Nomination for Dorchester Heights National Historic Site

From the form

The catalogue entry the section above was filed under.

Form No. 10-306 (Rev. 10-74) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OFTHE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY -- NOMINATION FORM FOR NPS USE ONLY RECEIVED DEC 2 4 1980 DATEENTERED apppurFEB 23 1981 FOR FEDERAL PROPERTIES SEE INSTRUCTIONS IN HOW TO COMPLETE NATIONAL REGISTER FORMS TYPE ALL ENTRIES -- COMPLETE APPLICABLE SECTIONS 2 4 5 NAME HISTORIC Dorchester Heights AND/OR COMMON Dorchester Heights National Historic Site LOCATION STREET & NUMBER Thomas Park CITY.

TOWN South Boston STATE Massachusetts CLASSIFICATION - VICINITY OF CODE 25 NOT FOR PUBLICATION CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 9th COUNTY Suffolk CODE 025 CATEGORY DISTRICT BUILDING(S) XSTRUCTURE SITE -OBJECT OWNERSHIP XPUBLIC PRIVATE -BOTH PUBLIC ACQUISITION IN PROCESS _BEING CONSIDERED STATUS -OCCUPIED XUNOCCUPIED _WORK IN PROGRESS ACCESSIBLE XYES: RESTRICTED - YES: UNRESTRICTED -NO PRESENT USE AGRICULTURE MUSEUM _COMMERCIAL XPARK _EDUCATIONAL -PRIVATE RESIDENCE -ENTERTAINMENT RELIGIOUS XGOVERNMENT -SCIENTIFIC _INDUSTRIAL -TRANSPORTATION STSTMILITARY _OTHER: 913 AGENCY REGIONAL HEADQUARTERS: (If applicable) National Park Service, North Atlantic Region STREET & NUMBER 15 State Street BTY. TOWN Boston, STATE Massachusetts - VICINITY OF LOCATION OF LEGAL DESCRIPTION 02109 COURTHOUSE. REGISTRY OF DEEDS, ETC. STREET & NUMBER Suffolk Registry of Deeds Suffolk County Court House CITY.

TOWN STATE Massachusetts 02109 Boston REPRESENTATION IN EXISTING SURVEYS TITLE The National Survey of Historic Sites and Buildings, Volume VI 1964 DEPOSITORY FOR SURVEY RECORDS CITY. TOWN Washington, DC XFEDERAL STATE COUNTY _LOCAL STATE 7 DESCRIPTION CONDITION _EXCELLENT xGOOD -FAIR DETERIORATED _RUINS _UNEXPOSED CHECK ONE _UNALTERED XALTERED CHECK ONE XORIGINAL SITE _MOVED DATE. DESCRIBE THE PRESENT AND ORIGINAL (IF KNOWN) PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

Description of the property

The Dorchester Heights Monument occupies the summit of the elliptical-shaped Thomas Park in South Boston. The park is 5.43 acres and is bounded in a more or less circular fashion on the north, west, and south by the street known as Thomas Park. The South Boston High School is adjacent to the park on the east side. The tower was completed in 1901 by the Boston firm of Peabody and Stearns after they had secured the commission from the City of Boston in an architectural competition held in 1898.* It was designed in the Georgian Colonial Revival Style which was at that time coming into favor and popularity in this country. The tower is constructed of brick and stone masonry, faced on the exterior with white Georgian marble. The design was inspired by the towers of 18th-century churches in the vicinity, but with proportional changes necessitated by the use of masonry.

The structure stands just over 100 feet high rising in three stages from a marble plinth ringed with an iron picket fence. The walls are three feet thick at the base, reducing slightly as they rise. The first stage of the tower is a plain shaft about 57 feet high and 19 feet, 4 inches square. The arches on the east and west faces contain a large memorial tablet (west) and the entrance to the tower (east). Sma11 vertically slit windows are located on the axis of each face, and are aligned to the interior staircase. Near the top of each face, a doorway with architrave and cornice opens onto a narrow balustraded balcony cantilevered from the tower on scrolled brackets The top of the first stage terminates in a cornice above which is a balustrade running between stubby pedestals surmounted by ball-and-obelisk finials.

