Nomination for North Abington Depot

From the form

The catalogue entry the section above was filed under.

Form No. 10-300 (Rev.

10-74) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE DATA SHEET FOR NPS USE ONLY NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY -- NOMINATION FORM RECEIVED APR 6 1976 DATE ENTERED MAY 1 3 1976 SEE INSTRUCTIONS IN HOW TO COMPLETE NATIONAL REGISTER FORMS TYPE ALL ENTRIES -- COMPLETE APPLICABLE SECTIONS 1 NAME HISTORIC M North Abington Depot AND/OR COMMON same 2 LOCATION STREET & NUMBER Railroad Street CITY, TOWN STATE N.Abington Massachusetts VICINITY OF CODE 025 -NOT FOR PUBLICATION CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 11 COUNTY Plymouth CODE 023 CLASSIFICATION CATEGORY _DISTRICT X_BUILDING(S) _STRUCTURE _SITE _OBJECT OWNERSHIP PUBLIC XPRIVATE _BOTH PUBLIC ACQUISITION IN PROCESS BEING CONSIDERED STATUS _OCCUPIED X UNOCCUPIED _WORK IN PROGRESS ACCESSIBLE X YES: RESTRICTED - YES: UNRESTRICTED _NO PRESENT USE _AGRICULTURE _MUSEUM _COMMERCIAL PARK _EDUCATIONAL -PRIVATE RESIDENCE ENTERTAINMENT _RELIGIOUS GOVERNMENT SCIENTIFIC _INDUSTRIAL _TRANSPORTATION -MILITARY X oTHErempty 4 OWNER OF PROPERTY NAME Massachusetts Bay Transporation Authority STREET & NUMBER 500 Arborway CITY.

TOWN Boston - VICINITY OF 5 LOCATION OF LEGAL DESCRIPTION STATE Massachusetts 02130 COURTHOUSE, REGISTRY OF DEEDS, ETC. Registry of Deeds STREET & NUMBER Russell Street CITY, TOWN Plymouth 6 REPRESENTATION IN EXISTING SURVEYS STATE Massachusetts TITLE Inventory of the Historic Assets of the Commonwealth DATE 1975 _FEDERAL ASTATE _COUNTY _LOCAL DEPOSITORY FOR SURVEY RECORDS CITY. TOWN Massachusetts Historical Commission Boston STATE Massachusetts DESCRIPTION CONDITION EXCELLENT GOOD -FAIR ADETERIORATED _RUINS _UNEXPOSED CHECK ONE À UNALTERED XALTERED CHECK ONE X ORIGINAL SITE _MOVED DATE DESCRIBETHE PRESENT AND ORIGINAL (IF KNOWN) PHYSICAL APPEARANCE The North Abington Depot is located on an abandoned railroad right of way near the town center. The depot sits off by itself, with empty fields to the east, and a large park to the west of the building.

It stands out as a striking visual landmark in a sparsely developed area. The structure, built in 1893-94, measures approximately twenty-five feet by ninety- three feet, exclusive of the platforms, with the long axis running from north to south. Granite walls, composed of random length blocks in equal height courses, are trimmed at the windows and doors with brownstone of alternately long and short blocks. A band of brownstone encircles the building at the base and again just below the windows. Brownstone also trims the two story octagonal tower on the street side (west side) of the building. The structure is basically rectangular, broken midway on the west side by the tower and on the east side by a one story octagonal ticket office, and ending to the south in a half octagonal shape.

A granite chimney rises above the southern wall and another protrudes from the northern cn sng to th side of the tower roof. A steeply pitched black slate roof covers the building and the 125 foot platform along the east side. The hipped roof and the octagonal tower roof are trimmed with copper on all ridges. Copper gutters are built into the roof and are concealed from view. Massive curved wooden brackets help support the overhang on the three sides of the building not covered by the platform roof. The columns supporting the platform are composed of six wooden posts spaced approx- imately fifteen feet apart, and are braced with curved brackets identical to the brackets which support the overhang of the main roof. The platform itself is composed of black topped concrete encircled by granite curbing.

Each of the building's four doors is four feet wide with nine panels of patterned glass in the upper sections. There is a stained glass fanlight above each door leading into the waiting room, and a large fanlight above the western window in the tower. Stained glass is also found in panels over each waiting room and ticket office window, in the arched restroom windows, and in the clerestory windows of the tower. There have been a few alterations to the building since 1894, including the re- moval of the skylight panels in the roof over the waiting room and the slating of that section of the roof, the painting of the interior oak paneling and the addition of a black topped surface on the platform. There has also been considerable vandalism since the building was closed in 1959 and the building is now in a state of disrepair.

