintain the status quo of the community's traditional power elite, some of whom traced their roots in Massachusetts back to the 17# century.
The fact remains, however, that Irish Catholics had been living in the town for four decades by the time the new town hall was builtenough time, one might argue, for the second and third generations to peacefully co-exist, if not completely assimilate, with the larger community. At the time of the building's construction, the great wave of Italian and Jewish immigrants who would settle in Revere during the 1920s and 1930s was still several decades in the future. Forrey's thesis notwithstanding, the choice of the Colonial Revival may simply lie in the three following factors. First, the style's popularity was widespread at the turn of the 20#* century. The Colonial Revival was seen by many as a breath of fresh air, and an antidote to the heavy, ornate design of the previous "brown decades" of the Victorian era.
Second, the lead architect selected for the project had a demonstrated familiarity with the style, having witnessed the earliest phase of this mode's evolution. Both Emerson and Stevens experimented with Colonial Revival elements in their domestic work during the period of the late 1870s and 1880s. Third, there was a desire on the part of the building committee members to honor a great Colonial-era figure with a building referencing historic architectural styles popular during Paul Revere's life. The building that rose from the ashes of the old town hall was not a slavish, architecturally correct copy of a particular Colonial landmark. Instead, it is a building whose Georgian and Classical elements evoke a sensibility that alludes, in a highly original manner, to the buildings of the pre-Revolutionary War-era and the Early Republic.
That the term "Colonial" is used very consciously and deliberately to describe the new building in statements made by the architects and the local press, underscores the effort to link this building's design with the architecture of Paul Revere's pre- and post-Revolutionary War-era America. The building's design is a fine example of the Colonial Revival/ Classical Revival style. The Classical Revival elements of the building acknowledge the rising popularity of an architectural mode that first captured the imagination of the American public at another world's fair - the Columbian Exposition, or the Chicago World's Fair of 1893. The building's principal architect, Arthur Winslow Cobb, apparently became interested in the Colonial Revival mode during his partnership with John Calvin Stevens a decade before the construction of the new town hall.
Stevens was Maine's leading late 19t*-century architect, and was an early practitioner of the Colonial Revival style in America. (continued) NPS Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8/2002) OMB No. 1024-0018 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number 8 Page 9 (Expires 5-31-2012) Revere City Hall and Police Station Name of Property Revere (Suffolk), MA County and State Name of multiple listing (if applicable) Revere City Hall: The Original Interior Plan of 1897 & the Plan of 1936's Second Floor Alterations The Ground Floor The ground floor contains a central corridor that extends from the northern parking-area entrance to the building's south wall.
Original blueprint plans on file at the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Archives indicate that rooms located on the east side of the corridor were primarily occupied by the Revere Public Library. Access to the library was via the Pleasant Street entrance at the ground floor. At the center of the library's quarters on the east side of the ground floor, was a reading room and book stacks. The Library Trustees' Room was located at the northeastern corner of the ground floor. Then as now, a boiler room or coal room occupied the southeast corner of the ground floor. A notation on the blueprint indicates that the boiler room was built to accommodate "100 tons of coal." The original blueprint plans also shed light on the original uses of rooms on the west side of the ground floor's central corridor.
The south side of the center hall was dominated by a large central space labeled "Hall for banquets, voting, etc." This large, 34' x 86' room was flanked on its north side by a kitchen, while on the south side were a serving room and lavatories. The southwestern corner of the ground floor, then as now, contained a stairwell. The configurations of all three spaces were later altered for the purposes of municipal offices, at an undetermined date. First Floor: The Central Corridor and Adjacent Offices The first-floor interior plan is the least altered in terms of room configuration, if not original room use. Like the ground floor, the first floor contains a 125' central corridor which extends from the porte cochere entrance on the south to the Pleasant Street entrance on the north. The central corridor is flanked on both sides by offices.
Located at the center of the Broadway elevation, the main entrance's doors open onto a shallow foyer, which leads directly to the information station in the central corridor. At either end of the central corridor are stairwells providing access to the ground and second floors. The mayor's office is located on the south side of the foyer in a room that was originally occupied by the School Committee. As a result of several renovations, the room currently used as the mayor's office does not retain noteworthy original details. The rooms located between the mayor's office and south wall, on the west side of the building, originally housed the Claims Office, Solicitor's Room, and General Committee Room. Currently these rooms are used as staff offices for the Mayor, and are devoid of noteworthy original details.
Returning to the main entrance foyer, the first room on its north side was used by the Overseers and Parks Department. Behind the curved wall at this room's southeast corner was a box office, where tickets were sold to events that took place upstairs in the auditorium. The remaining rooms on the west side of the central corridor were used to house the Boards of Sewers and Health, as well as the office of the Town Auditor. (continued) NPS Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8/2002) OMB No.
1024-0018 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number _8 Page 10 (Expires 5-31-2012) Revere City Hall and Police Station Name of Property Revere (Suffolk), MA County and State Name of multiple listing (if applicable) Across the central corridor, beginning at the east side's northern end, is the Town Clerk's office, which has been used for this purpose since the day the building was first open for business. Original plans indicate that the room next door to the east half was occupied by the town's Board of Survey. Located on the south side of the offices is a corridor that extends from the central corridor to the east wall. To the south of this corridor, located at the center of the building's eastern half, are a pair of spaces that each measure 28-by-37 feet.
According to the original plans, these spaces each had a private office bordering the central corridor while the eastern halves contained the Selectmen's and Assessors' offices. The southernmost space on the east side of the central corridor originally contained the Collector's office in the western half, while the Treasurer's office occupied the eastern half. In 1936, these offices were relocated to the second story (see below). The Second Floor Although the first floor has, for the most part, retained its original room configuration, the second floor's interior plan was radically reconfigured in 1936. Plans dated June 27, 1936, delineated by an A. Brigman and on file at the Massachusetts Archives, provide a clear picture of the changes that were made to the top floor. The supervising architect for the reconfiguration of the second floor was Edward O. Parkhurst.
The auditorium, which originally had a capacity of up to 1,200 people, was reduced to about a third of its former size to accommodate more municipal offices at the northeast corner, and a City Council Chamber along the south (Pleasant Street) side of the building. Surviving features of the original auditorium include a hardwood floor and the 31' height of the ceiling. That two-thirds of the second floor was first occupied by a large auditorium suggests that this space was viewed by the original architects, as well as the city fathers, as a key amenity within the building. where local organizations could hold social gatherings. The stage originally projected from the east wall. In 1936, a stage was created at the new east wall.
A gallery that could seat more than 200 people was located above the auditorium at the west side of the room, and was accessed by stairs located at its north and south sides. It was subsequently enclosed to accommodate more office and storage space. At the time of the building's construction, two small dressing rooms (apparently used by performers in conjunction with plays and music programs) were located within the polygonal bays that project from the east wall of the building. The subdivision of the auditorium in 1936 reduced the number of dressing rooms to the one housed in the northernmost bay, while the southern bay became a small committee room off the new City Council Chamber. Undoubtedly, the Great Depression was the cause of the reduction in size, as special functions became too expensive to fund, while the creation of more office space became the top priority.
