BlockThe nomination, in full
Bibliography, boundary description, and the people who prepared and reviewed the nomination.
FORM B - BUILDING MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION 294 Washington Street, Boston, MA 02108 Area B Form no. 59 LULatLUI cross streets and other buildings or geographical features. Indicate north. C00084D ploo 0.- Reading ISS 49 Pleasant Street Name_Reading Municipal Building Original_Town Offices, Fire Dept., and Jail Present Fire Station rship:[] Private individual Private organization Public Town of Reading Original owner_Town of Reading RIPTION: Date 1883 Source Carved on window lintel Style _Renaisance Revival and Stick Architect_ Horace G. Wadlin Exterior wall fabricBrick, brownstone, wood, granite Outbuildings none Major alterations (with dates) New door, Pleasant Street side; engine entrance remodeled from 3 round-arched openings te 2 flat-arched epenings, 1940 Moved no Date Approx.
acreage Under 1/2 acre Recorded by Architectural Preservation Associates Setting_At triangular corner, close Organization_Reading Historical te commercial district. Date NoveREV 8EDS88n Date_6/82 UTM: 19/327340/4709860 (Staple additional sheets here) ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE (describe important architectural features and evaluate in terms of other buildings within community) This building combines features of a number of different styles, which is unusual for an architect-designed structure. However, the common design source seems to have been the Italian style. The main block is chiefly in the Renaissance Revival mode. It has a blocky, straight-sided appearance; a corbeled brick cornice with brick "brackets"; and corbeled-brick belt courses, one of which links horizontally the windows of the second floor. The round-arched windows of the first floor suggest an arcaded basement story.
The segmentally arched windows of the second floor håve caps that resemble the stilted arch characteristic of the High Victorian Italianate style. The three round-arched doorways originally in the wes HLSFORILAL "SICNINICAfP"'ekplain the role owners played in local or state history and how the building relates to the development of the community) The village of Reading was incorporated in 1644 by the Massachusetts Bay Colony. It included the present town of Wakefield, and later, North Reading. Reading was set off as a separate parish in 1769, and built a meetinghouse on the Common, thus helping to define the center of town. Wakefield incorporated separately in 1812, North Reading in 1853. This was the first building erected by present-day Reading for the purpose of housing its official business.
In 1864-65 the town rented space from Jonathan Frost for this purpose, but by 1883 a special building, which combined town offices, jail, and fire station was advisable. By 1918 the official work of the town's greater complexity demanded expanded space, and the present Town Hall was erected facing the Common. The Fire Department retains this building. Early fire protection regulations required residents to have a ladder that reached to the chimney, and later, to have two fire buckets in each home. By 1813 or 1815 a piece of pumping apparatus was purchased, but it had to be filled with water by bucket brigade. The town established a Board of Fire Engineers after an act of the Legislature in 1854. When this structure was built, there were about 160 members of the fire department. Permanent positbns were filled in 1913, and steam engines replaced the hose companies.
By 1919, the department was completely motorized, and horse-drawn equipment was a thing of the past. BIBLIOGRAPHY and/or REFERENCES 1875 map C. D. Wright (land) (Carro1l Davis) 1889 map Town Building History of the Reading Fire Department, 1673-1974 Town Reports, 1864-65, 1882, 1883-84 20M-2/80 INVENTORY FORM CONTINUATION SHEET MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Office of the Secretary, Boston Commmity : Form No: B 59 Property Name: Indicate each item on inventory form which is being continued below. ARCHITECTURAL SICNIFICANCE altered into two wider, flat-arched doorways -- were suggestive of the Romanesque style, being low and massively treated. And the upper sash of the second-floor windows is Queen Anne in detail, with a border of small lights framing a large, central one.
The single most outstanding feature of the building is its Stick style/Queen Anne tower, which springs from a corbeled brick base. Essentially, it is a display piece for the late Victorial love of varied texture and shapes, with its t1sh- scale shingles, vertical siding, decorative stickwork, small windows, bracketed cornice, and high gable roof with paneled bargeboards and ornate weathervane. CPITERIA FOR EVALUATION The first Reading Municipal Building is significant (1) for its role in the develonment of Reading town government; and (2) for its impressive if eclectic desian, done by local architect Horace Wadlin. It retains integrity of location, general design, setting, materials, workmanship, and feeling, and meets Criteria A.arid C of the National Pegister.
Staple to Inventory form at bottom NPS Form 10-900-a (3-82) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form Continuation sheet Item number OMB No. 1024-0018 Exp. 10-31-84 For NPS use only received date entered cialgy Page Multiple Resource Area Thematic Group 879 Name State Reading Multiple Resource Area Middlesex County, MASSACHUSETTS Nomination/Type of Review 71. Parker, Joseph, House 72. Parker, William, House 73. Pierce House 74. Pierce Organ Pipe Factory 75. Pratt House 76. Pratt, Stillman, House 77. Reading Municipal Building Entered In the 78. Reading Municipal Light and Wational Register fuKeeper Power Station Entered in the Nationel Register 79.