The North Abington Depot Association has recently leased the building from the MBTA and is in the process of raising the money necessary to restore the building. Once restored, the building will be used as a community and crafts center, and headquarters for the depot association. SIGNIFICANCE PERIOD PREHISTORIC _1400-1499 1500-1599 1600-1699 -1700-1799 X 1800-1899 -1900- LARCHEOLOGY-PREHISTORIC _ARCHEOLOGY-HISTORIC AGRICULTURE X ARCHITECTURE ART _COMMERCE _COMMUNICATIONS AREAS OF SIGNIFICANCE -- CHECK AND JUSTIFY BELOW _COMMUNITY PLANNING _LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE _CONSERVATION XLAW ECONOMICS -LITERATURE EDUCATION MILITARY -ENGINEERING -MUSIC _EXPLORATION/SETTLEMENT PHILOSOPHY LINDUSTRY -POLITICS/GOVERNMENT _INVENTION _RELIGION _SCIENCE SCULPTURE SOCIAL/HUMANITARIAN -THEATER -TRANSPORTATION -OTHER (SPECIFY) SPECIFIC DATES 1893-94 STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE BUILDER

Statement of significance

/ARCHITECT Bradford Lee Gilbert The North Abington Depot is significant both for its architectural quality and for its connection with the famous Abington Riot. This riot resulted in a significant court case which is still quoted as a precedent in the field of jurisprudence. The building was designed by Bradford Lee Gilbert and built in 1893-4. Gilbert was a medal winner at the Columbian Exposition of 1893, and was the supervising architect for the Cotton States and International Exposition of 1895, but he specialized in railroad stations and other public buildings. The depot is Richardsonian in style, and as Hitchcock points out in his book "Architecture of H. H. Richardson and His Times" many of Richardson's followers were more Richardsonian than Richardson himself.

The North Abington Depot is small, and has deteriorated over the years, but it still retains its architectural quality and integrity. The station was built as a peace offering to the town after the "North Abington Riot." The Riot was a confrontation between a large railroad company and the local street- car line. The railroad had been owned by a local company, the Old Colony, for 48 years, but because of the depression of 1892-93, the Old Colony was forced to let its holdings in January of 1893 to the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad Company- The New Haven inherited a number of costly problems when it took over the Old Colony line, including a dangerous crossing in Brockton.

As the result of a bad accident at the crossing involving a train and a streetcar, the New Haven voted in February of 1893 to spend $l million to rebuild the crossing on two levels, and more importantly, to refuse any other requests for streetcar tracks to cross their right-of-ways. This decision was brought to a legal test, however, on May 23, 1893, when the New Haven learned that the Abington Selectmen had granted the local streetcar line permission to lay its tracks along North Avenue and cross the railroad tracks at grade, in order to link the public transportation service between Brockton and Rockland via North Abington. The railroad company immediately protested and filed a bill in equity in the state supreme court asking for a re- straining injunction.

Supreme Court Justice Marcus Perrin Knowlton, at a hearing on June 21, dismissed the bill, saying that since the Selectmen had acted within their rights as representatives of the townspeople who owned the public highway and as the safety precautions required by law were being taken by the Rockland & Abington Street Railway Co., the Supreme Court had no reason to become involved. At this point the railroad's counsel advised that, in his opinion, the decision of the single Justice was not binding. On the basis of this opinion and because the New Haven Co. misjudged the determination of the citizens of Abington, the railroad company decided to use a show of force to intimidate the townspeople. On August 16 the "riot" took place, and fifteen local men, twelve who had been (continued)

The rest of the file

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

MAJOR BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES Buckley, Thomas Ho, "The Riot", unplished manuscript, 1954g In Dyer Memorial Building Abington Coughlan, William Do, "The North Abington Riot", The Abington Advertisor, August 19 and 28th. Gilbert, Bradford L., R.R. A Sketchbook of Railroad Stations and Kindred Subjects, 5th ed.

Gazette, NYC, 1894 10 GEOGRAPHICAL DATA ACREAGE OF NOMINATED PROPERTY less than one acre UTM REFERENCES 460 A1,91 1313,91413,01 ZONE EASTING 14,616,517,2,01 NORTHING ZONE EASTING DLULLILLL NORTHING VERBAL BOUNDARY DESCRIPTION LIST ALL STATES AND COUNTIES FOR PROPERTIES OVERLAPPING STATE OR COUNTY BOUNDARIES STATE CODE COUNTY CODE STATE CODE COUNTY CODE 11 FORM PREPARED BY NAME / TITLE Christine Boulding, Preservation Planner, and Abington Historical Commission ORGANIZATION Massachusetts Historical Commission March 197 STREET & NUMBER TELEPHONE 294 Washington Street 617-727-8470 CITY OR TOWN STATE Boston Massachusetts 02108 12 STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICER CERTIFICATION THE EVALUATED SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS PROPERTY WITHIN THE STATE IS NATIONAL- STATE, LOCAL- As the designated State Historic Preservation Officer for the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (Public Law 89-665).