The configurations of the three rooms located between the stairwells on the west (Broadway) side of the auditorium remained unchanged, but their original uses are not the same. Initially, the center room was used as a coat-check room, which was flanked by "ante" rooms for men and women. These rooms are labeled "offices" on the 1936 plan. (continued) NPS Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8/2002) OMB No. 1024-0018 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number 8 Page 11 (Expires 5-31-2012) Revere City Hall and Police Station Name of Property Revere (Suffolk), MA County and State Name of multiple listing (if applicable) Some of the 1936 alterations were made out of concern for fire safety. A window at the auditorium's east wall was lengthened to accommodate a door that opens onto an iron platform.
Access from the platform to the parking lot below is provided by iron stairs. The iron material for the fire escape was provided by the Everett Ironworks Company of 31 Orient Avenue, Everett. Cornerstone-laying Ceremonies/ Identification of Contractors The cornerstone for the building was laid on the afternoon of October 19, 1897. Described in the Revere Journal as "an elaborate and formal ceremony," this event's keynote speaker was U.S. Senator Henry Cabot Lodge. The ceremonies prominently featured members of the Massachusetts Grand Lodge of Masons, assisted by the Chelsea Lodge of Commanders. That the Masons played such a prominent role in the day's festivities was appropriate, given Paul Revere's ties to King Solomon's Lodge of Masons in Charlestown, MA.
According to Robert Forrey, the subtext of the celebration was the harmful influence of foreigners on America's patriotic and moral values. This anti-immigration sentiment was in line with Senator Lodge's well-known leanings. He had ties with the overwhelmingly Protestant Masons, with whom he shared a yearning for the return of a less diverse, 18"'-century Massachusetts demographic. The ceremony attracted more than 1,000people. After a concert ofpatriotic music and prayers offered by local clergymen, municipal and Masonic documents, as well as 28 commemorative items, were placed in a copper box and lowered into the building's foundation. Among the encapsulated items were: a list of qualified voters as of October 19, 1897, a copy of the voting list of North Chelsea for 1851-1852, a list of the town's officers for 1897, and copies of Revere newspapers for October 15 and 16, 1897.
(Reportedly, at the time of the building's 100* Anniversary in 1997 a move to open the copper box was rejected because of concerns about the fragility of some of these artifacts.) The ceremony showcased Senator Lodge's dedicatory speech entitled "Better Town Government," and concluded with a hymn performed by local schoolchildren and a final benediction presented by the grand chaplain. After the exercises, 400 guests were invited to enjoy refreshments catered by J.A.C. Ludemann of Crescent (Revere) Beach. The secretary of the Revere Town Hall Building Committee, George A. Copeland, conscientiously recorded the materials and their costs, as well as the names of companies and service providers engaged in a construction project of this magnitude.
For a town that did not have a previous track record in the construction of large public buildings, the Revere Building Committee managed to deal with the various aspects of the project in an expeditious manner. According to Professor Forrey, "At the time of the planning of the new town hall, much was made of the patriot after whom the town was named. The man was of heroic proportions and so the building would be as well. A reporter for the Boston Herald proclaimed that 'just as there is but one Paul Revere in the world's history, so this (building) in the town named after him will be unique and unparalleled in its style of heroic commemoration." (continued) NPS Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8/2002) OMB No.
1024-0018 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number 8 Page 12 (Expires 5-31-2012) Revere City Hall and Police Station Name of Property Revere (Suffolk), MA County and State Name of multiple listing (if applicable) In October 1897, the building committee authorized the expenditure of $665 to thicken the building's wall, per the recommendations of architect Cobb and contractor Clark. Building committee records for 1898 identify the service providers who carried out the tasks necessary to complete the building. In January 1898, the committee authorized a Mr. Swift to provide "the best No.
1 Monson slates at an additional cost of $115." On March 15, 1898, the committee instructed the architect to "select a modern- style vane to sit atop the clock tower." At the same meeting, the committee voted to authorize the architects' placement of skylights in the roof, above the stained-glass windows of the domes. In November of 1898, the committee voted to expend $400 on stained glass provided by Redding, Baird and Company. The Boston-based firm's windows may still be seen in numerous buildings throughout the Northeast, including at the Dr. Leroy Satterlee House in Newport, RI, the Calvinistic Congregational Church (1897, now the United Methodist Church, NRIND) in Fitchburg, MA, and the Haston Free Library in North Brookfield, MA (1890s). Further afield, the company provided stained glass to the First Evangelical Lutheran Church (1897) in Altoona, PA.
In April of 1898, $20,000 was appropriated to grade the building's lot. Before construction could begin, it was necessary to build up the parcel with just over 200 loads of fill, provided by Edward Flynn and the firm of Mirick and Wentworth. Nevertheless, the eastern half of the lot remained a full story below the grade of the western half, bordering Broadway. This small landfill operation resulted in the creation of a landscaped "foreground" providing a parklike setting suitable for this highly visible landmark building. Landscape gardener Joseph H. Curtis was hired to execute the layout of the grounds. Granite curbing supplied by George H.
Goodridge neatly circumscribed the new landscaping along the Broadway and Pleasant Street sides of the building Turning to the building's interior, during the summer of 1898, the building committee concerned themselves with the authorization of funds for various amenities and furnishings. For example, the committee allocated funds for speaking tubes that would connect the town clerk's and selectmen's rooms with the janitor's room. The ring of an electric bell announced that someone was trying to communicate a message. Additionally, money was allocated for furnishings for the ground floor's public library rooms, as well as combined gas and electric light fixtures. The contract for the lighting fixtures was awarded to R. Hollings and Company of Boston for the sum of $1,500.
Exhibiting "old brass finishes," these fixtures included a large chandelier, six feet, six inches in width, and smaller chandeliers with spreads of five feet. In August, the committee voted to buy about 1,200 No. 1050 chairs from the Harwood Manufacturing Company for $1.50 each. Constructed of oak, the chairs had olive-green fiber seats. On September 23, the contract for building the rock-faced granite retaining wall on the Pleasant Street side of the building was awarded to Jessie M. Hall for $650. In November 1898, the committee turned to the particulars of furnishing the Selectmen's and Assessor's rooms. The firm of Bardwell and Anderson was retained for a fee of $275 to supply "rails, counters and (continued) NPS Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8/2002) OMB No.
1024-0018 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number 8 Page 13 (Expires 5-31-2012) Revere City Hall and Police Station Name of Property Revere (Suffolk), MA County and State Name of multiple listing (if applicable) gates." Elsewhere in the building, the S.H. Mayo Furniture Company supplied twenty quartered oak chairs (No. 1 Windsors) with polished finishes at the cost of $350 per chair, a fairly substantial expense at that time. The Chelsea Clock Company furnished the city hall's clocks, and the Pope Electrical Company performed the necessary wiring. The belfry's clocks were provided by the E. Howard Clock Company. Organized in 1881, the E. Howard Clock Company manufactured weight-driven wall timepieces and regulators of fine quality.
In the early 1930s, the firm moved to Waltham, but clocks continued to be manufactured in the Roxbury section of Boston. The firm ceased manufacturing small clocks in the late 1950s, and last tower clock was produced just before the Howard Company folded in 1964. During the late 1980s, the belfry's Howard clock was dismantled, cleaned, and rebuilt. At that time, installing bells in the belfry was actually considered by Revere officials, but concerns about expense and constant chiming disturbing residential neighbors precluded such a project. In December of 1898, the committee voted to finish the building's plumbing using the services of the Fraser brothers, who were retained at a cost of $100. The total cost for the building's construction was $119, 686.33, just under $100 below the total appropriation of $119,783.50.
