Nomination for Winchester Savings Bank

From the form

The catalogue entry the section above was filed under.

Form No. 10-300 REV. (9/77) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OFTHE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE PH0615482 FOR NPS USE ONLY RECEIVED APR 18 1979 NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY -- NOMINATION FORM JUN I 9 1979 2 3 4 DATE ENTERED SEE INSTRUCTIONS IN HOW TO COMPLETE NATIONAL REGISTER FORMS TYPE ALL ENTRIES -- COMPLETE APPLICABLE SECTIONS NAME HISTORIC Winchester Savings Bank AND/OR COMMON Same LOCATION STREET & NUMBER 26 Mt. Vernon Street CITY, TOWN Winchester - VICINITY OF STATE CODE Massachusetts 025 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 - YES: UNRESTRICTED _NO OWNER OF PROPERTY NAME Winchester Savings Bank STREET & NUMBER 26 Mt.

Vernon Street CITY, TOWN Winchester VICINITY OF LOCATION OF LEGAL DESCRIPTION COURTHOUSE, REGISTRY OF DEEDS,ETC. Middlesex County Registry of Deeds STREET & NUMBER 40 Thorndike Street CITY, TOWN Cambridge REPRESENTATION IN EXISTING SURVEYS TITLE _NOT FOR PUBLICATION CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT Seventh COUNTY Midalesey CODE 017 PRESENT USE -AGRICULTURE -MUSEUM X COMMERCIAL _PARK -EDUCATIONAL _PRIVATE RESIDENCE -ENTERTAINMENT -RELIGIOUS -GOVERNMENT -SCIENTIFIC _INDUSTRIAL -TRANSPORTATION MILITARY _OTHER: STATE Massachusetts STATE Massachusetts Inventory of the Historic Assets of the Commonwealth #131 DATE 1973 DEPOSITORY FOR SURVEY RECORDS Massachusetts Historical Commission CITY, TOWN -FEDERAL X_STATE COUNTY _LOCAL Boston STATE Massachusetts 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 Winchester Savings Bank is a free standing Romanesque Revival structure of irregular plan located.. at the corner of Mount Vernon Street and Winchester Place. Situated in the central business district of Winchester, it is closely surrounded by commercial and civic structures. The one story red brick building stands on a foundation of rough faced sandstone blocks and is trimmed with sandstone as well. The multi-gabled roof is covered with slate and is pierced at its southern end by a tall paneled and corbeled chimney. Sash, unless otherwise noted, is 1/1 and has been replaced. The facade of the bank faces south on Mount Vernon Street and is set off from that street by a low sandstone wall. It is focused on a crossed gable at its eastern end and a round one story tower at its western end.

The entrance, located in the gable section, is recessed within a barrel vault which is supported by a series of three short, paired colums on each side. Approached by a flight of five granite steps, the original door has been replaced by a plate glass version. The words "Winchester Savings Bank" appear on the broad face of the entrance arch which is further emphasized by a heavily molded archivolt. Next to the entrance is a tri- partite window, consisting of a standard size central section with narrower flanking lights. These are surmounted by a sandstone transom and fixed lights which carry a heavy sandstone 1intel and a dentilled cornice. A palladian window with heavy sandstone trim is located in the gable. The tower, which is constructed completely of sandstone, contains three round arched windows which are linked by a continuous transom, voisseurs and archivolts.

Its conical roof is supported by brackets which project above a decorative egg and dart molding and a row of dentils. The tower is separated from the gable section by a narrow bay containing a single window with a sandstone lintel and dentilled cornice. The west elevation has two projecting hip roofed pavillions (added in 1964-5) each with a series of round arched windows with single pane sash set in recessed panels. An original round arched window with a heavy archivolt and wide voisseurs lights thesection between the pavillions and the tower. The rear elevation is lit by three unarticulated rectangular windows. The east elevation is blank with the ex- ception of a door at its southern end. Alterations were made to the building in 1936 and 1964-65. In 1936 an ell was added to the rear elevation to house new vaults.

In 1964-5 one story pavillions were added to the east and west elevations and the interior remodeled. The addi- tions have been sympathetic and have not substantially disturbed the original character of the building.