I hereby nominate this property for inclusion inthe National Register and certify that it has been evaluated according to the criteria and procedures set forth by the National Park Seryjge, STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICER SIGNATURE Uickeet Red Amodon TITLE Executive Director, Massachusett's Historical CommissionDATE 3/31/76 FOR NPS USE ONLY I HEREBY CERTIFY TAAT THIS PROPERTF 8 INCLUDED IN THE NATIONAL REGISTER AOFARESIRECTOR OTO ANCEDLOG ATTEST FD HISTORIC PRESERVATION KEEPER OF THE NATIONAL REGISTER DATE DATE $/13/56 5.12.20 GPO 888-445 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 APR 6 1976 DATE ENTEREDMAY 1 3 1976 CONTINUATION SHEET 1 ITEM NUMBER 8 PAGE 2 #8: specially sworn in as police for the occasion, used firehoses to withstand the on- slaught of more than 200 railroad laborers armed with picks, shovels, and paving stones. Many men were injured, but the railroad officials did not call off the attack until they learned that the Superior Court had issued an injunction for- bidding their interference with the streetcar company's work. After the brawl the full bench of five Supreme Court Justices upheld the validity of the position taken by Justice Knowlton, and stated that any one of them was in a position to adequately interpret the law (161 Mass 416).

This decision still stands and is quoted in similar cases in the field of jurisprudence. As a result of the riot high ranking officials of the New Haven Railroad Co. were sentenced and served time for provoking and directing a riot. This was a significant case for its time because of the feeling of many people that only the poor and powerless were brought to justice and the rich and powerful always escaped punishment.

Judge Sherman, who handed down the sentence on the railroad officials, said in his sum- mations of the case, "Officials must be taught that they also must observe and obey withoet egaxa o dass or diseineteson, the law, and that justice must be administered impartially upon all offenders, The North Abington Depot, the peace offering to the town of Abington from the New Haven Railroad Co., stands today as an interesting architectural monument and as a symbo1 of the sometimes forgotten fact that no corporation or individual, no matter how powerful, is above the law. PUBLICATION DATA SHEET State: County/indep. city City/vicinity V PRIMARY TITLE (Secondary Title) Address/location Statement of signif- icance including cons- truction date, altera- tion date, present use, and style.

Statement of signif- icance including im- portant peoples names; include key words for search of events and areas of significance. Other surveys, include number of habs or haer drawings Ownership/agency Date of entry Areas of Significance (circle those which apply to property) IA I06 I07 I08 MASSACHUSETTS plymouth county North Abington NORTH ABINGION DEPOT I09 I10 Railroad St. 1893--1894 Richardsonian Romanesque railroad depot designed by architect Bradford Lee Gilbert; altered. I11 Built for town after North Abington Riot, confrontation between a large railroad company and local streetcar line, which resulted in landmark judicial decision. #C #I I12 I13 Indexing Items Private. (5-13-76) 1. historic archeology 2. prehistoric archeology 3. agriculture architecture 5. art 6. commerce 7. communication 8. conservation 9. economics 10. education 11. engineering 12. exploration 13.

industry 14. invention 15. landscape architecture 16) Law 17 literature 18. military 19. music 20. philosophy politics/government) 22. religion 23. science 24. social/humanitarian 25. transportation 26. entertainme 27. health 28. recreation 29. settlement 30. social/cultur 31. urban and community planning Gilbert, Bradford Lee* CF North Abington Depot, MA: CF CE CE CE CE CE CE CE CE Property North Abington Depot State Working Number 4.6.76.3021 Massachusetts TECHNICAL Photos. Maps Gtater tiaosect 1 cont. skeet okrebovch Plymouth CONTROL Cn K 4.9.16 HISTORIAN Hcçept E.

