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NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 (Expires 5/31/2012) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service 117° National Register of Historic Places NUV Z0 LUIZ Registration Form NAT. REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLÁCES NATIONAL PARK SERVICE 22222 This form is for use in nominating or requesting determinations for individual properties and districts. See instructions in National Register Bulletin, How to Complete the National Register of Historic Places Registration Form. If any item does not apply to the property being documented, enter "N/A" for "not applicable." For functions, architectural classification, materials, and areas of significance, enter only categories and subcategories from the 1. Name of Property historic name William H. McElwain School other names/site number N/A 2.
Location street & number 250 Main Street not for publication city or town Bridgewater state Massachusetts vicinity code MA county Plymouth code 023 zip code 02324-1424 3. State/Federal Agency Certification As the designated authority under the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended, I hereby certify that this nomination request for determination of eligibility meets the documentation standards for registering properties in the National Register of Historic Places and meets the procedural and professional requirements set forth in 36 CFR Part 60 In my opinion, theproperty meets does not meet the National Register Criteria.
I recommend that this property be considered significant at the following level(s) of significance: -national _statewide Llocal Brona Simon Signature of certifying official/Title Brona Simon, SHPO, MHC November 20, 2012 Date State or Federalagency/bureau or Tribal Government In my opinion, the property _meets does not meet the National Register criteria. Signature of commenting official Date Title State or Federal agency/bureau or Tribal Government 4. National Park Service Certification I hereby certify that this property is: V entered in the National Register _ determined eligible for the National Register - determined not eligible for the National Register _ removed from the National Register -other (explain:) Obson 6. Beall Signature of the Keeper 1.14-13 Date of Action 1 United States Department of the Interior NºSs Form p- Service / National Register of Historic Places RNo.
1024-00F0mm McElwain, William H., School Name of Property 5. Classification Ownership of Property (Check as many boxes as apply.) (Expires 5/31/2012) Plymouth County, MA County and State x private public - Local public - State public - Federal Category of Property (Check only one box.) building(s) district site structure object Number of Resources within Property (Do not include previously listed resources in the count.) Contributing Noncontributing 1 1 1 1 2 buildings sites structures objects Total Name of related multiple property listing (Enter "N/A" if property is not part of a multiple property listing) N/A Number of contributing resources previously listed in the National Register N/A 6. Function or Use Historic Functions (Enter categories from instructions.) EDUCATIONAL: school Current Functions (Enter categories from instructions.) VACANT 7.
Description Architectural Classification (Enter categories from instructions.) LATE 19* & 20#h CENTURY REVIVALS: Classical Revival Materials (Enter categories from instructions.) foundation: Concrete walls: Brick Cast stone roof: Rubber membrane other: 2 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 McElwain, William H., School Name of Property (Expires 5/31/2012) Plymouth County, MA County and State Narrative Description (Describe the historic and current physical appearance of the property. Explain contributing and noncontributing resources if necessary.
Begin with a summary paragraph that briefly describes the general characteristics of the property, such as its location, setting, size, and significant features.) Summary Paragraph Built in 1912, the McElwain School was designed in the Classical Revival style by the architectural firm of Loring and Phipps. It is a two-story brick building on a raised basement, with a flat roof and symmetrical five-bay façade that features recessed front entries flanking the central bays (photo 1). Located just northwest of the historic central business district (LHD 2001), the school stands on approximately two acres of land (83,900 square feet). Behind the school is a former basketball court that is now used for parking. To the rear of the parking area is a one-story, modular classroom building with a footprint similar to that of the McElwain School.
Vacant since 1997, the McElwain School, modular building, and the parking lot are located on the front half of the rectangular, narrow, and deep lot; the rear of the lot remains undeveloped (see site plan). The McElwain School is the only contributing historic resource on the nominated property. According to the Bridgewater town records, the modular building dates to the 1980s. Both the modular building and the parking area (categorized as a site) are noncontributing resources. Narrative Description A well-preserved example of an early 20t*-century public school building, the McElwain School is located on the southwest side of Main Street, a major thoroughfare that links Bridgewater to neighboring West Bridgewater. The school is in a largely residential neighborhood, approximately one-half mile northwest of Bridgewater's historic town center (LHD, 2001).
The buildings immediately surrounding the school are generally Colonial Revival and Queen Anne-style houses built in the late 19" century. To the east of the school, as one nears the town center, the houses become gradually larger and more elaborate examples of these same styles. In contrast, the houses to the west of the school are more modest, and are interspersed with mid and late 20f*-century dwellings constructed as part of larger residential developments. Among the latter is a substantial Housing Authority project located just northwest of the school. These real estate developments stand on former industrial sites shown on historic maps. Both the 19t* and the 20"*-century developments could be characterized as suburban, with the buildings located at regular intervals on relatively large lots.