The report presented at the last meeting of the building committee on December 4, 1899, showed the following breakdown of expenditures: land: $12,767.66; grading and land improvement: $6,071.78; furnishings and fixtures: $8,054.05; five-year insurance policy: $933; cornerstone-laying ceremony: $302.75; dedication ceremony: $825.75; construction: $90,731.34. The Dedication Dedicated on January 11, 1899, the new building's location on Broadway, part of a major north-south artery linking Boston with North Shore towns, ensured that it would be "a conspicuous object to passing travelers." The special guest at the dedication ceremonies was Mayor Josiah Quincy of Boston. The controversial guest speaker, Lemuel K. Washburn (1846-1927), was the former pastor of the Unitarian Church in Revere who had been asked to leave his ministry because his theology had become too radical for his parishioners.
By 1889, Washburn had become the editor for the Boston Investigator, a "free thought weekly" that opposed all religion and was especially critical of Roman Catholicism. According to Professor Forrey, "Not surprisingly, most orthodox clergymen in Revere were up in arms over the selection of Washburn as the speaker at the town hall dedication." The pastors of the Congregational and Baptist churches threatened to boycott the ceremonies, while town officials defended their surprising choice on the grounds that Washburn was simply the best speaker in town, and that his presence at the dedication ceremonies did not mean that the committee embraced his religious views. The dedicatory ceremonies began at sunset with thirteen bomb blasts on a hill opposite the new building. Two burning lanterns hung in the belfry, recalling the secret signals briefly visible at Old North Church on April 18, 1775.
Washburn was flanked by Darius Cobb's two large paintings depicting Paul Revere's Ride, which were originally hung in the second-floor auditorium. During the speech, (continued) NPS Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8/2002) OMB No. 1024-0018 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number_8 Page 14 (Expires 5-31-2012) Revere City Hall and Police Station Name of Property Revere (Suffolk), MA County and State Name of multiple listing (if applicable) Washburn made it clear that Americanism was his religion and Paul Revere was his prophet.
The grand occasion was as much a celebration of a new seat of local government as it was "a tribute to the great patriot Paul Revere." A reporter for the Revere Journal described the new town hall as a "model town building" and "the pride of Revere and its people." The building was designed to expedite the business of the town, while at the same time its decorative elements were intended to be symbolic, educational, and commemorative. At the time of its dedication, the building was described in the local press as "an ideal edifice and not a copy of anything else." The dedicatory ceremony was followed by an inspection of the building by 2,000 people.
As the dignitaries and townspeople explored the building it became apparent that the building committee had spent the appropriated funds wisely, resulting in quality craftsmanship, along with fitting aesthetic choices for finishes, fixtures, and furnishings. The throng that entered the basement after the ceremony discovered that the town had provided its people with two distinct municipal entities under one roof: a seat of local government and a public library. The basement, or ground floor, contained the public library's "pleasant and commodious quarters," which included a Composing Room, Reading and Delivery Room, and Trustees Room, as well as the librarian's office. The library very rapidly outgrew its ground-floor quarters. After only five years, its volumes were moved to the present library building on Beach Street in 1903.
Ground-floor rooms that were not part of the library included the boiler room at the northeast corner and a large hall measuring 35'-by-85' that bordered the Broadway side of the building. Constructed for voting and banqueting, this hall could accommodate up to 400 people and had adjacent kitchen and serving rooms. The dedication-day crowds, upon entering the first floor, discovered a central hall with appropriately formal proportions, including walls enlivened by encaustic tile, smooth plaster surfaces, and quality hardwood trim elements. On the east side of the first floor's central corridor were "spacious rooms for Selectmen and Assessors well adapted for public hearings." Each of these rooms measured 28 by 31 feet, and could be "thrown together" by sliding up double doors. In addition, there were rooms for the tax collector, town clerk, and board of survey.
On the west side of the corridor were rooms for the various committees and boards. The first floor's central corridor was described as "dignified and impressive," with buff-colored walls with enameled tile dado adorned by handsome "Colonial" doorways. The grand stairways at either end of the first-story corridor were painted "continental colors of buff and blue." At the second story, the walls of the grand assembly hall were painted red, white, and blue. Measuring 70 by 125 feet, and rising to a height of 31 feet, the auditorium had seating capacity for 1,200 people on the floor. The platform or stage measured 19 by 54 feet, and was originally located at the center of the east wall. Carved into the keystone of the proscenium arch above the stage was the steeple of the Old (continued) NPS Form 10-900-a (Rev.8/2002) OMB No.
1024-0018 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number 8 Page 15 (Expires 5-31-2012) Revere City Hall and Police Station Name of Property Revere (Suffolk), MA County and State Name of multiple listing (if applicable) North Church, which was echoed in the auditorium's stained-glass semi-domes. The second story also contained anterooms and ladies' dressing rooms. The gallery is no longer extant and had seats for 270. Prior to its partition into three rooms in 1936, the central segment of the auditorium was domed and flanked by uncommonly large semi-domes of stained glass, each measuring 72 feet, divided into five panels, and located on either side of the platform.
The stained-glass windows were designed by Redding Baird & Company, and exhibited "a harmony of tones and refinement." The semi-domes' mosaic-like pieces of stained glass spelled out the opening and closing lines of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's famous poem, "Paul Revere's Ride," and an image of the Old North Church steeple was depicted in the stained glass. The secular aspect of the auditorium's stained-glass semi-domes invites comparison to other public buildings, in which stained glass depicts legendary scenes from American history. For example, the Congregational Church of the Pilgrims (1847) in Brooklyn Heights, NY, contains figural stained-glass windows that depict Pilgrim fathers John Carver, William Bradford, Myles Standish, and others. Although these windows illuminate the sanctuary, it is interesting that traditional images of Christian saints were not employed here.
The Brooklyn church, where the Rev. Henry Ward Beecher was first pastor, memorializes the Pilgrims' story, which like Paul Revere's story, is deeply embedded in national legend and lore. In addition to its general arrangement and adornments, the new municipal building had the most advanced appliances for sanitation, heating, ventilation, and lighting. Not surprisingly, given the role that the careless disposal of a burning cigar played in the demise of the previous town hall, the new building was designed with an eye towards fire safety. According to a Revere Journal article, "The general construction of the building is practically fire proof while the timbers of floors are spanned between iron girders forming flash fire stops....
For additional security the first story corridor floors are entirely steel beam, tile and concrete constructions paved with ornamental compost tile." Additionally, the building contained a system of massive, fireproof vaults for important records. The new building had "capacious boilers" that supplied steam heat for every room, from the basement to the gallery. In addition, there were "ample inlets" designed to administer fresh air, to be driven either warm or cold throughout the building.
Among the "modern features" cited in the local press were "plumbing of the best sanitary type," "lighting fixtures adapted for gas and electricity," "perfect acoustics" in the auditorium, and water closets made from "the best Vitreous China." Art Work as a Commemoration of the Life of Paul Revere One of the items included in the copper time capsule was an article by Arthur Winslow Cobb and Luther Carroll Greenleaf, describing the symbolic aspects of the building's design. Indeed, it is the building's symbolic and commemorative role that sets it apart from similar building projects completed during the waning days of the Victorian era. An article in the Revere Journal, at the time of the building's (continued) NPS Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8/2002) OMB No.
