Nomination for Fisher, Nathan, House

From the form

The catalogue entry the section above was filed under.

FHR-8-300 (11-78) United States Department of the Interior Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form See instructions inHow to Complete National Register Forms Type all entries-complete applicable sections 1. Name For HCRS use only received JAN 2 9 1980 date entered MAR 25 1980 historic Nathan Fisher House and/or common same 2. Location Shrawe bury en MA9 street & number city, town Turnpike Road Shranmbe Westborough (Route 9) not for publication X vicinity of congressional district Third state Massachusetts 3.

Classification Category district Ownership public - building(s) private structure _both site Public Acquisition object in process being considered code 025 county worcester code 027 Status -occupied (partiallyPresent Use - agriculture -unoccupied commercial - work in progress educational Accessible _ entertainment - yes: restricted * government - yes: unrestricted industrial xno military museum park private residence religious scientific transportation other: 4. Owner of Property name Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Office of Administration and Finance street & number State House Boston city, town - vicinity of 5. Location of Legal Description state Massachusetts courthouse, registry of deeds, etc. Worcester County Registry of Deeds, Worcester County Courthouse street & number 2 Main Street, Room #2 Worcester city, town 6.

Representation in Existing Surveys Inventory of the Historic Assets title of the Commonwealth #1 has this property been determined elegible? state Mass. 01608 - yes X no date November, 1978 -federal X state county -local depository for survey records Massachusetts Historical Commission city, town 294 washington street, Boston state Massachusetts 7. Description Condition _ excellent good.; fair X deteriorated Check one x unaltered Check one original site unexposed Describe the present and original (if known) physical appearance

Description of the property

The Nathan Fisher House stands on the north side of the Boston-Worcester Turnpike (Route 9), east of its junction with Park Street. It is a two-storey Federal style house of timber-frame construction. The building has a rectangular plan with an ell added to its northeast corner during the twentieth century. The structure rests on a foundation of hammered granite (eastern 2/3 of structure) and rock-faced granite (western 1/3 of structure). The building's exterior is covered with clapboarding and trimmed with narrow corner boards and a moulded cornice; the roof is a hip with monitor and is covered with sheet asphalt. Three interior chimneys rise from positions in between front and rear rooms.

With the exception of three-pane lights in the monitor and six windows of original 12/12 sash on the north wall, the house's windows all contain 6/6 sash (an apparent mid-niateenth century alteration) set in moulded frames. A change in foundation immediately east of the facade's west entry, from hammered granite (eastward) to. rock- faced granite (westward) and the apparent splicing of the water table, clapboards and cornice above this change in the foundation suggest that the western third of the house was added, perhaps shortly after the completion of the original structure, or during the 1830's. South Wall: The Fisher House's facade faced south and is visible from Route 9. It is asymmetrically arranged, reflecting the interior's division into two units.

The larger eastern unit possesses the facade's major entry, two evenly spaced windows which flank each side of the entry and five windows above, at the second story. smaller western unit contains a entry, two closely spaced windows west of the EZEEEZA entry and three closely spaced windows immediately above, at the second story. The major entry issapproached from a granite step and contains a door of six sunken panels, moulded stiles, three-pane side lights and an elliptical fanlight. ETEE Flanking the entry are narrow pilasters which support an entablature and moulded cornice. The facade's west entry is also approached from a granite step and consists of a door of six sunken panels and semi-elliptical fanlight. This doorway is set between panelled pilasters which rise to a moulded cap.

The south wall of the monitor has two windows, symmetrically placed; all facade windows have louvred shutters (some deteriorated beyond repair). Boundary Justification: The house occupies the southernmost parcel of the Lyman School property, which is owned by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. This parcel contains eleven As this lot contains another structure and open land which seem, at present, to have no direct bearing on the Fisher House's significance, this nomination includes a smaller area, corresponding east and west by lines running parallel to the structure's end walls at a distance of 50' from each end wall; north and south by Oak Street and Turnpike Road, respectively.

From the form

The catalogue entry the section above was filed under.

Significance Period prehistoric 1400-1499 1500-1599 1600-1699 1700-1799 1800-1899 1900- Areas of SignificanceCheck and justify below archeology-prehistoric community planning - archeology-historic conservation agriculture economics X architecture _ education art _ engineering X commerce exploration/settlement communications * industry *_invention landscape architecture _ literature -military -music - philosophy -politics/government _ religion science sculpture social/ humanitarian theater X transportation other (specify) Specific dates 1820-1826 Builder

Statement of significance

/Architect Builder unknown Statement of Significance (in one paragraph) In 1820, Fisher purchased the land on which the house stands and is thought to have constructed the major section of the building (east) around 1822 when he married susanne Lothrop. Local histories state that by 1826* Fisher and his brother-in-law, Joseph Lothrop, had opened the town's first store in a section of Fisher's house, which had been added for that purpose, presumably the western one third of the structure. Soon after, Fisher and Lothrop constructed on the property a thread factory in which steam power was used for the first time in Westborough. 1..1 In 1884, the Fisher House and neighboring houses were bought by the Commonwealth of!

