Nomination for Foxboro Grange Hall

From the form

The catalogue entry the section above was filed under.

NPS Form 10-900 (7-81) United States Department of the Interior National Park 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 Foxboro Grange Hall and/or common Foxboro Grange Hall 2. Location street & number 11-15 Bird Street city, town Foxboro N/A vicinity of congressionatdietriet state Massachusetts 3. Classification Category Ownership .district - public X building(s) X private structure _ both site Public Acquisition object N/Ain process being considered code 025 county Norfolk Status X . occupied unoccupied .work in progress Agcessible - yes: restricted yes: unrestricted . no Present Use _ agriculture X commercial educational entertainment - government industrial - military 4.

Owner of Property name Bird Street Realty Trust street & number P.O. Box 754 city, town Norwood N/Avicinity of 5. Location of Legal Description state courthouse, registry of deeds, etc. Registry of Deeds street & number High Street Dedham city, town state MA 6. Representation in Existing Surveys Inventory of the Historic Assets title of the Commonwealth # 188 has this property been determined eligible? date 1982 - federal X state depository for survey records Massachusetts Historical Conmission city, town Boston state MA OMB NO. 1024-0018 EXP. 10/31/84 For NPS use only received MAR 2 2 1983 date enteredi N/Anot for publication code 021 - museum park X private residence _ religious scientific transportation .other: Massachusetts - county - yes X no .local 7.

Description Foxboro Grange Hall, Foxboro, MA Condition excellent & good fair deteriorated ruins unexposed Check one * unaltered - altered Check one original site moved date - N/A: Describe the present and original (if known) physical appearance

Description of the property

The Foxboro Grange Hall is a late Victorian canmercial building in downtown Foxboro. It stands directly on the sidewalk of Bird Street, abutted by parking lots and an apartment building. The Town Carmon lies approximately 200 feet to the west. Sheathed in clapboard, the blocky wood frame structure is capped by an asphalt shingled roof. A granite ashlar foundation contains a full basement, while the roof frames a small slightly offset chimney and single, gabled dormers on the front (north) and back (south) . Although its roof height remains constant, the Grange Hall contains three stories in its forward section and - due to the exaggerated height of the second floor meeting roam - only two stories at the rear. Plain corner boards and a simple frieze with cornice molding frame all elevations.

The symmetrical facade (north side) rises fran two ground floor storefronts flanking, a central doorway. The plate glass store windows and recessed, canted entries are topped by glazed transans and framed by plain wooden posts, a simple entablature, and low vertical boarding. On the second floor are five 2/2 windows with a simple cornice molding, while the third floor contains five shorter 2/2 windows with plain architraves. The east and west sides of the forward part of the building have similar fenestration, substituting small rectangular windows with cornice moldinghigh of the first floor. Windows on the asymmetrical west side lack the decorative cornice molding. The rear of the building projects eastward about five feet; it has regularly placed, unornamented 2/2 windows on the first floor and on the eastern side of the second floor.

The rest of the second floor, which contained the original Grange hall, has taller 2/2 sash surmounted by two-light transans. Subsidiary doorways are irregularly placed, and include two on the ground floor of the west side, two on' the ground floor and one on the second floor of the rear (south side), and one on the second floor north of the rear projectiori. The interior of the Grange Hall provides a variety of spaces. On' the first floor, two stores flank a wide straight run of stairs; a long office occupies the rear of this floor. On the second floor are located three small offices and, at the rear, a large two-story roam (originally the Grange meeting hall, now a hat shop). The smaller third floor contains two apartments, entered by subsidiary front and rear interior stairs.

Extant interior trim includes the turned balustrade of the main staircase and window and door trim on the second floor. ALterations to the exterior of the building have consisted mainly of small added doorways and fire escapes. On the interior, the Grange hall's original stage was removed in the late 1930's, and renovations have been made to portions of the floor plan and interior furnishings of the first and third floors.

