Nomination for US Post Office-Millbury Main

From the form

The catalogue entry the section above was filed under.

Form No. 10-306 (Rev. 10-74) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES FOR NPS USE ONLY SEP RECEIVED 4 1987 INVENTORY -- NOMINATION FORM DATE ENTERED FOR FEDERAL PROPERTIES - SEE INSTRUCTIONS IN HOW TO COMPLETE NATIONAL REGISTER FORMS TYPE ALL ENTRIES -- COMPLETE APPLICABLE SECTIONS 1 NAME HISTORIC UNITED STATES POST OFFICE 2 AND/OR COMMON LOCATION MILLBURY MAIN POST OFFICE STREET & NUMBER 119 ELM STREET CITY.

TOWN MILLBURY STATE - VICINITY OF CODE 0785 _NOT FOR PUBLICATION CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 3RD CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT COUNTY WORCESTER CODE 027 3 MASSACHUSETTS 01527 CLASSIFICATION CATEGORY _DISTRICT XBUILDING(S) _STRUCTURE SITE _OBJECT OWNERSHIP XPUBLIC _PRIVATE _BOTH PUBLIC ACQUISITION _IN PROCESS N/ABEING CONSIDERED STATUS XOCCUPIED -UNOCCUPIED _WORK IN PROGRESS ACCESSIBLE XYES: RESTRICTED _YES: UNRESTRICTED _NO PRESENT USE AGRICULTURE _MUSEUM _COMMERCIAL _PARK _EDUCATIONAL _PRIVATE RESIDENCE -ENTERTAINMENT _RELIGIOUS XGOVERNMENT _SCIENTIFIC _INDUSTRIAL -TRANSPORTATION LMILITARY -* _OTHER: AGENCY REGIONAL HEADQUARTERS: (If applicable) NEW ENGLAND FIELD REAL ESTATE AND BUTLDINGS OFFICE STREET & NUMBER 1050 WALTHAM STREET CITY. TOWN STATE MASSACHUSETTS 02173 LEX INGTON, - VICINITY OF 5 LOCATION OF LEGAL DESCRIPTION COURTHOUSE. REGISTRY OF DEEDS, ETC.

WORCESTER COUNTY REGISTRY OF DEEDS STREET & NUMBER 2 MAIN STREET CITY. TOWN STATE WORCESTER MASSACHUSETTS 01608 REPRESENTATION IN EXISTING SURVEYS TITLE NONE DATE _FEDERAL _STATE _COUNTY _LOCAL DEPOSITORY FOR SURVEY RECORDS CITY. TOWN STATE 7 DESCRIPTION CONDITION XEXCELLENT -GOOD -FAIR -DETERIORATED _RUINS CHECK ONE X UNALTERED _ALTERED _UNEXPOSED DESCRIBE THE PRESENT AND ORIGINAL (IF KNOWN) PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

Description of the property

CHECK ONE XORIGINAL SITE -MOVED DATE_ Located one block from the main intersection of Elm and Main Streets, the Millbury Post Office is one of the town's more prominent land- marks. It is a community gathering place contiguous to the business and commercial area in a setting of municipal buildings and three early homesteads of historic interest. The Millbury Post Office, generally square in plan, some 65 feet long by 55 feet in depth, plus platform area, contains 4,000 square feet of floor space. The full basement meets the needs of the Post Office for storage and service spaces. The construction is of concrete foundations on spread footings, reinforced concrete floor slabs, solid masonry bearing walls of uniform thickness supporting a steel framed flat roof, with wood rafters framing the low pitched hip entrance roof that emphasizes the central core theme.

While the floor plan is typical of other post offices in surrounding locales, the articulation of the entrance motif with its prime roof variations, coupled with the splendid use of deep, elongated piers, boldly presents a dramatic entrance portico. Unusual in its approach, it effectively changes the concept of the standard presentation to a simplistic, vigorous statement, substantiated by the deep interplay of heavy shadow lines. The Millbury Post Office alludes to the Moderne design in its style presentation, popularized some years earlier with its flat surfaces, severe detailing and sharply defined geometric shapes. The unusual base treatment is composed entirely of vertically stacked brick headers, supporting a continuous brick watertable.

The remaining brick facades were laid in a common bond, capped with a plain narrow cornice of crisp, clear detail, complementing the design intent and corresponding building elements. Broad granite steps lead up to the entrance portico, extended from the front facade with wide brick piers on each end, flanking the two, narrower deep limestone piers that divide the entrance into three high, monumental bays. This design solution presents the appearance of an extended central core to the relatively flat facade. The outer bays of the entrance portico surround monumental diamond lite windows, resting on unusually detailed wood panels. The center entrance bay is comprised of the familiar, diamond lite transom over the original, two lite, metal covered doors. The blind panels in the doors reflect the diamond theme of the windows.

The entrance doors are surmounted by a gold winged eagle, centered in the transom and lighted by the original pendant type, copper lantern, further dramatizing the entrance bay. NPS Form 10-200-a (3-82) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form Continuation sheet Item number 7 OMB No. 1024-0018 Exp. 10-31-84 For NPS use only received date entered Page 1 On either side of the entrance bays, large double hung windows are centered in an unadorned brick end bay, enhanced only with the recessed brick panel treatment of header coursing which contains the windows, uniting these areas with that of the building base. Four similarly recessed windows are placed symmetrically on each of the building's side facades.