Massachusetts 'to be used as part of the Lyman School, a reform school which was being moved from its original location on Lyman Street, Westborough, to a new site several as a staff residence and land in the area was farmed by the school's students. Mid- twentieth century changes in curriculum have eliminated the farming program; the elim- ination of a resident staff andsudent body has left many buildings on the school property vacant. At present, only a portion of the Fisher House is occupied. The Nathan Fisher House possesses integritý of location, design, materials and work- manship as well as historical associations with the early development of Westborough. Located in the original eighteenth century town center, its fine Federal detail is re- presentative of this area's major period of significance.

"Although Westborough was established as a town in 1717, there was little stimulus for growth until the opening of the Boston-Worcester Turnpike (Route 9) in 1810. The installation of the Boston-Albany Railroad in 1834, however, curtailed development in this area and shifted the town center southward. The Fisher House-remains as an important example of this early period of prosperity. The Fisher House is important in a regional sence, showing the impact which the Boston-Worcester Turnpike had on the communities which it traversed. It is one of the few buildings remaining along its length which remain to indicate the wealth which the turnpike brought.

The rest of the file

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

Major Bibliographical References DeForest & Bates. The History of Westborough. Westborough, Mass.: Town of Westborough, 1891. Fisher, Nahum. Map of the Town of Westborough, Massachusetts.1830. Forbes. The Hundredth Town. Commerative Booklet of Westborough. 1967. (250th Anniversary of founding). 10. Geographical Data UIM NOT VERIFIED Acreage of nominated property LESS THAN ONE ACRE Quadrangle name Shrewsbury ACREAGE NO TuEReTe Ebale 1:24000 UMT References A19| Zone 28,35,50 Easting 141684/450 Northing LILL Zone Easting Northing DLL LULL E F GLULIILE LLILA LLLLi bili Li Verbal boundary description and justification Building located on larger lot shown as lot #26 on Westborough Assessors' Map #33; only part of lot #26 included in this nomination. See map and boundary justification.

List all states and counties for properties overlapping state or county boundaries state code county code state code county code 11. Form Prepared By B. R. Pfeiffer and Constance Keller, Westborough Historical Commission. name/title Candance Jenkins, National Register Coordinator organization Massachusetts Historical Commission date November, 1979 street & number 294 washington St., telephone (617) 727-8470 city or town Boston, Massachusetts state 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 Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service. State Historic Preservation Officer signature alue RWestowski .1/4/80 title Executive Director, Massachusetts Historical Commission For HCRS use only I hereby certify that this property is included in the National Register 1var Keeper of the National Register Attest: Patrck Andurs Chief of Registration date date date 3/24/80 GPO 938 835 Nathan Fisher House Turnpike Road Westborough, Mass.

Assessor's Map #33, lot #26 205 Ac. 265.7 285.8* 5000! MAPLES OAK COTTAGE I/ 83 5 25 22.5 Ac. 23 510.1 370 PARK STREET 385' OD 128' 132 IND-B NAT MAR 25 1980 alitulin 35 Properts Fisher Nathan Hause statema-Worcester Working Number relno 3000 1-29-80387 TECHNICAL CONTROL Photos / Maps 4k Built in 2 sections (1820-1826) this 2 stou timber fame house is significant HISTORIAN uchitecturaly as an example c, a large tederal stule building. Ia of the hous accept served as the town's fist store. The house also represents the brief peried o Fatrick Andeus prozperity (1810-34) that came to the area with the opening of the beston-ubicester Jurnpike, 3/24/80 accept for architechul and commerce.

ARCHITECTURAL HISTORIAN ARCHEOLOGIST OTHER HAER Inventory - Review - REVIEW UNIT CHIEF BRANCH CHIEF KEEPER National Register Write-up Federal Register Entry - 2-3-81 Send-back Re-submit Entered MAR 25 1980 United States Department of the Interior - Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service Nathan Fisher House Westborough, Mass. Brian Pfeiffer 1978 147 Brattle Street Cambridge, Mass. Photo #1 of / facade, facing north MAR 25 1980 JAN 29 198 ENTRIES IN THE NATIONAL REGISTER STATE MAINE Date Entered MAR 25 1980 Name Location (51sher, Nathan, House Maples Cottage Iake Street Fire Station Shrewsbury vicinity Worcester County Shrewsbury vicinity Worcester County Gardner Worcester County Also Notified Honorable Paul Isongas Honorable Edward M. Kennedy Honorable Joseph D. Early Honorable Robert F. Drinan NR State Historic Preservation Officer Mx. Earle G. Shettleworth, Jr.

Mirector, Maine Historic Preservatio Commission 242 State Street Augusta, Maine 04333 Byers/bjr 3/31/80 For further information, please call the National Register at (202)343-6401. ENTRIES IN THE NATIONAL REGISTER STATE MASSACHUSETTS Date Entered MAR 25 1980 Name Location Correction The following National Register entries should be listed under the state of Massachusetts instead of Maine. Fisher, Nathan, House Maples Cottage Lake Street Fire Station Shrewsbury vicinity Worcester County Shrewsbury vicinity Worcester County Gardner Worcester County Also Notified Honorable Paul Isongas Honorable Edward M. Kennedy Honorable Joseph D. Early Honorable Robert F. Drinan NR State Historic Preservation Officer Mrs. Patricia L.

Weslowski Executive Director, Massachusetts Historícal Conmíssion 294 Washington Street Boston, Massachusetts 02108 Byers/bjr 5/14/80 For further information, please call the National Register at (202)343-6401.