Roberts House Date/Signature Entered in the National Register fKeeper duBgu7-1-64 Attest Entered in the National Register fsseeper AelmuBgun 7-9-64 Attest Entered in tho National Register freeper SulnuByunh-19-6 Attest Entered In the National Register fReeper AelrusByun7-19-6 Attest Entered in the National Register foxeeper AllureByur7-1584 Attest Entered in the Natione? Begiister forkeeper duloreBizen 119-84 Attest Entered In Matlona1 Resistenfotéeper dulureßye719+4 Attest AilmePyur 119-y Attest fteeper OdeusByun +1954 Attest 80. Rowhouses at 256-274 Haven Street Entered In Natione?
Beglstet AelareBye 1-19-84 Attest WASO Form - 177 ("R" June 1984) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE Rej= 84002810 NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES EVALUATION/RETURN SHEET Reading Municipal Building (Reading MRA) Middlesex County MASSA CHUSETTS resubmission nomination by person or local government owner objection appeal Substantive Review: Reviewer's comments: L sample - request Working No. JN 4 1984 Fed. Reg. Date: 22 Date Due: 7/5 84 - 7/19/84 Erbered In theAction: ~ACCEPT 2-19-$4 Nationa? Register -_ RETURN- REJECT_ Federal Agency: -appeal LJ NR decision Recom./Criteria Reviewer. Discipline Date _ see continuation sheet Nomination returned for: _ technical corrections cited below _substantive reasons discussed below 1. Name 2. Location 3. Classification Category Ownership Public Acquisition 4. Owner of Property 5. Location of Legal Description 6.
Representation in Existing Surveys Has this property been determined eligible? yes no 7. Description Condition excellent good fair deteriorated ruins unexposed Check one J unaltered altered Describe the present and original (if known) physical appearance summary paragraph completeness clarity alterations/integrity dates boundary selection Status Accessible Present Use Check one -original site moved date 8. Significance Period Areas of Significance-Check and justify below Specific dates Statement of Significance (in one paragraph) Builder/Architect summary paragraph completeness clarity applicable criteria justification of areas checked relating significance to the resource context relationship of integrity to significance justification of exception other 81 9. Major Bibliographical References 10.
Geographical Data Acreage of nominated property Quadrangle name UTM References Verbal boundary description and justification 11. Form Prepared By 12. State Historic Preservation Officer Certification The evaluated significance of this property within the state is: national state local State Historic Preservation Officer signature date title 13. Other Maps Photographs Other Questions concerning this nomination may be directed to _ Signed - Date Phone: _ Comments for any item may be continued on an attached sheet MRAA # B-59 49 Pleasent St Central Fire A PLAT 76.
ASANT 214.45 125 12.23 225.06 PARKER 7 22,512 44,201 128 16.35 91643% 4,244 1293) 83 75 in/ 4628 4,647 STREET 66.55 118 12,826 22 11.37 24.5015.25 7,673 127.85 117 p.3i 108.82 HAVEN 265 69:0 2.1S 28T 58.80 30-0 109 65 4,446 7619 110 113 $114 4,867 ZL73 40,09 61001 3,245 2,730 70.83 108 3,29l 800 280y 92880 34 84 5.3120e 6000 ORDWAY O02 G10 101.35 8 7,145 9803 116 12,730 87 86,000 0001 000'2 0oôi TER. 60.00 81 200 80,79 78/77 1290 AVENUE 25 200,20.01 75.0 570 9 50 51 5253 5455/55 57Y 8912 FCTT 58 ndt 10,560 L'2 00 N E1 0012 000 E109 76|75 5749 204 29 75.0 62 10,522 204= 60.0 39 4,557 530 Pood 132.15 38 9,695 129,00 4.29 1,14(g) 370 75.0 141 135.7 37 10,110 136,02 75 108.05 91 23.254 STREET 87.25 51.90 4 9,817 6 5 12,624 N 129 121 5030 3 8,535 133 JOHN fn 8,880ü4 6,1000) 6.
6 18,700 154.95 50% a 7,643 53,50 69.73 73.60 55,10 6830 15 8:4630 STREET 79.44 58.60 7260 39.32 2686 62.70 70.45 126,800 59:70 129,59 4109 . 12400 96.00 -9 10 106. 6,300 6,283 1184583 13 12 83.3 6 6.922 3,000 104.87 6,697 10,540 Gáng 3 109.33 62.45 60.0 49.53 330 60.0 316 320 322 150) 32. 32 4 3485 STREET 229 3530 77.53 29 51.00 3215 28 37.37 38.35 77.50 19 18 5,700 68.0 17 4,350 5,375 110.24 6,0390 98. 126.75 73.02 290 106.50 4,500 46.0 8465 27 VILLAGE 20 6,100 362460 61.40 ELLIOTT 4,207 62.20 5,227 61.09 12225 26 6,116 7380 36.0 21 48,90 47.16 25 6,785,28.69 71 949,00 30 13770 6,392 6,130 13440 24 6,655 70 77.10 47,20 %° 69 4,245 31 119. 23 TREET 8029 11,555 12,515 199 32a 62.01 800 19703 57.03 274° 125.20 $1.35 32 b 22 66 68 80.0 4,407 ",350 7,642 7336 10.0 8 8913 108.50 67 STREET 32 3,982 80.0 169.13 33 /2786 11,100 8,375 B050 200.75 172.
83 70 34 145.30 35 214.95 #B-59 49 Pleasant St. 17,775 15,646 Map 65, Lot 07 1983 Assessors Map = 100.! 134.33 176.27 Please refer to the map in the Multiple Property Cover Sheet for this property Multiple Property Cover Sheet Reference Number: 64000290