Nomination for Fay Club

From the form

The catalogue entry the section above was filed under.

Form No. 10-300 (Rev.

10-74) PH0502120 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE DATA SHEET FOR NPS USE ONLY AUG 9 1977 NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY -- NOMINATION FORM RECEIVED IDATE ENTERED JAN 31 1978 SEE INSTRUCTIONS IN HOW TO COMPLETE NATIONAL REGISTER FORMS TYPE ALL ENTRIES -- COMPLETE APPLICABLE SECTIONS 1 NAME HISTORIC The Fay House AND/OR COMMON The Fay Club (preferred) N LOCATION STREET & NUMBER 658 Main Street CITY, TOWN Fitchburg STATE VICINITY OF 8225 _NOT FOR PUBLICATION CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 4th COUNTY Worcester CODE 027 3 Massachusetts CLASSIFICATION CATEGORY DISTRICT XBUILDING(S) _STRUCTURE SITE _OBJECT OWNERSHIP _PUBLIC XPRIVATE _BOTH PUBLIC ACQUISITION _IN PROCESS _BEING CONSIDERED STATUS XOCCUPIED -UNOCCUPIED -WORK IN PROGRESS ACCESSIBLE XYES: RESTRICTED LYES: UNRESTRICTED LNO PRESENT USE -AGRICULTURE -MUSEUM -COMMERCIAL _PARK -EDUCATIONAL _PRIVATE RESIDENCE XENTERTAINMENT -RELIGIOUS _GOVERNMENT -SCIENTIFIC LINDUSTRIAL -TRANSPORTATION LMILITARY -OTHER 4 OWNER OF PROPERTY NAME The Fay Club STREET & NUMBER 658 Main Street CITY.TOWN STATE Massachusetts, 01420 Fitchburg - VICINITY OF 5 LOCATION OF LEGAL DESCRIPTION COURTHOUSE REGISTRY OF DEEDS, ETC.

STREET & NUMBER Worcester County Registry of Deeds, Northern District 84 E1m Street CITY. TOWN Fitchburg 6 REPRESENTATION IN EXISTING SURVEYS STATE Massachusetts, 01420 TITLE Inventory of the Historic Assets of the Commonwealth DATE 1975 _FEDERAL XSTATE _COUNTY LOCAL DEPOSITORY FOR SURVEY RECORDS CITY.TOWN Massachusetts Historical Commission Boston STATE Massachusetts, 02108 7-DESCRIPTION CONDITION LEXCELLENT _GOOD -FAIR _DETERIORATED _RUINS CHECK ONE XUNALTERED ALTERED CHECK ONE XORIGINAL SITE _MOVED DATE _UNEXPOSED DESCRIBE THE PRESENT AND ORIGINAL (IF KNOWN) PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

Description of the property

The Fay House is located on approximately 2/3 of an acre on Main Street in downtown Fitchburg. Main Street was once lined with fine residences, but the Fay Club is one of the few single family structures remaining. The area around the house is primarily early 20th century commercial. The house adjoins the Monument Park Historic District (local historic district, National Register nomination). The Fay House grounds are landscaped with shrubbery and some tall shade trees. A driveway and parking area follows the east elevation of the building to the facade of the carriage house located to the rear. The impressive High Victorian Gothic building was designed by Richard Upjohn and constructed in 1883 for the local railroad magnate George F. Fay. The 2½ story, irregularly massed house is built of brick with sandstone trim.

The steeply pitched slate roof has four tall chimneys, each with a corbelled cap. The compound chimney on the east elevation rises from a stepped gable. Fenestration is varied. Many win- dows are stained glass. Some of the sandstone window lintels are Tudor arched; others are delicately swirled arches with a cross at the crown. The partially exposed founda- tion has a sandstone water table at the first floor level. A projecting sandstone stringcourse divides the first and second stories. It is ornamented with two rows of small circular tiles on the north facade. Intricate finials crown many of the dormer and gable parapets. The facade faces north toward Main Street. The eastern end has two windows on both stories and a dormer with a parapet gable in the roof. The western end of the facade is a projecting bay with triple windows on both stories.