Site The McElwain School stands on an approximately two-acre lot that runs roughly north to south. The land was originally two separate parcels (see assessors map 20, parcels 40 and 41). The larger of the two (parcel 40) contains the school building, parking area, and playground. Parcel 41, which was added to the school site in 1955, is partially paved but otherwise undeveloped. Since there is no visual distinction between the parcels, the remainder of this description will consider both parcels as one. The McElwain School site is fairly level, with a slight downward grade toward the sides and rear. The school faces north and is set back approximately 50 feet from Main Street, behind a semicircular asphalt driveway. At the center of the driveway is a landscaped area with various shrubs and two small coniferous trees, surrounded by mowed grass with metal bollards around its edge.
On either side of the driveway, mowed lawns extend approximately 50 feet back from the road to end roughly even with the front of the school on the west side, and just behind the front façade on the east. On the east side, the mowed lawn is open, with metal bollards along its rear (south) edge. Three large, mature trees are well-spaced (continued) 3 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 (Expires 5/31/2012) McElwain, William H., School Plymouth County, MA Name of Property County and State along the east property line. On the west side, the lawn area is bordered along its rear (southern) edge by large, overgrown shrubs originally planted to screen the parking areas located along the west side of the building.
Metal bollards, matching those at the center and east of the school, line the southern edge of this area as well. A second driveway, located to the right of this lawn area along the west property line, provides access to the parking and playground areas to the right and rear of the building. Three large, mature trees also run along this property line, but all three are surrounded by asphalt paving rather than lawn. The formal landscaping on the site ends at the front (north) façade of the school. The area on either side of the school itself is paved in asphalt with patches of concrete at random intervals. This paving, which continues directly behind the building to roughly the center of the site, contains two deteriorating basketball hoops and retains some faint game-related markings. Obviously a former playground, the pavement was at some point relined for parking spaces, also faded.
The paving throughout the property is broken and in deteriorating condition, particularly in the southwest corner of the parking area. Directly south of the paved playground area is the only additional building on the site - a one-story, modular classroom with a rectangular footprint roughly comparable to that of the McElwain School. The prefabricated, utilitarian building, which the Bridgewater assessor's records date to 1985, stands on piers and is sided with vertical plywood boards. Its rectangular casement windows are covered by metal grills, and unadorned entries are located on the north, east, and west elevations. At all entrances the stairs, and, in some cases, the landings, have been removed to prevent access. Four air conditioning condensers are located at opposite corners of the flat roof. The building, which appears to have been vandalized, is badly deteriorated.
Portions of the upper wall siding are missing, and the frame is open to the elements. (An abandoned tractor trailer, shown in the aerial view/site plan, at the rear of the paved playground area between the school and modular building, has been removed.) The rear (south) half of the site is undeveloped, as is the area to the west of the paved playground behind the school. Both areas may once have been used as playing fields for the school, but are now overgrown. A small section of the play area to the west of the modular building has been enclosed by a chain link fence, but there are no play structures or other items to suggest its intended use. The perimeter of the property is defined by wild shrubbery and a mix of fencing. A chain-link fence extends around the rear half of the lot.
A wood stockade fence runs along the northern portion of the east lot line from the sidewalk to a point roughly even with the school's front façade, before transitioning to chain-link fencing. Along the west property line, chain-link fencing extends from the rear of the property to a point roughly even with the front façade of the school. The rest of the property line extending to the sidewalk is open to the adjacent property. Exterior The Classical Revival-style McElwain School (photo 1) consists of two stories over a raised basement. Rectangular in plan, the building is five bays wide and four bays deep. The façade (north) is distinguished by three projecting central bays, with windows grouped in a 2-1-2 pattern. The four-bay side elevations (photos 2, 4) contain groups of windows in each bay, for a total of thirteen windows (2-3-4-4).
With the exception of two round windows, sash throughout the building are aluminum replacements believed to date to the 1990s. The original material of the sash is assumed to have been wood. The building has 6/2 double-hung sash on the first and second stories (photo 7), and 3/3 double-hung sash or six-light awning windows in the basement level (photos 1, 2, 4). Although the clarity of historic photos (image 18) makes the original window configuration difficult to confirm, this current muntin pattern appears to be consistent with the original design. In contrast to the replacement windows, the exterior doors are all mid to late 20t*century metal or metal and glass replacement units, with little or no attention given to matching or replicating original elements.
