Nomination for Maples Cottage

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 in How to Complete National Register Forms Type all entries - complete applicable sections 1. Name Maples Cottage For HCRS use only recelved JAM2 2 1990 date entered historic Same and/or common 2. Location Strewsbury street & number Oak Street not for publication city, town Westborough Dare X,vicinity of Third congressional district Tr=l state Massachusetts 3.

Classification Category Ownership * district X public - building(s) private structure both site Public Acquisition object in process being considered code 025 county worcester code 027 Status - occupied x unoccupied work in progress Accessible - yes: restricted =- yes: unrestricted x no Present Use - agriculture commercial educational y entertainment - government industrial military museum park private residence religious scientific transportation other: 4. Owner of Property name Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Administration and Finance : street & number State House Boston Mass. city, town vicinity of 5. Location of Legal Description Worcester County Registry of Deeds courthouse, registry of deeds, etc. Worcester County courthouse state street & number 2 Main Street, Room #2 city, town Worcester state Mass. 01608 6.

Representation in Existing Surveys Inventory of the Historic Assets of title the Commonwealth #2 has this property been determined elegible? - yes Xno date November, 1978 federal X state county _local depository for survey records Massachusetts Historical Commission 294 Washington St., Boston city, town state Mass. 7. Description Condition _ excellent - good fair deteriorated ruins unexposed Check one x unaltered altered Check one original site moved date Describe the present and original (if known) physical appearance

Description of the property

The Maples Cottage is located on a rise, northwest of the junction of Park and Oak Streets. It is a two-story house of transitional Federal/Greek Revival design consisting of a rectangular plan front section with an ell located east of center on the structure's rear wall. The structure is covered throughout with clapboards. Front Section: The house's front section is of characteristic Federal design with a one- room deep floor plan, hammered granite foundation and low hip roof. The facade is on the south wall and consists, at the first story, of a center entrance flanked by two windows on each side and, at the second story, of five windows symmetrically placed. The entrance is framed by Doric pilasters; set between the pilasters are three-pane side lights with arched heads and a panelled door with two arched lights (added ca. 1860).

Extending across the facade is a one-story porch supported by four Doric columns. the front section of the house are pilasters which rise to moulded capitals and a broken entablature containing triglyphs. End walls, east and west, contain one window centered at each story, while the rear wall contains one window at the first story west of the ell, a blind window frame at the second story also to the west and no windows east of the ell. Windows of the front section are uniform by story, being oversized 6/6 sash set in moulded surrounds (ca. 1860) at the first story and 6/9 set in moulded surrounds at the second story. Chimneys of the front section have either been capped below the roof or removed. Rear Ell: The rectangular plan rear ell which extends northward has panelled pilasters at its corners and an interior chimney slightly east of center on its end wall.

The west elevation contains three unevenly spaced windows at both stories, all consisting of 6/6 sash set in moulded surrounds. The north elevation contains two symmetrically spaced window frames at both stories of which the eastern two are blind and the western two contain 6/6 sash. The east elevation of the ell contains an enclosed porch at the first story and three unevenly spaced windows (6/9 sash) at the second story. The porch has been enclosed by glazed panels containing eighteen panes each, and seems likely to have been added in the mid-twentieth century. Behind the porch, fenestration of the original exterior walls has been covered by modern panelling. Boundary Justification: The house sits at the southern edge of the Lyman School on a 205 acre parcel shown as Lot #24 on the westborough Assessor's Map #33.

As the property con- tains other buildings and land whichzare unrelated to the

From the form

The catalogue entry the section above was filed under.

significance of the Maples cottage, only the Maples Cottage and land immediately surrounding it are included in this nomination; this area is a trapezoidal lot bounded by Oak Street (south) and by unnamed, paved driveways (east, north, and west), which provide access to the Lyman School. No other buildings stand on this lot. 8. Significance Period prehistoric 1400-1499 1500-1599 1600-1699 1700-1799 1800-1899 1900 Areas of Significance-Check and justify below _archeology-prehistoric _ community planning - archeology-historic conservation agriculture economics architecture education art engineering commerce exploration/settlement - communications industry Linvention landscape architecture. law literature military music philosophy politics/government religion science sculpture social/ humanitarian theater X transportation other (specify) Specific dates 1830-1832 Builder

Statement of significance

/Architect Builder unknown Statement of Significance (in one paragraph) The Maples Cottage possesses integrity of location, design, materials and workmanship as well as historical assocation with the early development of Westborough. Located in the original eighteenth century town center, its fine Federal/Greek Revival detail is represen- tative 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 and shifted the town center southward. The Maples Cottage remains as an important example of this early period of prosperity.