The second stage, a square belfry about 17 feet high, contains on each face an unembellished arched opening. These openings were apparently at first left plain, and later filled with wooden casings containing doors and fanlights. Above the second stage cornice, a parapet runs between pedestals embellished with chubby urn finials. The third saage above the belfry, begins as a circular drum, and then becomes an octagonal arcaded cupola (which is 15ct feet, 10 inches high to the cornice) above an encircling belt molding. Above the cupola, a domed roof supports a spire rising 17 feet, 3 inches above the cornice topped by a weathervane. Inside, a metal stairway rises along the tower walls to the first platform, which lies at the elevation of the balconies. From here, an iron helical stairway rises to the top of the first stage, emerging in a cylindrical weather enclosure.

There is no permanent access to the cupola. The interior walls of the first stage are constructed of red brick laid in common bond with tan mortar. The thickness of the wall reduces by one Wytke of brick at the first platform level. In the second stage, the brick is a buff color to match the color of the stone. The interior of the drum of the third stage is red brick with a plaster coating. The interior of the cupola appears to be finished with the same marble as the exterior. *As built, it may have differed slightly from their winning design. An early illustration which may have been the architect's rendering shows a slightly different podium, with stairs to the north and south as well as west, and a balustrade, rather than a parapet surmounting the second stage of the tower. Form No. 10-300a (Rev.

10-74) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY -- NOMINATION FORM FOR NPS USE ONLY RECEIVED DEC 2 4 1980 DATE ENTERED CONTINUATION SHEET ITEM NUMBER 7 PAGE two The tower cost about $23,000 to build exclusive of base and encircling iron fence. The steps, which probably included the entire base as it now stands, were built in 1902 for slightly over $7,000. The iron fencing was added in 1906 for $1,000. Subsequent modifications to the tower include an enclosed chamber, now mostly destroyed, within the ground story of the tower. In the 1950's or 60's the National Park Service installed vertical and horizontal tie rods in the second and third stages to try and arrest movement and cracking of the upper structure.

crete structured members appear to have been installed beneath the second platform for a similar purpose, again most probably within recent years. The landscaping of Thomas Park took place during the mid-nineteenth century. In 1847, the citizens of South Boston petitioned the City of Boston for improved services and suggested the construction of a reservoir on Dorchester Heights. Pre- viously, South Boston's water supply had been provided by wells. In 1849, however, water began to be brought from the Cochituate River to reservoirs in various parts of the City. In this same year, Dorchester Heights was cut down and a reservoir built on the eastern half of ellipse, the rest being set aside as a park. The reservoir occupied approximately the same area as the South Boston High School that currently stands on this location.

It measured 370 feet across and 260 feet long, 20 feet deep, and held about 7,508,246 gallons of water.1 The portion of the hill not occupied by the reservoir (western half of the ellipse), was graded and developed into a park that was called Thomas Park after General John Thomas who commanded the troops at Dorchester Heights. It was soon beautifled with grasg plots, gravel walks, shade trees, and enclosed with an iron fence. Paths were laid out on its surface axially from the monument and approaches were made to it from the street at various places. A carriage road encircled the park atop the hill. The high banks were later seeded and trees were planted on top and around the base of the enclosure. An iron fence was also erected level with the street that surrounded the park. 1John Toomey, History of South Boston, 1901, page 159 2Ibid.

From the form

The catalogue entry the section above was filed under.

SIGNIFICANCE PERIOD _PREHISTORIC -1400-1499 -1500-1599 -1600-1699 81700-1799 -1800-1899 900- AREAS OF SIGNIFICANCE -- CHECK AND JUSTIFY BELOW ARCHEOLOGY-PREHISTORIC XCOMMUNITY PLANNING -LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE ARCHEOLOGY-HISTORIC _CONSERVATION -LAW AGRICULTURE _ECONOMICS _LITERATURE XARCHITECTURE _EDUCATION X MILITARY ART -ENGINEERING _MUSIC _COMMERCE -EXPLORATION/SETTLEMENT _PHILOSOPHY _COMMUNICATIONS _INDUSTRY _POLITICS/GOVERNMENT _INVENTION -RELIGION -SCIENCE _SCULPTURE -SOCIAL/HUMANITARIAN _THEATER _TRANSPORTATION -OTHER (SPECIEVI SPECIFIC DATES 1776, 1901 BUILDER

