Nomination for Park Street Firehouse

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 For HCRS use only received DEC 9 1981 date entered ANl 28 1982 historic Park Street Firehouse and/or common 2. Location Adams Ambulance Service (current) street & number 47 Park Street _ not for publication city, town Adams .vicinity of congressional district First state Massachusetts 3.

Classification Category Ownership - district X public X building(s) - private - structure both _site Public Acquisition - object in process - being considered code 025 county Berkshire code 003 Status X occupied - unoccupied - work in progress Accessible - yes: restricted yes: unrestricted _ no Present Use - agriculture commercial educational entertainment - government industrial - military museum - park - private residence . religious _ scientific transportation _ other: 4. Owner of Property name Town of Adams street & number 65 Park Street (Town Hall) city, town Adams - vicinity of 5. Location of Legal Description state Massachusetts courthouse, registry of deeds, etc. Berkshire County North Registry of Deeds street & number 65 Park Street city, town Adams state Massachusetts 6.

Representation in Existing Surveys Inventory of the Historic Assets of the title Commonwealth #641 has this property been determined elegible? - yes _ no date January 1979 _ federalX state - - county - _ local depository for survey records Massachusetts Historical Commission, 294 Washington Street city, town Boston state Massachusetts 7. Description Condition excellent X good fair deteriorated ruins unexposed Check one _ unaltered X altered Check one X original site _ moved date Describe the present and original (if known) physical appearance

Description of the property

The Park Street Firehouse is located on the east side of Park Street, south of School Street. The building is a three-story brick structure with a rectangular floor plan and flat roof. The building's facade (west elevation) faces Park Street and is set back approximately 5' from its western lot line; the north elevation is attached to and entirely concealed by a neighboring commercial block, while the south elevation is free-standing but is only 6" distant from a neighboring commercial block. The rear (east) elevation faces a courtyard formed by the neighboring Armory Block (39-45 Park Street) and is accessible only through an enclosed The facade (west elevation) is asymmetrical at the first story, containing a sliding garage door over most of its width and a single entry near its north end.

This entry consists of a wooden door with a panelled base and a multipaned light of colored glass; above the door is a large six-pane transom. Extending across the top of this entry and the garage door is a painted metal cornice which, in turn, is capped by a decorative band of diagonally laid bricks. The facade's second and third stories are symmetrical. Centered at the base of the second story is a granite placque bearing the raised letters, "A.F.D." (Adams Fire District) and the numerals, "1890." Fenestration of the second story consists of three rectangular windows, grouped at the facade's center; sills and lintels are formed by single bands of rock-faced granite, in addition, a band of decorative brickwork extends across the facade, immediately below the lintels.

Sash is double-hung, each consisting of a 2-pane lower sash and a 15-pane upper sash made up of a central clear pane surrounded by fourteen small square panes of colored glass. The third story contains 3 windows connected by intersection arches of radiating bricks, capped by a brick archivolt. Each window has a rock-faced granite sill and double-hung sash, consisting of a single-pane lower sash and an arched upper sash with a central arched pane surrounded by 6 smaller panes. Above the third story Is a low parapet with three recessed panels surmounted by a shallow corbelling. The east (rear) elevation is symmetrically arranged, containing three evenly spaced windows at each story. First and second story windows are rectangular with rock-faced granite sills and lintels and 2/2 sash.

Third story windows have arched heads (made up of two rows of headers), rock-faced granite sills and 2/2 sash. Horizontal courses include a rock-faced granite foundation, facing bands of diagonally set bricks (top of first story and at the top of second story windows) and a projecting brick cornice. The building's north and south elevations were originally exposed, but were soon concealed by the construction of neighboring blocks between 1893 and 1896. It is not evident from the exterior whether either of the elevations contained windows; however, the smallness of the Firehouses's lot suggests that the Firehouse was probably planned to become part of a row of buildings. Alterations to the exposed elevations are limited to the installation of a modern, sliding garage door on the facade (3rd quarter 20th century).

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-prehistoricX community planning - archeology-historic _ conservation agriculture _ economics X architecture education art engineering commerce exploration/settlement communications industry _ invention landscape architecture law literature military _ music philosophy x politics/government religion science - sculpture .social/ humanitarian theater transportation other(specify) Specific dates 1890 Statement of Significance

Statement of significance

(in one paragraph) Builder/Architect Unknown The Park Street Firehouse possesses integrity of location, design and materials and workman- ship and is an interesting example of Queen Anne design elements adapted for use on a firehouse. In addition, the building has historical associations with the Adams Fire District, a quasi-governmental corporation established in 1872 to provide fire protection in Adams (then called South Adams). Thus the building meets criteria A & C of the NRHP.