1024-0018 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number _8 Page 16 (Expires 5-31-2012) Revere City Hall and Police Station Name of Property Revere (Suffolk), MA County and State Name of multiple listing (if applicable) dedication, compared the new town hall to European public buildings, noting that "The public buildings of France are object lessons in history and patriotism and so they are destined to be in this country." The town hall that also served as a war memorial became fairly typical after the Civil War and World War I. For example, the 1920s Norwood Town Hall in Norwood, MA, is a Gothic Revival-style memorial to local men who made the supreme sacrifice during World War I. The dedication of a municipal building to the memory of a historical figure, however, was highly unusual.
A reporter for the Revere Journal accurately noted at the time of the building's dedication that "Revere's architectural memorializing is unusual and rare." Cyrus and Darius Cobb's Role in the Creation of Commemorative Art Thanks to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's 1861 poem, "Paul Revere's Ride," the silversmith-turned-spy for the Sons of Liberty finally received his due as the man who set in motion the colonies' struggle for independence from Great Britain. By the turn of the 20* century, nearly 40 years after Longfellow authored what is arguably the best-known American poem, Revere had assumed legendary status in the hearts and minds of the American people.
As celebrated as Paul Revere had become in song and story, "it remained for his namesake town (with no immediate historical connection to him), to embody this legend in enduring architectural form - in the best traditions of classical art and in the most appropriate memorial conceivable." The town fathers deemed it appropriate that Paul Revere, "staunch mechanic," "scion of the New England town meeting," and "messenger of freedom," should be honored by a building dedicated to his memory. Following the completion, an interest on the part of some of the townspeople led to the installation of art works in the new building. Architect Arthur W. Cobb realized that walls on either side of the auditorium's stage would benefit from monumental paintings depicting aspects of Revere's role as a revolutionary.
Measuring 7 by 10 feet, one painting showed Paul Revere on the Charlestown shore just as he received the signal from Boston, while the other, of equal size, depicted Paul Revere at his capture site on the western outskirts of Lexington. Cyrus Cobb sculpted a portrait bust of Paul Revere atop a pink marble historical plaque, set off by an elaborate architectural frame. The bust still occupies a prominent place opposite the main entrance. Reportedly, the bust met with the approval of Revere descendants and was deemed by a relative to capture his characteristic stern demeanor. The bust is composed of "pure white marble," and was compared favorably to a similar bust by Cyrus Cobb of Dr. Smith, author of the hymn "America" That works of fine art have been on display in Revere City Hall from the time of its construction may be attributed to money made available to the building by the Art Fund.
Essentially a completely separate account from the public funds and private trusts that were used to build the town hall, the Art Fund was a godsend to those who wanted to commemorate Paul Revere in a fitting manner. According to Professor Forrey, "The entire population of Revere, including local school children and the police and fire departments was mobilized to raise money for art work memorializing Paul Revere." An effort such as (continued) NPS Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8/2002) OMB No.
1024-0018 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number 8 Page 17 (Expires 5-31-2012) Revere City Hall and Police Station Name of Property Revere (Suffolk), MA County and State Name of multiple listing (if applicable) the one that was mounted in Revere to raise money for new commemorative works was not commonplace in America, and represents yet another unique aspect of the city hall's traditions of classical and commemorative art. By all accounts, Darius Cobb, who usually commanded upwards of $10,000 for paintings as large as Revere's, agreed to execute the art for a much smaller sum. Ultimately, the $3,000 raised for the Art Fund by the townspeople covered the cost of both paintings and the bust.
The paintings were originally displayed on either side of the second-floor auditorium's original stage, and were later moved into the City Council Chamber when the auditorium was subdivided in 1936. Cyrus and Darius Cobb were born in Malden, MA, in 1834. During their youth the twin brothers took up drawing and painting. During the Civil War, Darius and Cyrus enlisted together in the Union Army's 44th Infantry. The twins' wartime service gave them an edge in the design competition for the soldier's monument (1870) on the Cambridge Common. Cyrus Cobb is primarily remembered as a sculptor, although he also worked as a portrait painter, art critic. and lithographer, and sometimes collaborated with his brother Darius on historical paintings (during the late 19" century, the twins collaborated on a series of paintings illustrating French history for the Tuilleries Apartments in Boston).
From 1869 until 1879, Cyrus Cobb studied and practiced law, but eventually resumed his artistic career. He reportedly created a full-length sculpture of Paul Revere, although the current location of this statue is apparently unknown. Although his life and work has been largely forgotten today, he was sought after in his day to paint society portraits, landscapes, and historical scenes with costumed figures. Darius Cobb was reportedly a student of the important American painter George Inness. Several paintings by Darius Cobb, depicting scenes of New Hampshire, exhibit the soft, smoky, proto- Impressionist qualities evident in Inness' landscapes. Darius Cobb's paintings are part of the collections of the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, the Butler Museum in Youngstown, OH, and the New Hampshire and Massachusetts State Houses.
Darius Cobb captured the likenesses of Charles Sumner, Rufus Choate, General Benjamin Butler, and Ralph Waldo Emerson. Darius Cobb and his brother Cyrus, by all accounts, were celebrated figures within Boston's turn of the 20t*-century art scene. Revere City Hall: From Incorporation as a City in 1915 to the Mid 20"Century By January 1915, Revere had sufficient population (25,178) to be incorporated as a city. An article in the Revere Journal dated January 9th , 1915, entitled "Revere's Beautiful City Hall," reminded the local reade arcihiteos phamued im many says to tha ke ita oremorial Bbul ding tonie patio Paui Revere andtir that reason it has the signal lights in the tower....Colonial colors were also used in the decorations in order to harmonize with the general idea." (continued) NPS Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8/2002) OMB No.
1024-0018 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number _8 Page 18 (Expires 5-31-2012) Revere City Hall and Police Station Name of Property Revere (Suffolk), MA County and State Name of multiple listing (if applicable) - The first mayor of Revere at the time of its incorporation was Arthur Benton Curtis, who had played a significant role in the former town hall's dedication ceremonies. Born in Freeport, Maine, ca. 1850, Curtis was the son of a shipbuilder and sea captain. He came to the Boston area during the early 1870s, and lived in South Boston until he settled in Revere in 1881. He served on a large number of committees under the town's government, was first elected Selectman in 1890, and was chairman of the Towh Hall Building Committee before becoming mayor in 1915. His successor was Alfred S.
Hall, who served until 1919. Thomas A. Noone became Revere's first Irish-American mayor in 1922, defeating a member of the old guard, Roscoe Walsworth. In this case a product of the blue-collar neighborhoods of East Boston and Chelsea, Noone, defeated a candidate with a Harvard Law School degree. Henceforth, Revere's city hall would be host to administrations dominated by Irish, Italian, and later Jewish politicians. Impoverished Irish immigrants first appeared in Revere around 1850, with Italians constituting the second wave of newcomers to the town, beginning to settle in Revere as early as the mid 1890s. The 1920s and the 1930s witnessed accelerated expansion of Revere's Italian population, while the numbers of Russian and Polish Jewish residents had been growing steadily since the early 1900s. Since 1915, Revere City Hall has been used for the inaugural ceremonies of mayors.