Statement of significance

/ARCHITECT Peabody and Stearns STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE Dorchester Heights National Historic Site commemorates the fortification by General Washington and his army which forced the British evacuation of Boston on March 17, 1776. Tne event was the first great American victory of the Revolution and served to inspire hope and confidence in the leadership and capabilities of the Continental Army. Realizing that possession of this piece of high ground (which provided a commanding view of Boston, Charlestown, and the Boston Harbor) would render untenable continued British occupation of Boston, Washington first occupied and fortified the hill during the night of March 4, 1776.

Faced by an American force that eventually numbered 4,000, and was supported by 59 cannons brought down from Fort Ticonderoga, the British General William Howe determined that further occupation of the city was imprudent and judi- ciously removed his army of 11,000 men from Boston. The Dorchester Heights Monument, a 100-foot tower designed by the Boston firm of Peabody and Stearns and dedicated in 1902, maiks this site where the American forti- fications were constructed. While the tower constitutes a monument to Revolutionary War events, it also stands in its own right as a monument of Georgian Colonial Revival Architecture; a style inspired by nationalistic sentiment anduused to recall spécific patriotic landmarks. Robert Swain Peabody and John G.

Stearns were pioneers in the study and design of this style (especially in the form of towers), and Peabody, from the first, was acknowledged as its leading exponent. Several additional Peabody designed towers still mark the Boston skyline. Thomas Park is significant as the first parcel of land in South Boston set aside by the city for public purposes. Though modified, it continues to reflect its original Victorian design in the basic configuration and layout of its walks.

The rest of the file

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

MAJOR BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES Gillespie, C.Bancroft. Illustrated History of South Boston. South Boston: Inquirer Publishing Co., 1900, Sarles, Frank B., Jr., and Charles E. Shedd. Colonials and Patriots, Historic Places Commemorating Our Forebears 1700-1783,, The National Survey of Historic Sites and Buildings, Vol. VI. Washington, DC:U.S. Dept. of the Interior, NPS. 1964. (continued on next page) UTM NOT VERIFIED 10 GEOGRAPHICAL DATA ACREAGE OF NOMINATED PROPERTY 5.43 acres ACREAGE NOT VERIFIED UTM REFERENCES AL119/ 13/3,1/411,01 14,6/8,815,3,01 ZONE EASTING NORTHING ZONE EASTIN L,1.

Lu NORTHING -ULuldllilI VERBAL BOUNDARY DESCRIPTION see site plan LIST ALL STATES AND COUNTIES FOR PROPERTIES OVERLAPPING STATE OR COUNTY BOUNDARIES STATE Massachusetts STATE CODE 25 CODE COUNTY Suffolk COUNTY CODE 025 CODE 11 FORM PREPARED BY NAME / TITLE Amy Millman, Preservation Historian ORGANIZATION National Park Service, NARO STREET & NUMBER 15 State Street CITY OR TOWN Baston DATE 9/80 TELEPHONE 223-3778 STATE Massachusetts CERTIFICATION OF NOMINATION STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICER RECOMMENDATION YES NO NONE ta Revesbnski STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICER SIGNATURE In compliance with Executive Order 11593. I hereby nominate this property to the National Register, certifying that the State Historic Preservation Officer has been allowed 90 days in which to present the nomination to the State Review Board and to evaluate its significance.