From the form

The catalogue entry the section above was filed under.

Significance Foxboro Frange Hall, Foxbore, MA 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 eriterion economics X _ architecture education art engineering . commerce covered .exploration/settlement communications X industry _ invention landscape architecture . law literature military - music philosophy politics/government - religion science _ sculpture X social/ humanitarian theater transportation other (specify) Specific dates 1897 Builder

Statement of significance

/Architect N/A Statement of Significance (in one paragraph) The Grange Hall is significant primarily for its association with the Foxboro Grange and with the regionally important straw hat industry. Secondarily, it remains as one of Foxboro's few extant and intact commercial blocks of the 19th century. The property meets Criterion A of the National Register, retaining integrity of design, materials, workmanship, setting, and location. The Grange Hall was built in 1897 as a meeting place for the Foxboro Grange, which occupied the second and third floors for 31 years. A grain store and other small retail businesses initially occupied the first f1o0r. During the 19th century, Foxboro changed fran a small agricultural conmunity to a large industrial town - a result of the huge suocess of the straw hat industry.

Membership in the Grange naturally fluctuated by the turn of the century, yet it remained an an important social organization to the people of Foxboro. Today the Grange Hall acts as a physical reminder of the town's agricultural heritage. The building's second historical association is with the straw hat industry, which daminated Foxbaro's ieconany in the 19th century. Smal1 scale manufacturing of hats began here in the 1930!'s, although the industry as a whole was. already in decline by then. Francis Peterson, formerly an employee of the prominent Inman and Kimball Hat Factory, started his own hat business in the Grange Hall in 1937. Mrs. Wendell S. Young, Peterson's dau- ghter, still sells hats there today in the Foxboro Hat Shop. The building is one of the few sites remaining in Foxboro where straw hats were made.

Although not stylistically distinctive, the Grange Hall is significant as an intact example of an important 19th century building type. As was the case with many social and fraternal organizations, the Foxboro Grange erected a building which not only provided a second floor meeting hall, but also contained hrentable ground floor space. The 1897 Foxboro Grange Hall preserves both of these features intact.

The rest of the file

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

Major Bibliographical References Interview with Mr. and Mrs. Milton Cutler, 9/7/82. Both Mr. and Mrs. Cutler are active members of the Foxboro Grange. Interview with Mrs. Wende11 S. Young, owner of the Foxboro Hat Shop. 9/15/82 Record Books of the Foxboro Grange, Man Mar Building #2, Mechanic Street, Foxboro. The Foxboro Reporter, Jack Authelet, 7/17/80, page 1 10. Geographical Data Acreage of nominated property 10,900 square feet.

Quadrangle name Wrentham Quadrangle scale 1:25,000 UMT References A 19/ |3|1,3|8,010 Zone Easting 416 519|31010/ Northing Zone Easting Northing LILi LILL EL GL F HLUJ LLILA LILILI Verbal boundary description and justification The Land in Foxboro, Norfolk, County, Mass., toget- her with the buildings thereon known as the "Grange Hall Property" situated on the southeasterly side of Bird Street and bounded and described as follows: Beginning at the southerly corner of said parcel at the easterly end of a stone wall in line of land List all states and counties for properties overlapping state or county boundaries (see attached sketch map). state N/A code county code state code county code 11.

Form Prepared By name/title Wendy Frontiero, Preservation Planner, with Mary Elizabeth Pyne, Consultant organization Massachusetts Historical Cormission date 12-31-82 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-py the National Park Service. State Historic Preservation Officer signature atuchWeslousk.

date 3/16/83 State Historic Preservation Officer For NPS use only I hereby certify that this property is included in the National Register delores Entered in the Jyens for Keeper of the National Register Natlonal Begister Attest: Chief of Registration date +/2/83 date NPS Form 10-900-a (3-82) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form OMB No. 1024-0018 Exp. 10-31-84 For NPS use only received date entered Continuation sheet Foxboro Grange Hall Item number 10 Page 1 formerly of William H. Carpenter now of U.S. Post Office; thence running about N. 29-½th W. on line of southwesterly face of the stone fence posts by land formerly of the Heirs of Ezra Pickens and Heirs of Willard P.