From the form

The catalogue entry the section above was filed under.

SIGNIFICANCE PERIOD -PREHISTORIC -1400-1499 -1500-1599 .1600-1699 _1700-1799 _1900- -AREAS OF SIGNIFICANCE-- CHECK AND JUSTIFY BELOW ARCHEOLOGY-PREHISTORIC COMMUNITY PLANNING -LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE _ARCHEOLOGY-HISTORIC -CONSERVATION _LAW AGRICULTURE _ECONOMICS -LITERATURE *ARCHITECTURE _EDUCATION -MILITARY -ART -ENGINEERING -MUSIC *COMMERCE _EXPLORATION/SETTLEMENT -_PHILOSOPHY. -COMMUNICATIONS _INDUSTRY _POLITICS/GOVERNMENT _INVENTION RELIGION SCIENCE _SCULPTURE -SOCIAL/HUMANITARIAN _THEATER _TRANSPORTATION _OTHER (SPECIFY) SPECIFIC DATES 1892 STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE BUILDER

Statement of significance

/ARCHITECT W.E. and E.K. Blaikie The Winchester Savings Bank retains integrity of location, setting, design, materials, workmanship, feeling and association, and is an excellent example of the Richardsonian Romanesque style adapted to a small scale structure. It became the first bank in Winchester when it was established in 1871 to meet the needs of a growing population of factory workers and suburbanites commuting to Boston on the Boston, Lowell and Nashua Rallway. Ihe present building, constructed in 1892, was also the first structure in Winchester to be used only for banking purposes. The bank was conceived in 1870 by a group of prominent businessmen including David Skillings, Stephen Cutter, James Dwinnel, A.K.P. Joy, Henry Cutter and John Cobb.

The Winchester Record reported in 1885 that "previous to 1870 a gentleman of the town upon solicitation, accomodated parties by receiving such sums as were offered him, and holding for the benefit of the owner, until their want required the return. This money, but for him, might have been squandered and lost, simply because the depositors had not the capacity to invest and care for it themselves." In 1870 this gentleman formed the bank and presented a petition to the Legislature for a charter. This was re- ceived in 1871 and the bank was opened in a room rented in a house belonging to Stephen Cutter, one of the first vice-presidents. By 1880 the bank had outgrown its quarters and rented space in the newly com- pleted Brown and Stanton Block in Winchester Center, which still stands and houses a variety of commercial enterprises.

By 1890 the bank had outgrown its facilities again, and purchased a piece of land on the corner of Mount Vernon Street and Winchester Place from Mary Ann and Andrew Shephard who owned a residence on the site. The architects of the present building were members of the Blaikie family who had come from Nova Scotia in the 1850's to settle in Somerville. By 1890, two of the brothers, Dexter Pratt and Edwin K. Blaikie had moved to Winchester where Dexter became a successful house builder. Edwin K. and a third brother, William E. Blaikie, who were architects with an oftice in Boston, were re- sponsible for the design of the Winchester Savings Bank. They were listed as partners in the Boston directories until 1902 after which Edwin was listed alone until 1914.

Although their office was in Boston, the Blaikies apparently did most of their work in the surburbs, with only one Back Bay apartment building definitely attributed to them.

The rest of the file

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

MAJOR BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES The winchester Record, Volume, 1885, p. 33. Ninchester Star April 8 Survey of Architectural History in Cambridge, Cambridge Historical Commission. Cambridge, MA. Reports 3 (1971), 4 (1973), 5 (1977). Middlesex Deeds Book 2012, pp. 113-114. 10 GEOGRAPHICAL DATA ACREAGE OF NOMINATED PROPERTY 5406 sq. ft. QUADRANGLE NAME Lexington UTM REFERENCES AL9] B24400 ZONE EASTING lees than one 71021,0,01 NORTHING Lilu ELULILIU LiluL diLLiLu LiliLu VERBAL BOUNDARY DESCRIPTION BL ZONE DLL FLL HLUL EASTING QUADRANGLE SCALE 1:24000 ililu NORTHING AliLu I LWLlILI Please refer to the attached assessor's nap on which the boundaries are deliniated in red. 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 Susan Keats Winchester Historical Comm.