The evaluated level of significance/is V _State FEDERAL REPRESENTATIVE SIGNATURE attat Loca TITLE Assistant Director, Cultural Resources OATE DEC 1 9 1980 FOR NPS USE ONLY I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS PROPERTY IS INCLUDED IN THE NATIONAL REGISTER LumA Pube DHEGTOR. OFFICE OF ARCHEOLOGY AND HISTORIC PRESERVATION ATTEST: alica Anduls DATE 2/03/1981 Klonnr BTT DATE 2/9/81 JoKEEPER OF THE NATIONAL REGISTER Form No. 10-300a (Rev. 10-74) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY -- NOMINATION FORM FOR NPS USE ONLY RECEIVED DEC 24 1980 DATE ENTERED CONTINUATION SHEET ITEM NUMBER 9 PAGE two Schweinfurth, J.A. "Robert Swain Peabody - Tower Builder 1845-1917." The American Architect CXXX, No. 2504, September 6, 1926, Simons, Thomas C. History of South Boston. ArtiosPress reprint, 1974.

(First printed 1857 in Boston by David Clapp.) S.P.N.E.A., Pteservation Plan, March 1976, Highland Park - High Point Observatory Thomas Park - Dorchester Heights Memorial Tower. Toomey, John. History of South Boston. Boston:John Toomey, 1901 1094 TELEGALAM ST OLD HARDOR LOCATCY DEC 2 4 1980 orcesin THONA THOMAS NATIOMAL ATLANTIC PARK BOSTO HISTO DORCHE BC 120 Pom FEB 23 1981 Property Lorc ter Keights Natemat sh State MA SuffolkWorking Number 12.29.80.3001 TECHNICAL Photos Maps rene Fistea sete 7/7881 1/21/51 2/7/51 CONTROL Entered in N.R. in ap.195/ as N.H.L. - this dockmentation is sent in HISTORIAN accept Patuick Andus 2/9/81 paa , 1 cyo.

ARCHITECTURAL HISTORIAN aunces amerities ill's preseut cenditian conrey its natare or charaater at the time if the Teroetioany wan battle Cexcept beikp ypen space Army's snonphnd trere t the in to Ths Kilt that military victiy itself in terms o cacos ex prenses the continuty o That association. periad desis aeroneh comnemerale - te manument is siguiicant nvermsy + in ito umtinuif associatim with the Rev. Wan site at Torrcuester tag Heigks. Noninatian addresses ARCHEOLOGIST 1 ccep L.Poube 2/231981 OTHER Tev-war ansociation /impanans, aethuug it does not discus tue in which the site * neeb reria. HAER Inventory - Review REVIEW UNIT CHIEF BRANCH CHIEF KEEPER National Register Write-up Send-back Entered apprau FEB 23 1981 Federal Register Entry un ra sates operarene of he rerior wertos er somica neso vo.

Clip1 Dorchester Heights National Historic Site South Boston, Massachusetts Alfred K. Schroeder famolle co. October 1977 Boston National Historical Park North FEB 23 1981 DEC 2 4 1980 INTERIO Morch IN REPLY REFER TO: H32-NAR(PC) 565 United States Department of the Interior RECEIVED NATIONAL FARK SERVICE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MASMINE TON OFFICE North Atlantic Region Jce 10 | 27 PM '80 15 State Street Boston, Massachusetts 02109 December 4, 1980 Memorandum To: From: Assistant Director, Cultural Resources Management Division, Washington (560) Associate Regional Director, Planning and Resource Preservation, North Atlantic Region Subject: National Register Documentation--Dorchester Heights National Historic Site Enclosed is the National Register nomination for Dorchester Heights National Historic Site. The form is submitted as documentation of an existing national historic site.

lpn Enclosure cc: BOST, Supt. SUEL RILT LEREN RECEIVED DEC 2 4 1980 NATIONAL REGISTER EPARTMENT OF United States Department of the Interior NATIONAL PARK SERVICE WASHINGTON, D.C. 20240 March 3, 1849 IN REPLY REFER TO: H32 (565) DEC 1 9 1980 Memorandum To: From: Acting Keeper of the National Register of Historic Places, Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service Federal Representative, National Park Service Subject: Submission of "Dorchester Heights National Historic Site" Enclosed is the documentation for "Dorchester Heights National Historic Site," North Atlantic Region of the National Park Service, which is being submitted in confirmation of its inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places. 1. Renr Illuly. F. Ross Holland, Jr. Enclosure RECEIVED DEC 2 4 1980 NATIONAL REGISTER Vear of 149 Vistor