During the first half of the 20"* century, mayors of Revere welcomed returning veterans; political figures such as Senator Henry Cabot Lodge Sr.; Presidents Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and John F. Kennedy; and celebrities from the world of theatre and motion pictures. Drawn to the amusement rides and eateries of Revere Beach, entertainers such as Annie Oakley and Buffalo Bill, along with Gloria Swanson and Johnny Weismuller, have been greeted by Revere mayors at the city hall. Over time, Revere City Hall has served as a primary venue for hosting local organizations. The second- story auditorium has been used as the site of the dinners, awards ceremonies, and lecture programs hosted by a wide variety of local religious, educational, civic, and charitable organizations.
Upon its completion, the auditorium, or ballroom, was praised for having the best acoustics in Massachusetts. The auditorium holds an important place in the hearts of Revere residents as the venue for high school dances, as well as a local rite of spring called the May Ball. On May 8,1999, the Revere City Hall was rededicated, and an evening cotillion was held in the auditorium to celebrate the 100* anniversary of the building. Revere Police Station The Revere Police Department (RPD) evolved into a modern force from modest beginnings in 1873, when a wooden "engine house" from the 1830s was enlarged to serve as Revere's first police headquarters, with a staff of ten officers. The Revere Police Department is credited with several innovations that served as models for cities and towns across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
From purchasing the first motorized patrol car in the state, through the installation of the Commonwealth's first radio communications system, to the early employment of female crosswalk guards, Revere's police force was responsible for numerous innovations in public safety. The RPD occupied its building at 23 Pleasant (continued) NPS Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8/2002) OMB No. 1024-0018 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number 8 Page 19 (Expires 5-31-2012) Revere City Hall and Police Station Name of Property Revere (Suffolk), MA County and State Name of multiple listing (if applicable) Street for almost 100 years - from its completion in 1909 until the force vacated the premises for new quarters at 400 Revere Beach Parkway.
Designed by the Boston architectural firm Hurd and Gore, the Revere Police Station occupies the southeastern corner of Revere City Hall's parcel, replacing a much smaller "lockup and police station" on this site. After plans for the new police station were announced, the old station (with fabric dating from the 1830s and 1870s) was moved to Cheever Street in 1909, and adapted for reuse as a residence. The Beginnings of the Revere Police Department The beginnings of Revere's police force can be traced to the end of the Civil War. In 1865, the first mention of a police officer is made in town reports. The town fathers voted in favor of hiring a police officer on a daily basis. The first police officer, a Mr. E Pineo, was paid $5 for his services. Two years after the town of North Chelsea was renamed Revere, a ten-member police force was paid $511.50 for 170 ½ days of service.
Funding for the first police officers was covered by the first appropriation of its kind, and was approved at a town meeting in March of 1872. In effect, this appropriation represents the beginnings of the modern RPD. In 1873, an engine house (presumably for an engine associated with the Revere Fire Department) located behind the town hall was adapted for reuse as a police station and lockup. Heretofore, the incarceration of prisoners had been relegated to "flimsy structures," or even a room in a constable's residence. At that time, town government was still being conducted in the old Greek Revival town hall that burned in 1897. Both the old town hall and the police station of 1873 covered only a fraction of the footprints of the present city hall and police station.
In the beginning, police work was primarily focused on quelling public drunkenness; to a lesser degree, the officers dealt with petty theft, residential robbery, and issuing speeding citations to drivers of horse-drawn carriages. Constructed at a cost of $22,200 in 1909, the Revere Police Station provides evidence that Revere was maturing as a town, and would soon have enough residents to be incorporated as a city in 1915. The funding for the new police station was authorized by the town in 1907, and the Boston architectural firm Hurd and Gore was chosen to design the building in 1908. The Revere Police Station's Architects: Harry B. Hurd and Henry W.Gore Information on the architectural firm of Harry B. Hurd and Henry W. Gore is sketchy.
The architects' surnames possibly suggest deep roots in New England, with the Hurd name figuring prominently in Charlestown, MA, mercantile circles for much of the 18h and early 19th centuries. The Gore name is associated with a Boston family whose best-known member was Christopher Gore, who served as Massachusetts Governor during the early 1800s. In business for little more than one dozen years, the architects' files at the Boston Public Library's Fine Arts Department indicate that, from 1905-1918, Hurd and Gore were based in downtown-Boston offices (initially they were located at 110 Tremont Street and (continued) NPS Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8/2002) OMB No.
1024-0018 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number 8 Page 20 (Expires 5-31-2012) Revere City Hall and Police Station Name of Property Revere (Suffolk), MA County and State Name of multiple listing (if applicable) later at 8 Beacon Street). The firm's few identified designs of row houses include properties at 120-128 Bay State Road in Boston, on what is now the Boston University campus. This architectural firm was among those who were busy designing commercial and residential properties in the Allston section of Boston after the electric trolley was introduced to western Commonwealth Avenue in 1909. Hurd and Gore's Allston properties included a commercial building at 128-136 Harvard Street (NRDIS) and a residential building at 40-44 Winchester Street.
In addition, the firm designed an unidentified public building in Quincy Center. In the case of the Revere Police Station, the architects provided the city with a building rendered in a conservative Colonial Revival mode. In terms of providing optional functionalism, the Hurd and Gore design did not anticipate the imminent sea change in American transportation that was already underway, and would fully manifest itself within a few years of the police station's completion in 1909. At the back of the station the architects made provisions for a carriage room and stable, rather than a garage for motorized vehicles. Ironically, in 1911, Revere was the first police department in the state to purchase a motorized patrol wagon.
The possibility remains that Hurd and Gore, as a firm that had only been in business for a few years, was chosen to design the Revere Police Station because of their submission of a low bid, in order to make a name for themselves by being awarded the plum commission of a municipal building. Revere Police Station: 1909 Hurd and Gore Interior Plan/Original Uses The Colonial Revival building at 23 Pleasant Street served Revere as its principal police station for one hundred years. Original plans for the Revere Police Station, dated June 19, 1909, are on file at the Commonwealth Archives in Boston. The Revere Police Station's main block contained rooms that were originally used as offices for police personnel; from the guards who monitored prisoners incarcerated in thirteen jail cells, through the police matron, booking officer, and sergeant, to the chief, who had a corner office.
Built just before widespread use of motorized vehicles, the Revere Police Station's north wing housed horse-drawn carriages, a stable, and a hayloft. Judging by room labels that appear on the 1909 plans, the architects designed the basement's spaces with an eye towards dealing with obstreperous prisoners, as well as the practical purpose of heating the building. The Pleasant Street side of the basement, reading from east to west, contained an Emergency Room, Seizure Room, Battery Room, and Drying Room. Located at the southwestern corner were restroom facilities and a "coal pocket." Ranged along the east side of the main block, in addition to the Emergency Room, were a Wine Seizure Room and two padded cells. The west, or parking lot, side of the building contained the boiler room in addition to the coal pocket.
The north ell was built without a basement, indeed the original plans note that its carriage room and stable were located atop land that was "unexcavated." (continued) NPS Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8/2002) OMB No. 1024-0018 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number 8 Page 21 (Expires 5-31-2012) Revere City Hall and Police Station Name of Property Revere (Suffolk), MA County and State Name of multiple listing (if applicable) The Hurd and Gore plans indicate that the first floor of the main block was designed to house administrative offices, as well as rooms tor guards who were charged with monitoring prisoners incarcerated in the cells of the north wing. The Pleasant Street side of the first floor encompassed a southeast corner office that served as the chief's room.