(continued) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 (Expires 5/31/2012) McElwain, William H., School Name of Property Plymouth County, MA County and State Each elevation has at least one entrance to the building. The raised basement is faced with cast stone, and the first and second stories are covered with brick. Among the building's outstanding features are its patterned brickwork, which includes variegated panels of basket weave laid on the diagonal (photo 6), and relief panels studded with gray-flare headers. The decorative panels are located beneath the windows on the first and second stories on the front and side elevations. Other trim includes horizontal and vertical bands of cast stone.
The symmetry and general formality of the design is indicative of Classical Revival influences, as are the cast-stone cornice and the segmental arches framing the entries. The materials used on each story of the building are consistent on all four elevations, with the level of architectural detail gradually diminishing as one moves from the facade to the rear elevation. The Classical cast-concrete cornice wraps around the front and side elevations, terminating at the corners of the rear (south) elevation. A brick parapet with metal coping rises approximately one foot above the cornice. Historic images of the building show that the current flat-topped parapet was originally a stepped parapet that appears to have had cast-stone coping (photos 17, 18). At the center of the façade, the parapet was further detailed with a stepped, cast-stone tablet bearing the name of the school.
Today, all that remains of that tablet is a band of cast stone centered in the parapet just above the cornice. The name of the school is painted on a wooden band centered on the façade between the first-and second-story windows. The date of the alterations to the parapet and signage are unknown. Behind the parapet lies the flat roof of the building itself. The roof's rubber membrane EPDM material is directly adhered to a new insulation layer placed over the original wood roof sheathing. It was installed in 2002, and is in very good condition. A single chimney with no architectural detailing is visible in the Northeast corner of the roof (photo 1). Repointed in 2002, the chimney is of slightly different brick from the rest of the building, and it lacks what may have been stone coping or corbelling that appears in historic photographs.
These differences suggest that the chimney was rebuilt. The façade of the building faces north onto Main Street (photo 1). Its three central bays project approximately three feet forward from the plane of the façade. The three central bays are devoted primarily to fenestration, with a pair of 6/2 double-hung sash on both the first and second stories of the second and fourth bays, and a single double-hung sash of the same configuration in the third (middle) bay. At the basement level, two nearly square, 3/3 double-hung, sash are located in both the second and fourth bays, with no windows in the middle bay. Cast-stone trim creates a grid across the first and second stories of the projecting section, and defines each of the window openings. Below each window is a rectangular (or square in the case of the third bay) raised panel of patterned brick studded with gray-flare headers.
Between the first- and second-floor windows is a rectangular, painted wood sign that reads: "W.H. McELWAIN SCHOOL." The first and fifth bays of the façade contain the main entrances to the school, which are located within projecting segmental-arched porches (photo 5). The entrances are positioned approximately halfway between the basement and first-floor levels of the building, and are reached by five cast-stone steps. The arched roof of the open porch extends out over the five steps to a point just short of the face of the projecting central bays, creating a fully covered and recessed entry. The porch was enclosed in the mid to late 20* century with metal-framed, plate-glass doors located at the center of the archway at the top of the steps.
(What appear to be the original exterior doors are now part of a vestibule, and are described below with the interior.) Each pair of modern glass doors is surrounded by a single-paned, glass sidelight and topped with an opaque transom panel painted mustard yellow. The exception to this is the left half of the pair of doors in the far left entrance of the façade, which is a white, painted metal door with a single rectangular glass panel in its top half. The low segmental arches of the entrance porches are topped with a stepped parapet, similar to the one originally located around the roof. The cast-stone canopy is supported by red-brick posts, each of which is decorated with a cast-stone pendant. Above each entrance is a single 6/2 double-hung sash window, surrounded by cast-stone detailing similar to that found in the central bays.
These windows are located midway between the first and second floors. A large panel of recessed basketweave brickwork extends from the top of the window to the cornice (photo 6). (continued) 5 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 (Expires 5/31/2012) McElwain, William H., School Name of Property Plymouth County, MA County and State Both the east and west elevations are comprised of four bays (photos 2 and 4). In the bay closest to the front façade the windows are located at mid-floor levels, with three six-light awning windows at the ground level, two square, 3/3 double- hung sash between the basement and first story, and a pair of 6/2 double-hung sash located between the first and second stories.
