Nomination for Durfee, B.M.C., High School

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 historic B.M.C., Durfee High Schoo1 Durfee Education Center Or HS WA111981 received date entered JUN L./ 198 and/or common 2. Location street & number 289 Rock Street not for publication city, town Fall River - vicinity of congressional district tenth State Massachusetts 3.

Classification Category district Ownership X -public X building(s) _ private _ structure _ both site Public Acquisition object in process being considered code 025 county Bristol code 005 Status X occupied _ unoccupied work in progress Accessible X yes: restricted yes: unrestricted no Present Use agriculture X .commercial -educational entertainment .government industrial military _ museum -park - private residence - religious - scientific - transportation other: 4. Owner of Property name City of Fall River 10977a no gain: street & number 1 Government Center city, town Fall River - vicinity of 5. Location of Legal Description Bristol County Registry of Deeds state Massachusetts courthouse, registry of deeds, etc. street & number 441 North Main Street city, town Fall River state Massachusetis 6.

Representation in Existing Surveys Inyfigtory of the Historic Assets of the Commons thit property been determined elegible? - yes X no date 1977 federal X state county local depository for survey records Massachusetts Historical Commission Tity, town Boston state Massachusetts 7. Description Condition _ excellent good _fair deteriorated ruins unexposed Check one _ unaltered altered Check one X original site - moved Describe the present and original (if known) physical appearance

Description of the property

B.M.C Durfee High School is an imposing three and a half story granite building occupying an entire city block bounded by Rock, Cherry, High, and Locust Streets. Erected in 1886 from designs by George A. Clough, Durfee High School is prominently situated near the proposed Highlands Historic District overlooking Mt. Hope Bay, just north of downtown Fall Its setting, together with a steep hippedroofand five story clock-tower, make the structure a dominant element in the landscape and a key Fall River landmark. The most concise description of the building was that written by the architect upon its opening and published three years later in B.M.C. Durfee High School, Fall River, MA, Fall River, 1889. It is still remarkably accurate. . hat er tgn benthc tchi ecr up, The building occupies a commanding position, with spacious grounds about it. The area of the building is 20,500 feet.

The exterior walls of all four elevations are built of granite, surmount ed with steep plated roofs, and the whole treated in a modern ren- aissance style. The principal features of the architecture are brought out in a clock-tower an observatory tower, and a central pavilion with steep roofs. The main features (two towers and central pavilion) are arranged across the front, between heavy projecting end pavilions, and are tied together at the bottom, from one to the other, with a massive The clock tower at the south end is mainly of granite, terminating with a copper spire or finial. The clock dial is 114 feet above the grade; below, and yet above the roofs, is an open belfry with a chime of bells. The north tower occupies a symmetrical position with that of the south, but is of less height and is surmounted with an astronomical cupola, fitted with telescope.

The central pavilion between these two towers comprise the monumental features of the building. It is all of stone, with a broad base and massive piers, each side terminating with certain ornamental finials, and a large tablet between, bearing this inscription in raised letters, "B.M.C. Durfee High Schoo1." At the left of the table, at the base of one of the finials, is "A.D." and at the right "1886." The plan of the building is somewhat irregular with a length of 253 feet, the greatest width being 90 feet, and the least 60 feet, and is laid out upon the German principle of gaining the best results in introducing light and air, obtaining free and constant circulation and preventing one schoolroom from contaminating another. To aid in making this principle more effective, the system of indirect steam heating is introduced.

The building is equivalent to 4 stories in height beside a subterranean story used for a boiler room. Much of this subterranean part was blasted out of solid rock. The floor surfaces are constructed of iron and masonry so as to be fireproof as are the many mills in the city. The corridor floors are tiled in marble while the schoolroom floors are finished in pine boards sawn so that the grain is at a right angle with the plane of the surface. The general finish of the interior is of oak. The walls are wainscotted throughout to the height of about 4 feet and in the corridors, where the floors are tiled, a black marble strip froms the plinth to the wainscot.

FHR-8-300 (11-78) United States Department of the Interior Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form For HCRS use only received MAY 11 1981 date entered JUN | | 198 Continuation sheet Item number Page 2 The architecture of the interior is quite simple in character, and is confined to bringing out the constructional parts in slight simple stucco details, showing the arches of the brick masonry, the beams being covered and protected against fire by the stucco work, the same being finished with a beaded edge. The building, although in constant use as a high school until 1978 is virtually in- tact. The exterior remains unchanged. On the interior, several classrooms have been divided in half, but at such an early date that the woodwork and plasterwork have been matched exactly.