Continuing westward, the chief s room was followed by a consulting room, an office, a restroom, and a main entrance lobby. Located to the west of the lobby was the sergeant's room, restroom, and a private office. Overlooking the driveway, on the east side of the building (in addition to the chief' s corner office), was the police matron's room. Three guard rooms, located on the west side of the main block, were necessarily in close proximity to the jail cells in the southern segment of the north ell. The main entrance lobby is shown as intersecting with an east-to- west corridor that separated the offices of the main block from the thirteen prison cells and booking room of the north wing. In addition to the prison cells that occupied the southern segment of the north wing, the northern half of this ell was built to house spaces associated with horse-drawn transportation.
The original plans indicate that the northeast corner of the building contained the carriage room, while its northwest corner was occupied by a stable with a "plank floor," five stalls, and a hayloft. The main block's second story contained living quarters for unspecified police personnel, including a recreation room at the northeast corner. Continuing westward, the rooms along the south side of the building included two bedrooms, a dressing room, and a dormitory that occupied the southwest corner of the building. The rooms on the south side of the second story opened onto a corridor that extended from east to west on the north side of that floor, and looked down into the skylight above the cellblock. The Revere Police Department: Innovations and Firsts During the 1910s, the RPD became known for a number of innovations that would be adopted by police departments across the Commonwealth.
In 1911, Revere became the first community in Massachusetts to acquire a motorized patrol wagon - an ironic purchase, given that only two years earlier the Revere Police Station on Pleasant Street had been built to accommodate horses and carriages. The RPD did, however, continue to use horses until 1930, when "Ned," the last horse on the force, was put out to pasture. The RPD is also credited with the modernization of officer uniforms, with the most notable innovation being the replacement of "high helmets" by the caps that are still worn today. Introduced to the patrolmen in 1913, caps were firmly in place as a substitute for the more militaristic helmets by 1921. Around 1930, Revere became the first municipality in the state to install a police radio system. (continued) NPS Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8/2002) OMB No.
1024-0018 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number _8 Page 22 (Expires 5-31-2012) Revere City Hall and Police Station Name of Property Revere (Suffolk), MA County and State Name of multiple listing (if applicable) The Revere Police Station: Post-World War II History After World War II, the RPD, under the leadership of Lt. William Gannon, initiated the organization of a modern detective bureau, based on the model provided by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. By the early 1950s, the department was among the few in the state that employed women. On January 9, 1952, the first women were hired to serve as traffic supervisors at school crosswalks (positions that are now staffed by volunteers).
During the post-war period, Revere's police force was kept busy breaking up brawls in the clubs along Revere Beach. Nationally known as a summer playground featuring wholesome amusements earlier in the 20" century, Revere Beach was "the people's beach," used mostly by the working class and the many immigrants who chose to settle in the area. Visitors were described in 1909 as "industrious, well-behaved and a really desirable class of people, of many nationalities to be sure, but neighborly and polite... with one another." After World War II, Revere Beach declined, in part because it was said to attract an unsavory element that included mobsters and murderers, some of whom were initially jailed in the cells of the RPD's building on Pleasant Street.
Reportedly, veterans reminisced about the days when officers who had just gotten off duty piled into private cars and raced to the beach to back up colleagues who were trying to quell brawls. According to the official RPD history, "A sort of dark humor also grew out of those clubs. One veteran officer likes to tell a story of the night police raced to one of the clubs on the beach on the report of a shooting. Not only was no body to be found when the officers arrived, but a section of the rug, presumably covered in blood, had been cut out of the floor and was conveniently missing." There were countless tragedies too, such as the September night in 1973 when Officer Joseph (Tito) Moretti burst into a club that was being robbed at gunpoint, and was fatally shot in the line of duty.
Revere Beach's reversal of fortune is inextricably bound to fires, vandalism, and the rise of widespread automobile ownership, which made vacations to holiday playgrounds located far beyond the New England region possible. Although post-World War II Revere Beach certainly did not breed all of the crime in Revere, its eventual collapse and replacement by high-rise residential towers and rehabilitated beachfront certainly helped to make Revere a safer place. By the mid-1990s, the Revere Police Department had grown in both numbers and resources. After seeing its numbers fall in the mid and late 1980s because of budget cuts, the department's rank and file was augmented by additional personnel, boosted by numerous state and federal grants. In 1996, the department employed 109 officers and had an annual budget of around $5 million.
Currently, the Revere Police Department is located at 400 Revere Beach Parkway. The RPD is concerned with the public safety of a city that has recently surpassed the 50,000-population mark, with a diverse population among the fastest growing in the state. (continued) NPS Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8/2002) OMB No.
1024-0018 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number_8 Page 23 (Expires 5-31-2012) Revere City Hall and Police Station Name of Property Revere (Suffolk), MA County and State Name of multiple listing (if applicable) Archaeological Significance Historic archaeological resources described above may contribute important information related to the architectural characteristics and functions of municipal buildings that predate the Revere City Hall and Police Station, the rise of Revere as a city, and Revere Beach as a nationally known summer resort. Additional historical research, combined with archaeological survey and testing, might locate the sites of the Old Chelsea Town Hall, engine house/police station, and hearse house that may survive on the property.
Structural evidence associated with these buildings, associated barns, stables and outbuildings, and detailed analysis of the contents of occupational-related features may contribute evidence related to their architectural characteristics, construction methods, and activities conducted in them. Archaeological evidence from these buildings may contribute important examples of Revere's municipal history during a period when the city was an agricultural backwater, rather than a thriving city and summer resort in the early 20* century. Archaeological resources associated with the engine house and hearse house may contribute evidence related to vehicle technology and maintenance of municipally owned vehicles, prior to the introduction of automobiles.
Structural evidence and detailed analysis of occupational-related features associated with the engine house may contribute information related to adaptive patterns of reuse, as the engine house structure was adapted for use as a police station. Archaeological resources associated with the Old Chelsea Town Hall, engine house/police station, and hearse house may contribute a comparative base for analyzing the changes in Revere's economic and social complexity from the early 19' to early 20* centuries. Additional historical research, combined with archaeological research, may contribute important information related to changes in architectural, social, economic, and cultural complexity, as building size, style, and construction materials changed, ethnic diversity increased, and the economic base of the city changed. (end) NPS Form 10-900-a (Rev.
8/2002) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service OMB No. 1024-0018 National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number_9 Page 1 (Expires 5-31-2012) Revere City Hall and Police Station Name of Property Revere (Suffolk), MA County and State Name of multiple listing (if applicable) Bibliography Chamberlain, Mellen. A Documentary History of Chelsea. Boston, MA: Massachusetts Historical Society, 1908. Vol. II, pp. 178-321. Clarke, Margaret Harriman. Images of America: Chelsea, MA. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 1998. Commonwealth Archives: Plan for Revere Town Hall: No.5514 and Plan for Revere Police Station: No. 605. Copeland, George, Secretary. Record of the New Town Hall. Revere, MA, 1899 Fairbanks, Jonathan L. Paul Revere's Boston, 1735-1818. Boston: Department of American Decorative Arts and Sculpture, Museum of Fine Arts Boston, 1975.