Amith 4-14-1 ARCHITECTURAL HISTORIAN Accept 4/16/76 Carre Hlubeman ARCHEOLOGIST OTHER HAER Inventory Review Accpt Suly 5/5 REVIEW UNIT CHIEF Cols 5-11-76 BRANCH CHIEF KEEPER National Register Write-up Federal Register Entry 6 -1-26 Send-back Re-submit Entered United States Department of the Interior National Park Service WASO No. 7 MAY 1 3 1976 IN T:2106- 74 NORTH ABINGTON DETOT VIEW FROM THE NORTHWEST 26 SEPTEMBER 1975 North Abington Depot, Abington, MA Douglas Ulwich, September 1975 Abington Historical Commission 700king southeast at west facade photo #1 y/ Plymneet Crenty, sas 5/13/76 REFRINT PERMISSON: ABINGTON HISTORICAL COMMISSION 33 Randolph Street Abington, Ma. 02351 APR 6 1976 PROPERTY OF THE NATIONAL REGISTER ENTRIES IN THE NATIONAL REGISTER STATE MASSACHUSETTS Date Entered MAY 1 3 1976 Name Location Durant, Capt.

Edward, Ilouse North Abington Depot Eaton-Moulton Mill Newton Middlases County N. Abington Plymouth County Wellesley Norfolk County Also Notified Hon. Edward M. Kennedy Hon. Edward W. Brooke Hon. Robert 7. Drinan Hon. Janes A. Burke Hon. Margaret M. Hecklex Reglonal Director, North Atlant1c Region PR MMott/row 5/17/76 State Historic Preservation Officer Mrs, Elizabeth R. Anadon Executive Director Massachusetts Historical Cormission 294 Washington Street Boston, Massachusette 02108 INT: 2950-75 - NR Data Sheet DATE: 4/16/76 Reviewer INIIIAIS RCOt NR DOE (5-13-14) North Abington Depot NAME AS IT APPEARS IN FEDERAL REGISTER: OTHER NAMES: LOCATION: STREET & NUMBER Raulroad 51 cn roiy.

Abungton STATE Mass OWNER OF PROPERTY: (Circle) CONGRESSIUNAL DISTRICT VICINITY OF PRIVATE STATE COUNTY code Plymoch 0L3 LOCAL GOV'T MUNICIPAL COUNTY OTHER ADMINISTRATOR(underline) FEDERAL (AGENCY NAME) : NPS REGION: (CIRCLE) N.ATLANTIC MID ATLANTIC SOUTHEAST MIDWEST SOUTHWEST ROCKY MOUNTAIN WEST PACIFIC NORTHWEST FEATURES: INTERIOR - Substantially intact-1 - unknown - 4 - not applicable - 7 CONDITION - _EXCELLENT _GOOD LFAIR EXTERIOR -Substantially intact-2 unknown.-5 _ not applicable - 8 -Interioi, exterior, environs not intact-0 XDETERIORATED _UNALTERED -RUINS EALTERED _UNEXPOSED -Reconstructed _Unexcavated _Excavated ENVIRONS - Substantially intact-3 _unknown -6 Not applicable-9 XORIGINAL SITE _MOVED _Unknown ACCESS - Yes-restricted Yes-unrestricted No access Unknown historic district? YES NO WITHIN NATIONAL REGISTER HISTORIC DISTRICT?

IF YES, NAME: YES NO WITHIN NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARK? IF YES, NAME: YES NO ADAPTIVE USE: YES otentially FUNCTION(S): (use vocabulary words) then-rail oad station Saved ? YES iprocess NO now- SIGNIFICANCE: -ARCHEOLUGY-PREHISTORIC ARCHEOLOGY-HISTORIC AGRICULTURE YARCHITECTURE -ART _COMMERCE _COMMUNICATIONS Claims "first" YES _CONSERVATION LECONOMICS _EDUCATION _ENGINEERING _EXPLORATION INDUSTRY _INVENTION _LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE _RELIGION KLAW/Gov't/politics _SCIENCE _LITERATURE _MILITARY SOCIAL/HUMANITARIAN _MUSIC _PHILOSOPHY -_POLITICS/GOVERNMENT _TRANSPORTATION _OTHER (SPECIFY) _entertainment -health -recreation -settlement _socio/cultural _urban & commun planning "oldest?

YES "eonly" YES NO ARCHITECYURAL STYLE: Richardsoruan Romanespue architect/mbuitdersBradford Lee Gilberatgineer: landscape/garden designer: artist/artisan: interior decorator: builder/contractor: ETHNIC GROUP: NAMES: personal (label role appropriate date) events Nouth AberigtonRiot, 1893 institutional DATES: DATE OF CONSTRUCTION (Specific date or 1/4 of century) : 1893-94 DATE (S) OF "MAJOR" ALTERATIONS: HISTORICALLY SIGNIFICANT DATE (S) : SOURCE.