A round, four-pane window surrounded by four projecting cast-stone keys is centered between the pair of 6/2 sash (photo 7). Vertical bands of cast stone extend from the basement level to the cornice flanking each pair of windows. A raised panel of brickwork studded with gray-flare headers is centered below the lower pair of windows, and the wall between the upper pair of windows and the cornice is decorated with a diagonal brick basketweave pattern. The second from the front bay on the side elevations includes a wide ground-level entrance behind a low, segmental-arch, cast-stone surround. The surround - a less ornamental version of the segmental arches on the façade - is supported by cast stone rather than brick. Along the upper edge of the segmental arch is a simple band of wood trim.
The doors themselves are replacements, consisting of a white, painted metal door with a single rectangular glass panel in the top half. Above the entrance on both the first and second stories are a group of three 6/2, double-hung sash. The second-story windows are slightly shorter than those found elsewhere on the building, to accommodate the entrance below. Each set of windows is enclosed by cast-stone trim, and the second-story windows are further detailed by a drip molding above the lintel. Raised, variegated brickwork panels studded with grey-colored flare headers can also be found in this bay above and below the first story windows. The rearmost two bays on the east elevation are nearly identical in form and detailing.Each bay has four evenly spaced, 3/3, double-hung sash in the basementlevel and four evenly spaced, 6/2, double-hung sash on each of the first and second stories.
The same cast-stone detailing encloses each floor of windows, and raised rectangular panels of brickwork studded with gray-colored flare headers can be found between each story. The rear two bays of the west elevation are nearly identical to those on the east side, with one exception. The rearmost bay on the west elevation has a door instead of a window in the basement level. This simple rectangular entrance is set into the foundation at the same depth as the surrounding windows, and lacks any form of detailing or entrance surround. A review of the original floor plans (attached) for the basement level does not show an entrance in this location, and it is possible that the opening is an alteration. Although the rear (south) elevation lacks fenestration, its largely blank expanse is enlivened by brick panels and corbelled arches (photo 3).
Near the center of each story are narrow, single-door entrances reached by a fire escape. The fact that the doors are not aligned vertically is explained by the original floor plan, which shows that a projecting, central exterior stairwell rose from the basement to the second floor. The doors were staggered in order to meet the landing of the stairs at each story. The enclosed stairwell may have been removed and replaced with a fire escape when the second- floor auditorium was converted to classrooms. Both the first- and second-story doorways have corbelled, round-arch, hood molds. Each hood detail is made up of four courses of rounded brickwork, ending in a pendant on either side.
Within these hoods, the doors themselves are disproportionately small, suggesting that the openings were altered to accommodate the existing replacement doors, which are white painted metal with a single rectangular glass panel in the upper half. At the basement level, the door is recessed into the foundation and lacks architectural detailing. Flanking the central bay and fire escape are projecting, rectangular brick panels with brick frames. Unlike the panels used to decorate the front and sides of the building, however, these panels do not utilize patterned brickwork. The cast-stone cladding at the basement level has been painted with an aquatic-themed mural (photo 3). The only decoration added to the exterior of the building since its construction, the mural is a full-color depiction of the open sea floor including a whale, turtles, seals, and various other fish and aquatic animals.
According to a local historian, the mural was completed as part of a school project in 1996. Although somewhat faded, it is in good condition. (continued) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No.1024-0018 (Expires 5/31/2012) McElwain, William H., School Plymouth County, MA Name of Property County and State After the photos were taken for this nomination, the glazing in the upper section of the rear exterior doors was boarded over, and the portion of the fire escape leading from the ground to the first story was removed. Modern technology has been accommodated in the building through the addition of electrical wiring and conduits along the east elevation, and the addition of a safety lighting and alarm system on the façade.
Interior The school's interior plan of classrooms and halls, including the original entrances, is largely intact, with the exception of a second-floor auditorium at the rear of the building, which was converted into two classrooms at an unknown date (see floor plans). The building also retains important original interior features, including cabinetry, wood floors and trim, interior transom lights and doors, and staircases (photos 8-16). The school includes five classrooms on first floor and five on the second floor. Toilet rooms, utilities, and the cafeteria are in the basement. The building is designed with a T-shaped, central corridor. The symmetrical plan has two original main entrances, one in each end bay of the façade (north elevation).
As noted above, the main entry porticos are now enclosed by modern glass door units, transforming the portico into an interior vestibule leading to the original entries. At each entry, paired, six- panel wood doors lead to the interior of the building. Each pair of doors features a 28-light segmentally arched transom, and each pair is separated by a sidelight (now covered with plywood). Both the doors and their hardware are intact, but portions of the wooden door surrounds are damaged or missing and have been boarded over with plywood. Because the configuration of the wooden doors is similar to that shown on the 1912 rendering of the building (image 17), the doors are believed to be original.