Forrey, Robert. "The Architecture of Americanism: The Revere Town Hall." Salem. MA: Essex Institute Historical Collections, 1990. Vol. 126, No. 3. Harris, Cyril M. American Architecture, An Illustrated Encyclopedia. New York & London: W. W. Norton & Company, 1998. Holleran, Michael. Boston's "Changeful Times", Origins of Preservation and Planning In America. Baltimore & London: Johns Hoplins University Press, 1998. Krieger, Alex, ed. Mapping Boston. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1999. Massachusetts Historical Commission. Revere Reconnaissance Survey Report, Boston, 1981. Massachusetts Historical Commission." Historical and Archaeological Resources of the Boston Area, Boston, 1982. McChristal, Joseph F. Revere, 100 Years, 1871-1971. Nazzaro, Edward and Frederick. "Revere Beach's Wonderland, The Mystic City by the Sea, The Story of America's Forgotten Amusement Park." N.d. The Revere Journal,.
"New Town" (Line drawing of Revere Town Hall), December 4, 1897, p.4. 'New Town Hall dedicated to Famous Patriot", April 30, 1898, p.6. "The Dedication", January 14, 1899, p.4. NPS Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8/2002) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service OMB No. 1024-0018 National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number_9 Page 2 (Expires 5-31-2012) Revere City Hall and Police Station Name of Property Revere (Suffolk), MA County and State Name of multiple listing (if applicable) "Hallmarks... The History of Revere City Hall", 1899-1999. David Procopio, '''The Classically Styled Old Town Hall," May 12, 1999. Shurtleff, Benjamin. The History of the Town of Revere. Boston: Becker Press, 1938, pp. 419-466: Thompson, Deborah, ed. Maine Forms of American Architecture. Waterville, Maine: Colby Museum Of Art, 1976. Whiffen, Marcus.
American Architecture Since 1780, A Guide to the Styles. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1969. Wilson, Richard Guy. The Colonial Revival House. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 2005. Winsor, Justin. Memorial History of Boston, Including Suffolk County Massachusetts, 1730-1880. Boston: James Osgood and Company, four volumes, 1882. Revere City Hall and Police Station Name of Property 10. Geographical Data Suffolk, MA County and State Acreage of Property less than one acre UTM References See continuation sheet. (Place additional UTM references on a continuation sheet) 1. 19 334346 4697024 (City Hall) Zone Easting Northing 2.19 334384 469700 (Police Station) Zone Easting Northing 3. Zone Easting Zone 4.
Easting _ See continuation sheet Northing Northing 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 Edward Gordon, consultant, with Betsy Friedberg, NR Director, MHC organizationMassachusetts Historical Commission _ date _ January 2012 street & number 220 Morrissey Boulevard .telephone617-727-8470 city or town_ Boston _ state_MA _ zip code_02125 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 ofthe SHPO or FPO.) name City of Revere, MA street & number 281 Broadway telephone 781-286-8100 city or town Revere state_MA _ zip code_ 02151 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 Management and Budget, Paperwork Reductions Project (1024-0018), Washington, DC 20503.NPS Form 10-900 1024-0018 (Rev. 10-90) NrO rUIl IU-yuu-d(rev. oIzuus) VIVID IVU.
IU<4-UU10 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number_10, photos Page 1 Revere City Hall and Police Station Name of Property Revere (Suffolk), MA County and State Name of multiple listing (if applicable) 10. GEOGRAPHICAL DATA Verbal Boundary Description The nomination includes the parcel 15-255A-1 located at the intersection Broadway, Pleasant and Hyde streets in Revere, MA Verbal Boundary Justification The nomination includes all of the area historically associated with the City Hall and Police Station. (end) PHOTOGRAPHS Photographer: Edward Gordon Date: December 2010 1. City Hall: Main (Broadway) elevation with portico 2.
City Hall: Pleasant Street (north) elevation showing granite block retaining wall/stairway 3 City Hall: Rear (east) elevation City Hall: Hyde Street (south) elevation with porte cochere 5. City Hall interior: first story central corridor, Revere bust by Cyrus Cobb City Hall interior: first story box office window 7. City Hall interior: first story corridor, entrance surrounds, trim around fan light and transom 8. City Hall interior: mayor's office, first story 9. City Hall interior: mayor's office, first story 10. City Hall interior: northwest stair hall 11. City Hall interior: second story auditorium 12. City Hall interior: council chamber, second floor 13. City Hall interior: council chamber, Darius Cobb painting of Paul Revere 14. City Hall interior: council chamber, stained glass semi-circular skylight 15. Police Station: Pleasant Street façade looking southwest 16.
Police Station: Pleasant Street façade, detail 17. Police Station: west elevation of main block, parking lot 18. Police Station: east elevation of main block, intersection of south wing and main block 19. Police Station: south wing, east elevation 20. Police Station: Hyde Street (south) elevation, garage doors originally stable doors 21. Police Station: south wing, south elevation, note small projecting ell NPS Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8/2002) OMB No.
1024-0018 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number 10, photos Page (Expires 5-31-2012) Revere City Hall and Police Station Name of Property Revere (Suffolk), MA County and State Name of muttple listing (if applicable) 2 DATA SHEET Revere City Hall and Police Station Revere (Suffolk), MA City Hall (281 Broadway) Architects: Greenleaf & Cobb Police Station (23 Pleasant St.) Architects: Hurd & Gore Retaining Wall Monument* 1897-1898 Classical-, Colonial Revival Red brick 1909 Colonial Revival Red Brick early 20* c. Granite n.d stone C/B REV.38 C/B REV.41 C/ST C/O * Historic photos show a commemorative plaque affixed to the boulder in front of the Police Station. This plaque is currently missing. REVERE CITY HALL aud POLICE STA. REVERE (SUFFOLI), MA.
2960 142.44 142.28 10:40 43.62 1422 21-358-2 71.59 4271 5684/ g5898.03 3200 60 0.03 40.03 20 30 40.03 10 4 58566 15, 1281 5278 5720 65 SL.12 21-358-1-1D 187.64 17095 5704 1688 44374 5688 10191 38618 67 142.4 6453 4913 03^ 3486.2 44374 YEAMANS STREET 107.53 48.769 120.78 1% 3010 3961.8 3486.2 3016.6 81.21 1521.350-13 N 2535/ 40 57.42 104142 BROADWAY BROADY 7488 55.69 71.37 BROADWAY 1242 15 6719 BROADWAY 22 34.93 3986 7 1834, 2 183242 729 4 11 "97a.. 5.38 . 39.24 16A 7760 13, 1891 110?
13 9273 69.04 PHOTE 12 7067 .03 83.09 85.56 7688 88 53.06 - 5300 g 84 100.08 89.19 189.19 21-351-1A 85 6250 47.44 194.98 87 7257 BROADWAY 4986 2918 15-255A-1 63465 255A 147.94 1A 64594 BROADWAY THK 3S 106.38+7- 5407 *HOS PROSPECT AVENUE 5810 STREET 6553 58.95 2331 2207 37.55 2243 2197 5497 27.71.2137 36.35 48 35 2215 100 45 7421 86.12 4214 61.96 100.02 63325 3000 100 3991 100 Revere, MA Copvricht @ Revere MA. All rights reserved.
Printed on: 9/6/2011 BROADWAY ROADWAY 15-255-1 150.52 18562 15-255-2 35 174.3 3239 50 CHEEVER STREET 188 - 50 4983 100 50 4983 18 50 5995 2154 2892 2733 T8 12A 37.0, 3681 16-259-30 50.03 Rº 5354 50.03 4862 19.03 1232 30.83 27 5797 7655 6810+/- 2380 5882 118.5 5575 159.5 10.8 S0 597 12 29 5601 7815 1531 30 7440 50.5 TAA5 50 C WINTHROP AVÉNUE 81 10 3913 131 54.85/SA.85 1982 -718.01 69.5 28.9 7013 6995 150.9 3720 136 BT.5 B5.% 8A 6617 128.1 4115 2794 TE 11 8459 MALTT 6255 3527 579 59.2 Vo, 121° 5887 6399 114 7496 10S% 36 6266 5585 TOÀ? 3986L1 6217 6356 45.01) 5300+/- 151* 37 5075+/- 6165 5090+/- 6134 39 5250+/.