Candace Jenkins, National Register Coordinator ORGANIZATION Massachusetts Historical Conmission STREET & NUMBER DATE February 1979 TELEPHONE 294. Washington Street (617) 727-8470 CITY OR TOWN STATE Boston Massachusetts 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 Westwsta STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICER SIGNATURE 4/3/74 DATE TITL Executive Director, Mass.

Historical Commission FOR NPS USE ONLY I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS PROPERTY IS INCLUDED IN THE NATIONAL REGISTER dcto-REEPER OF THE MATIONAL REGISTER lacludetung ATTEST. CHEFOM VNOETRA ON ayul DATE 6.19.25 DATE 4/18/79 GPO 921-803 CH ET MAIN Winchester Savings Bank Winchester, MA Town Assesor's map wr 10 Lawrence Quigl. Ab1. 13.660g1 MYFT7- ran: RAILROAD James w Ir Anr R. Blackham MAINE ROAD JLotA 01373120 (530Ls1 owr Tourt- Ile END PUBLIC re.Ter he:T. 10,635 .1. TOWN OF WINCHESTER 25,600t . BOSTON SHORE Tana Hcien Cuilen 10,959 sf Albert + PLACE PARK DEPT 36981 WINCHESTER [4700-s1 52677 Nount verni POLICE & FIRE BL DG. HusT He 0$652 M.R Aardrd 26 5406 10 MT.

VERNON STREET CONVERSE PL ABERJONA RIVER STREET; RECEIVED APR 1 8 1979 NATIONAL REGISTER 1974 6 2 JUN | 9 1979 Property Wenchester Savinga Bank statemass mudallese orking Number 4./8.25.846 TECHOCAL Photos Maps I,skatch CONTROL OR p 4.18.79 HISTORIAN ARCHITECTURAL HISTORIAN ARCHEOLOGIST OTHER HAER Inventory Review GOOD EXAMPUK OF REHARDSONIN ROMANESQUE STYLE WTILZED ON A SUALL SEALK. ALSD, IT WAS AHK FIRST BILDING IN WINCHESTER CONSTRUCTEO EXCLUSIVELY FOR BANKING PURPOSES. REVIEW UNIT CHIEF MA DrUEAL 6/18/19 BRANCH CHIEF KEEPER National Register Write-up Federal Register Entry 7-3-19 Send-back _ Re-submit - Entered JUN 1 9 1979 United States Department of the Interior - Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service - FFFN1 NCHESTE Winchester Savings Bank Winchester, MA Marjorie McCann-Estridge 1978 Winchester Archival Center Photo #1 looking northeast middleser!

APR 1 8 1979 JUN | 9 1979 MeCaun shato winchestes Saunas Ba Lookino to Northeast Winchester Savings Bank Winchester, MA Marjorie MoCann-Estridge 1978 Winchester Archival Center Photo #2 looking northwest middlesen Co. APR 1 8 1979 JUN 1 9 1979 Mecauu shats 100 natono. winchet r 820 Bank ENTRIES IN THE NATIONAL REGISTER Date Entered STATE MASSACHUSETTS JUN 19 /079 Name Weeon-Speingfleld Steam Power Blocks Wznchcater Savings Bunte Parkma Tavern Ware, Josiah, Tavern Tocation Springfield Hampden County Winchester Middlesex Coonty Concord Middlesex Couniy Nortolk Norfolk Couniy Atro Notified Honorable Paul G. Tsongas Tonoxuble Bdwerd M. Kenuedy Honorable Eivard P. Bolend Honoraile Edwaxd J. Markey Honorable Jamrg M. 101 Honoxable Mogaret N. HectTer (R State Iiscorte Preservacton 0f1tcer 1c9. Patricta I Weslowskt.

Exeencive Diractor Magcachusetts Histortcal Comueston 294 Ienhington Street Pouton, Inecachusetto 02108 Byx cs/bjr 6/21/79 lor further i onnation, ploane call the National Register at (202)343-6401.