The entry doors lead to another small vestibule, which has a varnished beadboard ceiling, crown molding, plaster walls, a small clerestory window with a varnished wood window frame, and an aluminum replacement window. The south wall of this vestibule has double doors with a single central sidelight. These doors mirror the main entry doors with their large wooden frames and 28-light, segmental-arch transoms (photo 8). These vestibules lead to landings in the two main stair halls (photo 9). Each stair is entered one-half story down from the first floor, and the vestibule opens onto the mid-point landing. The stairs have wood treads with simple handrails attached to raked, vertical-paneled wainscoting. The stairs also include a wood balustrade with simple square balusters and paneled square newel posts with caps (photo 11).
At an intermediate landing on the first floor, the balustrade includes wire mesh. The stairhalls also include some fairly minimal alteration, such as wooden shelving superimposed on a wardrobe area. The basement is similar in plan to the two upper floors, with the same central T-shaped corridor leading to the boys' and girls' bathrooms, lunch room, mechanical rooms, and storage rooms. A multi-spout drinking fountain that was shown in the original 1912 plans remains intact, as do other early fixtures throughout the building (photo 16). The first and second floors include five classrooms each, which are accessed by the central T-shaped corridors. One of the five classrooms on each floor is located centrally at the front (north) side of the building, with a bank of five large aluminum replacement windows with original wood architraves overlooking the front yard of the school (photo 13).
The remaining four classrooms on each floor are located on the east and west sides of the building along the central corridor. These classrooms include banks of four large windows overlooking the side yards of the site. The classrooms include built-in wooden cupboards with glazed doors and drawers (photo 14) as well as blackboards (and some newer white boards), baseboard molding, interior clerestory windows, and wood floors. (continued) 7 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 (Expires 5/31/2012) McElwain, William H., School Name of Property Plymouth County, MA County and State The second floor originally included three classrooms and an auditorium spanning the rear (south elevation) of the building.
At some point the auditorium was converted into two classrooms, accessed by an extension of the central corridor. At the original terminus of the corridor, double wood doors mark the entrance to the former auditorium. Archaeological Description While no ancient Native American sites are known on the William H. McElwain School property, sites may be present. Five ancient sites are recorded in the general area (within one mile). Most known sites are located on riverine and stream terraces bordering the Town River and its tributaries, located to the north and east of the school property. One site, the Town River Site (19-PL-513), is located less than 1,000 feet north and east of the school, on a terrace bordering the south bank of the Town River. The site contained a low-density concentration of chipping debris, a quartz bifacial tool fragment, and 19"'-century historic artifacts.
The site was interpreted as a small, low-density type site. Environmental characteristics of the property generally represent locational criteria (slope, soil drainage, proximity to wetlands) that are favorable for the presence of Native sites. The school occupies level to moderately sloping terrain in close proximity to wetlands. The soil type in the area is well drained and formed in a thin mantle of loamy material overlying sandy glacial till. Soils are also listed as very stony, a characteristic that may reduce the overall site sensitivity for this location. The Town River lies slightly less than 1,000 feet northeast of the school, and a small intermittent stream a similar distance to the southwest. The entire town of Bridgewater lies within the Taunton River drainage.
Given the above information, the size of the nominated property (approximately two acres), the extent of historic land use, and the fact that the rear half of the lot is undeveloped, a moderate to high potential exists for locating ancient Native American resources on the William H. McElwain School property. A high potential also exists for locating historic archaeological resources on the school property. Structural evidence may survive from a dwelling (probably 19"" century, possibly earlier) reported on the school property when it was owned by Joseph Furgeson in 1879. By 1903, the lot was combined with an adjoining ten-acre lot, and no longer contained any buildings. Structural evidence may also survive from a small barn or shed (no longer extant) shown on a post card as being located west of the school shortly after its construction in 1913.
Since the site was reported to be vacant when it was sold in 1912, and there is no evidence in any town records of the removal of a building from this site prior to construction of the school, it has been suggested that it was constructed or moved to the site during construction of the school. No other photographs of the site during that period show the barn. Structural evidence of additional barns and outbuildings related to the school and to the dwelling reported in 1879 may also exist. Archaeological evidence of occupational-related features (trash pits, privies, wells) related to the dwelling may survive. Occupational-related features associated with the school (1912-13) are unlikely; however, below-ground utility lines (water, sewage, power) should be present.
(end) 8 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 McElwain, William H., School Name of Property 8. Statement of Significance