The second story windows are headed by an ornamented triple arcade. The gable parapet contains double windows flanked by smaller windows. All four are headed by tall recessed arches containing trefoil moldings. The east elevation is a series of four gradually projecting irre- gular bays. The center bays hold the one story, intersecting ridge roof entrance porch. A low brick porch wall gives rise to a wooden Gothic tracery screen. The spandrels of the arches are ornamented by carved quatrefoils and multifoils. The east elevation roof has a hip roof dormer in the southern end and a smaller triangular dormer with an arched window with trefoil in the left center bay. The west elevation is dominated by a large Gothic arched window containing narrow Tudor arched and trefoil windows. The gable above contains an oculus.

The center and the southern end of the elevation are both crowned by a gable dormer. The scale of the windows is contrasting, with small and large triple Tudor arched being prevalent. The south (rear) elevation has diverse window groupings as do the other elevations. A one story, flat roof extension projects at the western end from the series of pro- jecting bays which compose the elevation. The exterior and the first floor interior of the building have not been altered. The elaborate first floor retains elegant paneling, carving and frescoes. The second floor has been remodeled into a large dining room. A 1½ story ridge roof brick carriage house to the southwest of the main building is distinguished by a huge fanlight over double wooden doors on the north facade. This structure has been converted to a gymnasium; the exterior and the first floor interior remain unchanged, however.

From the form

The catalogue entry the section above was filed under.

SIGNIFICANCE PERIOD _PREHISTORIC -1400-1499 - 1500-1599 -1600-1699 -1700-1799 X1800-1899 -1900- ARCHEOLUGY-PREHISTORIC ARCHEOLOGY-HISTORIC _AGRICULTURE X ARCHITECTURE ART _COMMERCE _COMMUNICATIONS AREAS OF SIGNIFICANCE -- CHECK AND JUSTIFY BELOW _COMMUNITY PLANNING -LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE _CONSERVATION LAW _ECONOMICS _LITERATURE LEDUCATION MILITARY LENGINEERING MUSIC _EXPLORATION/SETTLEMENT _PHILOSOPHY XINDUSTRY _POLITICS/GOVERNMENT _INVENTION _RELIGION _SCIENCE _SCULPTURE X SOCIALHUMANITARIAN _THEATER _TRANSPORTATION _OTHER (SPECIFY) SPECIFIC DATES 1883 STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE BUILDER

Statement of significance

/ARCHITECT Richard Upjohn The Fay House is significant for its architecture, owner and as the most imposing residential structure in Fitchburg. It is an excellent example of High Victorian Gothic architecture and was designed by the nationally prominent architect, Richard M. Upjohn, for George F. Fay. Fay was a leading citizen of Fitchburg. George Fay was appointed telegraph operator at the Fitchburg Depot in 1852. He later became a member of the firm of Crocker Burbank and Co., and through investments in Massachusetts railroads amassed a fortune. He built the elegant home on Main Street in 1883 on the site of a previous residence. In 1894, Fay and others helped establish the Burbank Hospital. When Fay died in 1895, his daughter Lucy inherited the $100,000 home and several million dollars. At the age of 45, Lucy married Claude Griffith and moved to California.

She gave her home to the Park Club of which George Fay had been a charter member. The sole condition of the donation was that the name be changed to the Fay Club. The club still uses the home.

The rest of the file

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

MAJOR BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES Emerson, William A., Fitchburg, Mass., Past and Present, Blanchard and Brown, Fitchburg, 1887. Kirkpatrick, Doris, The City and the River, Fitchburg Historical Society, 1971. Building, Vol. 3, No. 12, Plate 191, September 1885, (Boston Public Library).

10 GEOGRAPHICAL DATA ACREAGE OF NOMINATED PROPERTY 4/5 of an acre UTM REFERENCES A/119/ 12/7,0/011,0/ ZONE EASTING 14.7/1/8/1,3,0/ NORTHING LilLud VERBAL BOUNDARY DESCRIPTION BL LALLILILL EASTING NORTHING - lbte bl LIST ALL STATES AND COUNTIES FOR PROPERTIES OVERLAPPING STATE OR COUNTY BOUNDARIES STATE CODE COUNTY CODE STATE CODE COUNTY CODE 11FORM PREPARED BY NAME / TITLE Blaine Mallory and Joseph Orfant, National Register Editor (Frank Garretson, Fitchburg Planning Office) ORGANIZATION DATE Massachusetts Historical Commission July 5, 1977 STREET & NUMBER TELEPHONE 294 Washington Street 617-72798470 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 in the National Register and certify that it has been evaluated according to the criteria and procedures set forth by the National Park Service.

STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICER SIGNATURE Paleuc: h. Weslowski 7/25/77 Acting TITLE Executive Director, Mass. Historical Commission DATE FOR NPS USE ONLY I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS PROPERTY IS INCLUDED IN THE NATIONAL REGISTER DATE DHRECFOR, OFFICE OP ARCH ATTEST: chad KEEPER OF THENAHONP KEUPER 3/75 JATIONAL RUCISTER - 31-18 REGISTER GPO 892.453 Property The Zay Club 78000470 State mass. Working Number 8.9.22./264 Worcester TECHNICAL Photos Siignatme. CONTROL Maps OK- 810.32 AN IMPOSING RESIOENCE IN OHE HILEI ARCHITECTURAL HISTORIAN VICTORIAN GOTUHIC STYLE DESIENEO BY RICTARO UKSOHN. AURER W SANN Ari 12/9/77 Soetase uace than teesey legufuant bekus. ARCHITECTURAL JAnn Gilmorza 10-26.77 % VBD.

AeeopT ARCHEOLOGIST OTHER HAER 4ls one-oke wittroud ubd cily lot Inventory Review REVIEW UNIT CHIEF ceept LEBoUrce 1/3r/78 BRANCH CHIEF 1-3178 KEEPER wm /3178 Entered JAN 3 1 1978 TN T: 2106 - 74 National Register Write-up Federal Register Entry 3.7.28 Send-back Re-submit United States Department of the Interior National Park Service WASO No. 7 The Fay House ( Club) AUG 9 1977 1976 ounly, Frank Garretson Fitchburg Historical Commission #1066 718 Main Street, Fitchburg, MA. 01420 North facade and east elevation DDE JAN 3 1 1978 ELEV. PROPERTY OF THE NATIONAL REGISTER 1976 The Fay Souse (culb Fitchburg, Mass. Worcester County 1976 Frank Garretson Fitchburg Historical Commission 718 Main Street, Fitchburg, MA. 014 South elevation DOE JAN 3 1 1978 AUG 9 197 PROPERTY OF THE NATIOMAI AX The Fay House Fitchburg, MA.

Club wircenter County 1976 Frank Garretson Fitchburg Historical Commission 718 Main Street, Fitchburg, MA. 0142 #376 west elevation JAN 3 1 1978 AUG 9 FEB. 77 1977 FEB. PROPERTY OF THE NATIONAL STAEE PADKING ONLY Fht ray House, club Fitchburg, Mass. Worcester County 1976 Frank Garretson Fitchburg Historical Commission 718 Main St., Fitchburg, MA. East elevation AUG 9 JAN 3 1 1978 01420 197 PROPERTY OF THE MATEORAL ./ The Fay House, Club Fitchburg, Mass. 1976 Frank Garretson Worcester County AUG 9 197 Fitchburg Historical Commission 718 Main St., Fitchburg, MA. 01420 #576 Detail of entrance porch DOC JAN 3 1 1978 AUG 9 197 PROPERTY DE IE AL The Fay House, Clut Itobburg, máss. Worceater Coenty 1976 Frank Garretson Fitchburg Historical Commission 718 Main St., Fitchburg, MA.

01420 #6 916 North facade of Carriage House JAN 3 1 1978 AUG 9 197 1X PROPER 1Y U Jecritary of the Commonmealth The Commonuealch of Massachusetts Office of the Secretary Mlassachusells Historical 6 291 Washinglon Ired Boston, Massachuselts 02/08 (617) 727-8470 August 3, 1977 RECEIVED Mr. Charles Herrington, Chief Registration Branch National Register of Historic Places OAHP National Park Service Washington, D.C. 20204 AUG 9 NATIONAL 1977 REGISTER LSTTETT Dear Charles: Enclosed please find nomination forms for the following properties: 1. Fitchburg, The Fay House 2. Fitchburg, Monument Park Historic District 3. Newton, Colby Hall 4. Taunton, Courthouse Complex These properties have been reviewed and voted by the State Review Board and have been signed by the State Historic Preservation Officer, Elizabeth Amadon. Sincerely, Patuua Rustowok Patricia L.