5525 6107 6111 6080 7347+ 14 6761 7280 45 6307 119.64 PIASANESTREET 8254 MIS 152.6 154.12 1728 20547 5.96 6070 15-257-1 6161 6156 5012/0 STREETC 129 Feet t inch = 120 fool 6160 THAA 3117 City Hall Parcel Map UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES EVALUATION/RETURN SHEET REQUESTED ACTION: NOMINATION PROPERTY Revere City Hall and Police Station NAME: MULTIPLE NAME: STATE & COUNTY: MASSACHUSETTS, Suffolk DATE RECEIVED: DATE OF 16TH DAY: DATE OF WEEKLY LIST: 1/20/12 3/07/12 DATE OF PENDING LIST: 2/21/12 DATE OF 45TH DAY: 3/08/12 REFERENCE NUMBER: 12000070 REASONS FOR REVIEW: APPEAL: N DATA PROBLEM: N LANDSCAPE: N LESS THAN 50 YEARS: OTHER: N PERIOD: PROGRAM UNAPPROVED: REQUEST: N SAMPLE: N SLR DRAFT: N NATIONAL: COMMENT WAIVER: N VACEPT RETURN ABSTRACT/SUMMARY COMMENTS: REJECT 3.2-L2DATE N N N 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.
Revere city ffale 281 Aroadway Maun (uest faende) paoto taken bop Ed bonden 18/22/2010 Bio 1 Rever Cit, stall 281 Broaduray Rerco. us preaiant sr (n0rth) elevatrero phett by 5a Gosden 12/22/ 2010 F.q 2 Revue lity Hall 281 Broadwey Reneee, end Rear (remunla) clevestiom photoby So andon 12/88/2010 Fi9.3 Rereu City Hall 281 Broaduay Revee. ut Itade strut (sooh) phoso telen by Ed Gorem 12/22/2000 5g.
4 HASING REVERE CITY HAUl 281 Broalarey hookung north eo centred comen 7 Sorst stasy portactburt 7 Paul Remo by Eyrus Cobb (ca 1ea)) oa 1980s stene glau en dossi Nioto Dansom bicul 8 22 0 Rever eitytell 881 Revere, M9 west, Lookiowsr Forst stay- Bomed wall with boc oftice ticket windro ahoto by Fo Gonden 12/83/2010 ASSESSORS 5 OPEN city Mall un routurey Revere, ulA ookin rotheast u mau cntal comrron g lstsmy - Fedural Revinl eutance surriunds Photo by do bORDoN 1222 2010 Fig.7 Revere Hust Say NOTS TOM RM E ROSE Reveu cit tall 281 Brocdurdy Reveo. us Lookeng noith en Mayor'é office- on snith sid 7 ennanee porcl D6N00H05 eud 91006 torper-forst stny. pnotoby 12/22 / 2010 Fig8 XHEBY Revees Giry Hall 281 PleasanT sT Mr bookeng Snühen 1pa - Forst stary Lwest-Broasua sidle 7 Tee beüldong prstoby 12/2812010 Fig.
9 ANELA Reveu Cify Hell MA 281 Broadway Moth aest stan well Photo taken 12/22/2010 Fq.10 Beveu ciy Hall 26i Prouduruy Ruere. us and stry Audetiun photo tilen 12/22/2010 9001 GORDON9001 :-73766 Fq.1l Revue culg wal as1 Aruadiony Revcee. Ang Cit crencil Chambe - ano stosy -room cuate) in 1486b4 subdwisen7 audimium pleoto by EiGurem 12/22/2010 Fre, 12 Rerue cit tall 281 znoflons cie, cernel Loolung JDSP I006N00809 91006 weet tarruds Danius Cobb's Paul Revore paentip photo by si curim 12/28/2010 Fig. 13 Revu ciy lell 281 Rereu. Mt Staini glan skylegat in cmnci! Reiding. Baird + lo Phote by Es Godon 12/22/ 010 Fr0.
14 Revue Polce staton 23 Plealant street Revere, uo preauant 8T (muin) frccd looking sentheeut photo by El todn 12/22/2010 Frq.15 Revue Police STATCOn 28 Pledsant street Revere, ua Pleciant shut Elevatch (main frceede) prots by 5Ondon 12/22|2010 Fiql6 Revcre Police STATIoN 23 PleasanT so Rereo, us weer (peukinglor) photo tuker 12/22/2010 Frg 17 Reven Polce stoten 28 Plearano sa Ruvero un shovry cart dwvesson 2) inreiserton a smth wup - maw block 12/22/2010 Fig 18 Revere Police aratron Revere.
u shouing smih wong, euit dlevurmn peoro by Ed Gorom 12/22/200 Fiql9 Reveufolni sraten 2a plearant so Rerere, No south elevition (iryele st) a sarol wing photo taken 12/2218010 Fig 20 17.big men mn yonas : sg mny Koda XTRALIFE PAPER |||2| vhocr hg cuonge Police sTAtron 8p un numhead extae nests sorie west a euar walls 7 nunblockk an) pait 1 scrth cougs wat elevcetion PHOTO photoly 5006 18/82/3010 22 .REVERE CIT 128IN The City of REVERE, MASSACHUSETTS Office of the Mayor 281 Broadway, Revere, MA 02151 (781) 286-8110 Fax (781) 286-8199 RECEIVED AUG 10 2011 MASS. HIST.COMM THOMAS G. AMBROSINO Mayor August 5, 2011 Brona Simon, Executive Director Massachusetts Historical Commission 220 Morrissey Boulevard Boston, Massachusetts 02125 Re: Letter of Recommendation Dear Ms.
Simon: I understand that the Revere City Hall and former Revere Police Station will be considered by the Massachusetts Historical Commission for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. I would like to take this opportunity to express my full support for these nominations. Constructed over a century ago, both of these buildings are important symbols of the City's cultural and civic history. I urge positive votes on these nominations. Such action will not only recognize the importance of these community assets, it will also affirm Revere's commitment to historic preservation. Thomas G. Ambrosino Mayor TGA/ijg RECEIVED 2280 JAN 2 0 2012 ISYP UIBEATATD NAT. REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES NATIONAL PARK SERVICE The Commonwealth of Massachusetts William Francis Galvin, Secretary of the Commonwealth Massachusetts Historical Commission January 5, 2012 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: Revere City Hall and Police Station, Revere (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 were notified of pending State Review Board consideration 30 to 45 days before the meeting and were afforded the opportunity to comment. One letter of support has been received. Sincerely, Betey tuedkey Betsy Friedberg National Register Director Massachusetts Historical Commission enclosure cc: Edward Gordon, consultant Mayor Thomas G.
Ambrosino, City of Revere Justin Capodilupo, Revere Historical Commission Frank Stringi, Revere City Planner 220 Morrissey Boulevard, Boston, Massachusetts 02125 (617) 727-8470 - Fax: (617) 727-5128 www.state.ma.us/sec/mhc
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