The Fire District was governed by a Prudential Committee whose members were drawn largely from the ranks of local industrialists, it seems to have been formed with the initial goal of protecting mill buildings, particularly textile and paper mills, from the fires which piagued them in the nineteenth century, although fire protection was apparently ex- tended to all buildings in the town's major villages in part on a fee basis. Corresponding to the District's industrial focus, companies were established at Adams's main industrial villages (Maple Grove, Renfrew, Adams Center, and Zylanite); however, individual firehouses were not built until the late 1880s, beginning with Maple Grove.

The first station was followed by the Park Street building, which was the most substantial of the buildings constructed for the Fire District in the nineteenth century and which may have served the function of a central station for the Fire District. Although the Park Street Firehouse was built as a free-standing block, the small lot which it nearly completely covers and its overall design suggest that it was planned from the beginning to be part of a row of buildings. In its present condition, the Firehouse preserves nearly all elements of its original design including Queen Anne style decorative sash with colored glass, decorative brick work and a panelled door. Alterations are limited to the replacement of original wagon-doors with a modern, sliding garage door, added when the building was converted to use as the town's ambulance service in the mid-20th century.

The rest of the file

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

Major Bibliographical References Smith, J.E.A., ed. History of Berkshire County. Vol. I. New York: J.B. Beers & Co., Reports of the Officers of the (South) Adams Fire District. Adams: Freeman Book and Job Printers. Annual after 1878. UTM NOT VERIFTED AGREAGE WOT VERSTEI 1885. 10. Geographical Data -035 acres Acreage of nominated property - Quadrangle name Windsor, Mass. UMT References A 118 Zone 6/514/11410 Easting L417 210 4100 Northing Quadrangle scale_1:24000 Easting Northing LILL FLI LLILILJ LILILLLI Verbal boundary description and justification The nominated property includes only the rectangular shaped lot on which the Firehouse stands; no plan of this lot is recorded with either the Adams Assessors or the Berkshire County Registry of Deeds. 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 Candace Jenkins, Registration Director with Brian Pfieffer Act for Massachusetts organizatiom Massachusetts Historical Commission date May 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 forth by the Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service. State Historic Preservation Officer signature PaleuchWeslonske title Erecutive Director, Mass.

Historical Conmission For HCRS use only I hereby certify that this property is included in the National Register loves Entered in the yur National Register Keeper of the National Register date 12/15/81 date 1/25/82 Attest: Chief of Registration date GPO 938 835 DUE 1/28/82 -2/12/82 Name State, County MA Park streef Firehouse-ped Noin or Reguest-Agengy. dnr-3 82004949 Working Number 2-29-81 153L Federai Register Date T. 83 Nomination Bidg(s) _ Determination of Eligiblity Site On Nomination Form Object - Within: Multiple Resource Ares - Thematic Group - Structure Maps 2 - Distriet Photos L - Nomination prepared by: State Staff -Local Other Entered in the Action: Nationa- Register Check if Appropriate: ACCEPT 1/28/82 State Request for Review RETURN - - Keeper's Decision to Review REJECT - - 2nd Return - L 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 No 3. Concepts/integrity 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 ELER LEEE smith ADAMS AMBULANCE Park Street Firehouse Adams Berkshire County Massachusetts Photo Credit: Brian Pfeiffer Negative Filed: ACT for Massachusetts Identification: West Elevation Date: July 1980 DEC 2 9 1981 JAN "P 1092) JAN 28 1982 MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION 15 December 1981 COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS Office of the Secretary of State 294 Washington Street Boston, Massachusetts 02108 -617-727-8470 MICHAEL JOSEPH CONNOLLY Secretary of State Ms.

Carol Shull, Acting Keeper National Register of Historic Places National Park Service Department of the Interior Washington, D.C. 20243 Dear Ms. Shull, Enclosed you will find the following nomination forms: Quincy: Hancock Cemetery (national) North Attleborough: Falls Fire Station (local) Adams: Park Street Fire House (local) All have been voted eligible by the State Review Board and have been signed by the State Historic Preservation Officer. Sincerely, Candace fenkins Candace Jenkins Registration Director ENTRIES IN THE NATIONAL REGISTER Date Entered STATE MASSACHUSETTS JAN 2 8 1982 Name Location Hancock Cenetery Quincy Norfolk County Park Street Firehouse Adams Berkshire County Tire Barn borth Attleborough Briatol County Also Notified Honorable Paul E. Isongas Honorable Bdward M. Kennedy Honorable Brian J. Donnelly Honorable Si1vio 0. Conte Honorable Margaret M.

Heckler Mid-Atlantic Region, NPS North Atlantic Region, NPS NR Eady/mc State Historic Preservation Officer Mrs. Patricia L. Weslowak1 Ixecutive Director, Massachusetts Historical Coumiasion 294 Washington Street Boston, Massachusetts 02108 2/10/82 272-3504 For further information, please call the National Register at (202)343-6401.