The original gas lighting fixtures and the original schoo1- room clocks have long disappeared. The bath-rooms have been remodelled. The only intrusion is a temporary storage shed closet built into a hallway on the second floor. A telescope is the only important feature that has been removed--it was removed from the observatory tower, restored and was installed at the new Durfee High School in January 1981. Although the building has, remarkably never been substantially altered or renovated, it has suffered from lack of funds and maintenance. Recently a water pipe burst and water cascaded through all three stories and froze, causing serious damage- 8.

From the form

The catalogue entry the section above was filed under.

Significance Period - prehistoric 1400-1499 1500-1599 1600-1699 :1700-1799 X 1800-1899 1900 Areas of Significance-Check and justify below - archeology-prehistoric - community planning - archeology-historic - conservation agriculture . economics X architecture X education art engineering . commerce - exploration/settlement communications industry invention . landscape architecture _ law literature - military - music - philosophy - politics/government - religion . science _ sculpture - social/ humanitarian .theater .transportation - other (specify) Specific dates 1886 Builder

Statement of significance

/Architect George A. Clough, architect Norcross Brothers, builders Statement of Significance (in one paragraph) The B.M.C. Durfee High School, designed by Boston architect George Clough, possesses ESEEE integrity of location, design, setting, materials, and workmanship. In the quality of design and materials, it is emblematic of late nineteenth century Fall River's wealth and civic pride and reflects the city's commitment to meet the educational In addition to its civic and architectural significance, the school also has strong associations with one of Fall River's most important families; the Durfee's. Thus the school meets criteria A, B, and C of the The building was given by Mary Brayton Durfee Young in memory of her son, Bradford . Mathew Chaloner Durfee. Durfee, a native of Fall River and area resident, died in 1872, at the age of twenty-nine.

The Durfee family was prominent in the establishment of Fall River's industrial base with the establishment of the Fall River Iron Works in 1821. In giving the building, Mrs. Young was responding both to the needs of the city, whose thirty-year old high school was overcrowded and about to be enlarged, and to the desires of her son, who hoped that his estate might assist the youth of the city to be instructed in the "chemical, physical, and mechanical sciences, which enter so largely into the industries of Fall River." Thus, the school was endowed by Mrs. Young with $50,000 for these puxposes. The principal orator at the dedication on June 15, 1887 (the 44th anniversary of Durfee's birth) was Reverend Roswell D. Hitchcock, President of the Union Theological Seminary in New York, who summed up the special role that Durfee High School would play in the life of Fall River.

"In this metropolis of mechanical industry, in which so many thousands have found lucrative employment and such handsome fortunes have been made, it was felt to be wise and proper that special opportunities should be provided for these branches of science that underlie all this mechanical industry." Mrs. Young selected and acquired the site and offered it and a future school building to the City Council in February 1883. A joint committee of the school committee and the special committee on the high school building unanimously selected George A. Clough of Boston to be the architect of the new building. Clough, who was Boston's first city architect, was a prolific designer of schools, having completed 83 of them before receiving this commission.

His most well-known structures in Boston were the Boston Latin School and the Marcella Street Home for Vagrant Boys, both of which displayed the symmetry, steep roofline, and paired towers that are so vividly expressed in the Durfee High School. Originally the building was to have been constructed of brick. The more costly (and more typical of Fall River) granite was substituted. for the first floor came from a local quarry, William Beattie's; the stone for the other stories was supplied by Alexander McDonald from his quarry in Mason, New Hampshire. The foundations were laid by a local mason, Tillinghast Records; the remainder of the stone and the entire building was erected by Norcross Brothers of Worcester, Massachusetts, who had built Boston High School.

The rest of the file

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

Major Bibliographical References B.M.C. Durfee High School Building, Fall River, MA Fall River 1889 Pelton, W.J. Durfee Quo Vadis: Biography of a High School, 1970 Phillips History of Fall River, Volume II Pp.81-96. 10. Geographical Data Acreage of nominated property 66,465 sq. ft. Quadrangle name Fall River UMT References Quadrangle scale 1:25,000 A 1 19 Zone CLL ELL G L 3|2,019,3,0 Easting 4,6|1,91,0,0 Northing LULL LULL B L Zone LIILu Easting Northing LLLu FLILLILLI LILILIL HLJ LAL LaLu Verbal boundary description and justification Full city block bounded by Rock, High, Cherry, and Locust Streets. Also please refer to theaattached, 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 nameltitle Candace Jenkins, Registration Director PISseYation organization Massachusetts Historical Commission date January, 1981 street & number 294 Washington Street telephone (617) 727-8470 city or town Boston state Massachusetts 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 forthby the Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service.