Turner, now of First National Stores, one hundredii forty-two (142) feet, more or less, to the centre of a stone bound at corner of land formerly of Etta M. Carpenter, new supoosed to be of Jennie Bean; Thence by land of said Bean, in a southeasterly direction, one hundred thirty-one (131) feet, more or less, to the center of a stone fence post in line of land formerly of Carpenter, now of Bearce et al.; thence by line of said Bearce in part and in part by said land of U.S. Post Office, about S. 50th W. seventy-eight and 5/10 (78.5) feet more or less, to the point FOXBORO, MASS.

Foxboro Grange Hall Assessors Map, 1981 1'' = 80' COCASSET STREET BIRD STREET MECHANI STREET NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES setmant of she latertar led States Nat al Park Service Foxboro Grange Hall Norfolk County MASSACHUSETTS resubmission nomination by person or local government owner objection appeal Substantive Review: Reviower's comments: Working No. MAR 2 2 1983 Fed. Reg. Date: 2-7-84 Date Due:. #21/83 5/6/83 Action: _ ACCEPT- 4/21/83 Entered in tha - RETURN National Register - REJECT- Foderal Agency: -sample - request _ appeal - NR decision -Nomination returned for: Rocom. /Criteria Reviewer _ Discipline_ Date _ -e- continuation sheet -technical corrections cited below -substantive reasons discussed below 1. Name 2. Location 3. Classification Pomeralls ublle 4. Owner of Property Prosont Uoo 5. Location of Legal Description 6.

Representation in Existing Surveys has tue property boon denerained o - 7. Description esceller - detentorater ruins unexposer Reck ne . uneltered stered Fhock ene moved rasont aad artgtmad (Il ksorral ptrradaad aspocrenas summary paragraph completeness clarity alterations/integrity dates boundary selection 8. Significance arter Aroes ef s summary paragraph completeness clarity applicable criteria justification of areas checked relating significance to the resource context relation ship of integrity to significance justification of exception other 9. Major Bibliographical References 10. Geographical Data pago el neminated propenty - modrangte ramo - VNIT Poterenaes Varbed boundery doserto Mstiesdi 11. Form Prepared By 12.

State Historic Preservation Officer Certification Tie ovetuntad sigrificance of thle property wutlrén the etate is: - state -- loca: nta Mlaterte Proeervetten Officer etgnature 13. Other Maps Photographs Other Questions concerning this nomination may be directed to. Signed - Date - Phone: 202 272-3504 Comments for any Item may be continued on an attached sheet TRADING POST L SUBS&PIZZA Ceca-Cola Foxboro Grange Hall Foxboro, Mass 9/20/82 Mary E. Pyre FOXBORO, MASS. Foxboro Grange Hall View of the north facade Photo by Mary Elizabeth Pyne, 1982 Negative at Memorial Hall, Foxboro Photo 1 of 1 MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION March 16, 1983 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, Chief ...

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: Hampden: Thornton W. Burgess House (national) Foxboro: Memorial Hall (local) Grange Hall (local) Josiah Pratt House (local) Also enclosed is the Garbose Building in Gardner, which was returned to us for a property map. All have been voted eligible by the State Review Board and have been signed by the State Historic Preservation Officer. were notified of pending State Review Board consideration 30-75 days before the meeting and were afforded the opportunity to comment. Comments received to date are attached to the nomination forms- Sincerely, Candace lenkins candace Jerkins Registration Director Massachusetts Historical Commission L4T xe CJ : mmd Enclosures RECEIVED NAR 22 1933. NATIONAL REGISTER Fin