Weslowski Survey Director Massachusetts Historical Commission PLW/sbm enc. WASO-166 (August 1971) 1. CALL TO: U. S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE TELEPHONE REPORT FROM (Name) DATE 1.25-78 TIME OF CALL 1:30 2. ADDRESS (Tel. No. if needed) MASSACHUSETTS HISTONLCAA commission 617-727-8470 3. SUBJECT, PROJECT NO., ETC. THE FAY CLUB FITCHBURG, MASS. 4. DETAILS OF DISCUSSION WHtAT IS correCT Acneage fon prosparty under Description (43 acne) under 10- (45 oracne) corRect Acneage is 4/5 oF Aw Acne. NAME OF PERSON PLACING/RECEIVING CALL Paw Hh. Slea TITLE OFFICE Anchitectwal lestenccn DAHP. ENTRIES IN THE NATIONAL REGISTER STATE MASSACHUSETTS Date Entered JAN 3 1 1978 Name Zay Club Location Pitchburg Worcester County Also Notified Hon. Edward W. Brooke Hon. Edvard M. Kennedy Hon. Robert I.

Drinan Regional Director, North Atlantle Region /880 Mott/js 2/3/78 State Historie Preservation Officer Mcs. Elizabeth R. Anadon Executive Director, Massachusette Historical Comniasion 294 Washington Street Boston, Massachusette 02108 NATIONAL REGISTER DATA ray Hocse The appears on federal register: @OTHER NAMES: Fay Hotse, Fay Club, The 5 LOCATION street & number city / town vieinity. of state coui 658 Main St. Fitchburg MA Worcest 7 OWNER XPRIVATE CSTATE -MUNICIPAL CCOUNTY OMULTiPLE CFEDERAL(agency name) 8ADM 9 EXISTING SURVEYS CHABS CHAER ONHL| (10) FUNDED? DYES -NO 11)CONGRESS.

DISTRICT 4th (12)SOURCE of NOMINATION XSTATE CYWITHIN RATIOHAL REGISTER HISTORIC BISTRICT/ AL HISTORIC LANDE LEYESALAME 0.80 BCONDITION - deteriorated Oaltered Ooriginal site 17)features: *OSUBSTANTIALLY INTACT-1 *OSUBSTANT Dexcellent Oruins Ounaltered Omoved 2ONOT INTACT-O 90 NOT INTA Ogood Ounexposed Oreconstructed Ounknown Dfair WOUNKNOWN Ounexeavated -exeavated EO NOT APPLICABLE -7 5O NOT APPL SACCESS OYES-Restricted OYES -Unrestricted - No Access - Unknown (19) ADAPTIVE USE CYES OINO SAVED? DYES IS PRO AREAS OF SIGNIFICANCE : DENGINEERING -11 - LANDSCAPE ARCH.-15 - POLITICS/ GOVT." 21 -RECREATION -28 22CI CARCHEOLOGY - prehistoric-2 -COMMERCE- 6 -ENTERTAINMENT-26 - LAW- 16 *fix C RELIGION-22 -SETTLEMENT-29 - ARCHEOLOGY- historic-1 - COMMUNICATIONS-7 -EXPLORATION -12 - LITERATURE- 17 - SCIENCE- 23 -URBAN PLANMING-31 -AGRICULTURE-3 .

- CONSERVATION- 8 - HEALTH- 27 - MILITARY - 18 - SOCIAL/HUMANITARIAN-24 DOTHER (SPECIFY) 'old - ARCHITECTURE-4 - ECONOMICS-9 - INDUSTRY- 13 - MUSIC- 19 - SOCIAL / CULTURAL-30 'on -ART-5 EDUCATION-10 - INVENTION -14 - PHILOSOPHY -20 - TRANSPORTATION - 25 2functions WHEN HISTORICALLY SIGNIFICANT: CURRENTLY: architectural style(s): dates of initial construction: major alterations: historic events: architeet: Smaster builder: Clandscape architect/ garden designer: " interior decorator: artist: artisan: NAMES give role & date PERSONAL: EVENTS: INSTITUTIONAL: NATIONAL REGISTER WRITE-UP reviewers initials date. IF ADDITIONAL SPACE NEEDED, NUMBER & PUT ON REVERSE