Occupation of the Maples Cottage site dates back to 1725 when Ebenezer Parkman, Westborough's first minister, built a house in this location. During the prosperous of the early nineteenth century, this house was dismantled and between 1830 and 1832 William White constructed the Maples Cottage on its foundation, reportedly using materials salvaged from the earlier structure. White apparently farmed the surrounding land as had previous owners of the property. In 1884, the Maples cottage and its farm land (along with other properties in the area) was bought by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for use by the Lyman School, a reformatory for boys. The Lyman School, which had been located on Lyman Street, Westborough, used Maples Cottage as a staff residence from the 1880's until the mid-twentieth. At the same time, surrounding land was farmed by the school as part of its curriculum.

Changes in the school's program in the mid-twentieth century have led to the abandonment of farming on the property and the elimination of a residential staff. At present, the Maples Cottage is vacant. Unaltered from the mid-ninetaenth century, the house contains an unusual combination of Federal/Greek Revival and Victorian architectural elements. The house's plan, scale, fenestration and hip roof are characteristic elements of Federalist architecture, while the corner pilasters and their decoration seem transitional to Greek Revival architecture, as does the Doric entry. It is unclear from physical evidence alone whether or not the facade's Greek Revival style porch is original or if it is an addition of the 1840's. Finally, the house's double front doors and over-sized first story windows seem likely additions of the 1850's er 1860's.

The Maples Cottage is also significant in a regional sence, showing the impact which the Boston-Worcester Turnpike had on the commumities which it traversed. It is on of the few remaining buildings which demonstrate 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. Ihe History of Westborough. Westoorough, Mass.: Town Of Westborough, 1891 Fisher, Nahum. Map of the Town of Westborough, Massachusetts. 1833. Forbes- The Hundreth Town. 1889. Commemorative Booklet of Westborough. 1967 (250th Anniversary of founding). 10. Geographical Data Acreage of nominated property less than one acre Quadrangle name Shrewsbury UTM NOT VERIFIED ACREAGE NOT VERIFTEN scale. 1:24000 UMT References A [ä19| 12|813380 46846310 Zone Easting Northing CLL GLULLILLLILILLL LiLu Zone Easting DLULLILLL F LLILLL Northing LLLLL L Ld LtLL Verbal boundary description and justification sbown on Assessors' Map #33, Lot #24; building occupies only a small portion of Lot #24, therefore, only the area surrounding the house is included in this nomination. See also boundary justification and attached map.

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 Candance Jenkins, National Register Coordinator with Mrs. Constance Keller & B. R. Pfeiffer, Westborough Historical Commission organization Massachusetts Historical Commission date November, 1979 street & number 294 Washington St., telephone" (617) 727-8470 city or town Boston, state Mass. 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 Maional Rosasior and oernil ai ils bene vluao am 09 accordingto thecriteria and procedures set forth bythe Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service.

State Historic Preservation Officer signature stun ZWeslnosk title Executive Director, Massachusetts Historical Commission date For HCRS use only I hereby certify that this property is included in the National Register Bace Mu Dorgal Keeper of the National Register Attest: Patrick Andus Chief of Fegistration date 3/25/20 3)ate/ 80 GP O 938 835 Property Maples, Cattage State ma - Narceste Working Number 80001681 TECHNICAL 1-29-80384 CONTROL Photos - Maps Built 1830-32 this two Dtory wooden building is an example of transitional HISTORIAN tederal/Greek Revrval (thouçh essentially tederal) architecteul and is an important umender of the peuodo prospente of Wertborough (1217-1834). the rea ell had som accept 2othcent. alterations. nominated frauh.e transportation- no juatificatton for the latter.

Patrich Andues 3/21|80 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 2 5 1980 United States Department of the Interior - Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service Maples Cottage Westborough, Mass woreste ca. Brian Pfeiffer 19 147 Brattle Street Cambridge, Mass. Photo #1 of/ Facade, facing nortl MAR 2 5 1980 JAN 29 ."" ENTRIES IN THE NATIONAL REGISTER STATE MAINE Date Entered MAR 25 1980 Name Location F1sher, Nathan, House Maples Cottage Lske 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 Mr. Earle G.

Shettleworth, Jr. Director, Maine llistoric Preservat1on Cormissien 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 Ki80 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 Honurable Joseph D. Early Honorable Robert F. Drínan NR State Historic Preservation Officer Mrs. Patricia L.

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