(OF NOMINATION) PRIVATE STATE OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY: - ACREAGE: (to nearest tenth of an acre) less than| LOCAL GOV"T MUNICIPAL COUNTY COMMENTS: (include architectural information here) walls of randomlength dressed grawute blo cks with brownstonetrim; onestory basically rectarguler but boker mid was on west sede by octagonal, 2-stouy tower with clerestory wend ows; steeply pitched huppednoo; hepped roof of platirm (attached) estends beyond length of buildiig a supported by, woodencolemna Abinghen Depet is afine opample of the current Richandomean mode. Moreorer, if is signifecant as the peace offening bult for the town after the North Abieton Riot, a confrontation befween a large racthoad company & the loal street car line wluch resulted in a landmark judicial decision.

L)NA NATIONAL REGISTER DATA SHEET ME as it pears on federal register: 2OTHER NAMES: county code: North Abington Depot 5-13-76 023 5 LOCATION street & number Railroad St. ity i town North Abington vieinity of SMA county A1ymouth GNPS REGION: North Atlantic KP OWNEW IVATE OSTATE - MUNICIPAL -COUNTY OMULTiPLE OFEDERAL (agency name) EXISTING SURVEYS CHABS CHAER ONHL 10) FUNDED? OYES LI) CONGRESS.

DISTRICT "1 (12)SOURCE Of NOMINATION 6O 18 CONDITION Dexcellent Dgood Ofair * deteriorated Oruins Xaltered Ounaltered Ounexposed -reconstructed Ounexcavated Dexeavated BACCESS D YES -Unrestricted - No Access 21 AREAS OF SIGNIFICANCE : DENGINEERING-11 CARCHEOLOGY - prehistoric-2 - COMMERCE - 6 -ENTERTAINMENT-26 -ARCHEOLOGY-historic-1 - COMMUNICATIONS - 7 -EXPLORATION -12 /AGRICULTURE -3 - CONSERVATION - 8 C HEALTH-27 Q ARCHITECTURE-4 - ECONOMICS- 9 - INDUSTRY-13 - ART-5 EDUCATION-10 - INVENTION -14 Doriginal site 17)features: *XSUBSTANTIALLY INTACT-1 Omoved 2ONOT INTACT-O Ounknown WUNKNOWN-4 20 NOT APPLICABLE -7 - Unknown LANDSCAPE ARCH.- 15 LAW- 16 - LITERATURE- 17 - MILITARY - 18 - MUSIC - 19 - PHILOSOPHY -20 (19) ADAPTIVE USE XYES ONO SAVED?

DYES - POLITICS / GOVT.* 21 -RECREATION -28 - RELIGION- 22 - SETTLEMENT-29 - SCIENCE- 23 DURBAN PLANNING-31 - SOCIAL/HUMANITARIAN -24 D OTHER (SPECIFY) SOCIAL / CULTURAL- 30 TRANSPORTATION - 25 dates of initial construction 1843-48--1894 major alterations: istoric events: JADMINISTRATOR: STATE CFEDERAL: if state who prepared form? -LOCAL OPRIVATE ORGANIZATION ASUBSTANTIALLY INTACT - 2 2OSUBSTANTIALLY INTACT -3 -NOT INTACT-O ONOT INTACT - O DUNKNOWN-5 SOUNKNOWN-6 JO NOT APPLICABLE-8 ZONOT APPLICABLE - 9 IS PROPERTY A HISTORIC DISTRICT?

Dyes @CLAIMS: explain 'first'O "oldest' O 'only' D 3 functions WHEN HISTORICALLY SIGNIFICANT: RR Station CURRENTLY: Not in Use architectural style(s): Richardsonian RomanesQuk landscape architect garden designer: 3 interior decorator: ETHNIC GROUP ASSOCIATION architeet Bradford )master builder: Lee Gilbert artist: engineer: artisan: ~builder/contractor: NAMES PERSONAL: EVENTS : Bradford Lee Gilbert, Columbian Exposition medal winner (1893), sutpervising architect of the Cotton States and International Exposition (1895), architect. North Abington Riot, August 16, 1893 INSTITUTIONAL: -NATIONAL REGISTER WRITE-U4 Rock-faced stone, I story, rectangular, hipped roof, interior climneys, various entrances each with transom, "'zstory polugondl tower with contrast bauding, wide over hauging bracketed loves, connected platform canopy, alteratioris. Richardsomian komanesaua.

bood example of Abington Riot, - viotene bantronceation pf asked by ore us 1o seelee frk, New ta ven and art ford tatigit betleen their laborers and town-backed workers constructing a streetcar line; prison terms given railroad officials bolstered public confidence in fair administration of justice. IIF ADDITIONAL SPACE NEEDED, NUMBER & PUT ON REVERSE