State Historic Preservation Ofticer signature/alum LWeslowsk title Executive Director, Massachusetts Historical Commission date For HCRS use only I hereby certify that this property is included in the National Register ddelus Entered in the por keeper of the National Register National Register date Attest: date Chief of Registration 5/1/81 6.11.81 GP O 938 835 FHR-8-300 (11-78) United States Department of the Interior Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form For HCRS use only MAY 11 1981 received date entered JUN | | 1981 Continuation sheet Item number 8 Page 2 Few of George Clough's building remain and Durfee High School is an important ex- ample of the scholastic building that occurred in Massachusetts, following the 1848 enactment of a law calling for high schools in the communities throughout the state.

Although unusual in its source, Durfee High School is typical of the late 19th cen- tury belief in the democratic value of education, and the social benefits of technology. The Secretary of the State Board of Education summarized the prevailing sentiments: "The civilization (and patriotism) of a modern Massachusetts community is expressed in no insignificant degree in the character and condition of its schoolhouses." Barely altered since its opening, Durfee High School remains a powerful architectural statement of the optimism and civic purpose of Fall River and the entire state a century ago. 900/17 .300 LINCOLN AYBLIC SCHOO P: " 4º/ r (6A) ROCK 27.2 HIGH CHERRY ONGREGATIONAL CHURCH B. M. C. DURFEE HIGH SCHOCL Nº -07/ 303 71 TECHA/C4L HIGH oCHCO. EMPLONER 2215 LOCUST 218 45?

JUN MAY 11 1981 198| DUE 6/10/81 - Name State, 6/25/81 B.m.C Ligh School MA Bristl Fed Nom or Request-Agency Working Number 5.11.81.152 Federal Register Date 2.2-86 Nomination _Determination of Eligiblity Bldg(s) Within: Site _Multiple Resource Area _ On Nomination Form -Object - Thematic Group - Structure Maps 4/ - District Photos 1 Nomination prepared by: State Staff Local Other Intered in the Action:National Beglater Check if Appropriate: LACCEPT 6.11.81 State Reauest ior Reviev RETURN - Keeper's Decision to Revien REJECT -2nd Return - - I. Evaluation of Resource (cont. on back if necessary) II. Evaluation of Nomination Good Adequate Poor Comments 1. Descriptive Statement Short Format Yes _ No 2. Significance Statement Short Format _ Yes 3. Concepts/Integrity No 4. Concepts/Criteria 5. Concepts/Boundaries 6. Contextual Evaluation General Comments (cont.

on back if necessary): Reviewer/Date National Park Service See Attached U.S. Department of the Interior MAY 11 1981 289 R. Dusfee High School Rock Street Fall River, Mass. Three quarter view looking south-east on Rock Street. Date: March 9, 1981 Photographer: Denise Donatelli Brstol Cmaty, Negative Location: Fall River Office of Historic Preservation One Government Center Fall River, Mass. JUN 1 | 1981 FallRiver MRA Ma Special Roll 3/9/81 #2 B. M. C. Durfec MAY 11 1981 MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS Office of the Secretary of State 294 Washington Street Boston, Massachusetts 02108 617-727-8470 MICHAEL JOSEPH CONNOLLY Secretary of State May 4, 1981 Mr. Jerry Rogers, Acting Keeper Registration Branch Heritage, Conservation & Recreation Service DOI, W434 Washington D.C. 20243 Dear Mr.

Rogers: Enclosed you will find the following nomination forms for publicly owned buildings: Barnstable-Barnstable County Côurthouse (state) Fall River-B.M.C. Durfee High School (local) Hull-Point Allerton Lifesaving Station (state) Lynn-OldPost Office (local) Weymouth-Fogg Library (local) All have been voted eligible by the State Review Board and have been signed by the State Historic Preservation Officer. Sincerely, Cancace fenkins Candace Jepkins Registration Director RECEIVEB TT1. MAY 1: 1981 NATIONAL REGISTER STEmE ENTRIES IN THE NATIONAL REGISTER STATE MASSACHUSELIS JUN TT 198 Date Entered Name Location Durfee, B. M.C., High School Fall River Bristol County Fogg Library Weynouth Norfolk County Barnstable County Courthouse Barnstable Barnstable County Point Allerton Lifesaving Station Hull Plymouth County Also Notified Honorable Paul E. Isongas Honozable Edward M.

Kennedy Honorable Margazet M. Heckler Honorable Gexry E. Studds Northeast Region, HCRS Executive Director Massachusette Historical Conmission 294 Washington Street Boston, Massachusetts 02108 NR Fod (ukther 5/81 information, please call the National Register at (202)343-6401.