The recessed panels on the side facades tend to create visual pilasters of the remaining brick wall space, depicting the configuration on the front entrance in a more subtle, design statement. Shallow hipped roofs cap and surround the three, minor facades of the building and return into the plain limestone frieze on the extended entrance core, the only embellishment above the brick facade. The protruding, central roof portion of the front facade compliments the apparent central core with a hip roof defining the entrance. This roof is surmounted by a copper cupola, glazed with the same diamond configuration found at the entrance windows. The cupola added the necessary visual finial to amplify and the central core entrance.

The original wood muntined, glass vestibule serves the 'L' shaped lobby, with the Postmaster's office on the right side, facing across the green terrazzo floor to the lock box lobby on the left. Brass dividers in the terrazzo floor terminate at black perimeter strips, shouldered by a similar, black marble base. The white, green veined marble wainscotting is captured by well maintained plywood paneling. Over the Postmaster's door, a full wall mural depicting armored English troops, on horseback, fighting the Indian natives during the King Philip War in 1676, was painted by Joe Lasker in 1941. Philip, ntitce aeet anenee or Metacomet, decimated many white settlements in this general area as retribution for the death of his brother Wamsutta, and the taking of Indian lands by the new settlers.

From the form

The catalogue entry the section above was filed under.

SIGNIFICANCE PERIOD _PREHISTORIC -1400-1499 - 1500-1599 -1600-1699 - 1700-1799 -1800-1899 X1900- -ARCHEOLOGY-PREHISTORIC ARCHEOLOGY-HISTORIC -AGRICULTURE X-ARCHITECTURE ART _COMMERCE -COMMUNICATIONS AREAS OF SIGNIFICANCE - CHECK AND JUSTIFY BELOW -COMMUNITY PLANNING -LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE -CONSERVATION -LAW -_ECONOMICS -LITERATURE _EDUCATION -MILITARY _ENGINEERING -MUSIC -EXPLORATION/SETTLEMENT -PHILOSOPHY -INDUSRY _POLITICS/GOVERNMENT _INVENTION -RELIGION _SCIENCE -SCULPTURE _SOCIAL/HUMANITARIAN _THEATER _TRANSPORTATION _OTHER (SPECIEVI SPECIFIC DATES Constructed 1940 BUILDER

Statement of significance

/ARCHITECTLouis A. Simon, Supv. Arch't. Cutler Constr. Co. Contractor STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE The Millbury Post Office was constructed in 1940. Although less that fifty years old, it possesses integrity of location, design, setting, materials and workmanship, as well as significant associations with the Federal Works Administration and its related Section of Fine Arts, producing employment for the construction trades and fine artists during the depression era. Additionally, it exemplifies the high standard set by the Federal Architects in producing distinctive, progressive detailing on standardized plans, retaining the power and dignity of the Federal Presence at the community level, while maintaining the design harmony of the neighborhood. The building therefore meets the National Register Criteria A and C.

Millbury was originally settled in 1704, as part of the Grant of Sutton, the sixth town on Worcester County. Incorporated as the Town of Sutton on June 21, 1715, the community expanded slowly as an agricultural area on the fertile lands bordering the Blackstone and Singletary Rivers. Millbury, the north or Second Parish of Sutton, became a separate town in 1813. Millbury had three stages on industrial development. From the time of the Revolition until the War of 1812, small independant mills began operation on the banks of the two rivers, manufacturing powder and 22222 paper, followed shortly by the first looms in the area, and the lathe mills, of which Asa H. Waters' was the most famous.

It was at the end of this stage of development that Millbury, economically on a different From this date, until the end of the Civil War in 1865, water privileges were leased by the town to developers and mill owners on the rivers and, with the opening of the Blackstone Canal in 1828, the new mills could ship their goods to Providence and Worcester with comparative ease. During this era, Asa H. Waters obtained the water rights on the Blackstone River, patented his rifle turning lathe, and revolutionized gunsmithing.

The rest of the file

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

MAJOR BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES The Federal Presence - Craig, Lois A. MIT Press 1980 Field Guide to American Architecture, Rifkind, Carole History of Post Office Construction, 1900-1940 Bonanza July 1982 Town of Millbury, A History of Growth, Botty, K. unp.

1954 History of the Town of Millbury, Davis Press 1980 10 GEOGRAPHICAL DATA ACREAGE OF NOMINATED PROPERTY 0.573 A UTM REFERENCES AL119/ L217,219,4,0 14,617,4143,01 ZONE EASTING NORTHING *ZONE EASTING NORTHING NORTHING LELLILUNLILILUI VERBAL BOUNDARY DESCRIPTION Beginning at a point on Elm Street thence running: southwesterly southeasterly 218' 18: 1 along Elm Street along School Street northeasterly 104' northwesterly 40' - westerly 25' northwesterly to the point of origin LIST ALL STATES AND COUNTIES FOR PROPERTIES OVERLAPPING STATE OR COUNTY BOUNDARIES STATE CODE COUNTY CODE N/A STATE CODE COUNTY CODE 1 FORM PREPARED BY NAME / TITLE THE BOSTON PARTNERSHIP, INC., E.

Brett Heenan, March 25, 1986 ORGANIZATION 48 INMAN STREET STREET & NUMBER CAMBRIDGE, CITY OR TOWN (617) 492-8866 TELEPHONE MASSACHUSETTS STATE 02139 12 CERTIFICATION OF NOMINATION STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICER RECOMMENDATION YESX NO_ NONE. Valerie lalmace STATE HISTORÍC PRESERVATION ÓPFICER SIGNATURE In compliance with Executive Order 11593, I hereby nominate this property to the National Register, certifying that the State Historic Preservation Officer has been allowed 90 glays in which to present the nomination to the State Review Board and to evaluate its Significance. The evaluated level of siomificande is - Naponal _State - Local. FEDERAL REPRESENTATIVE SIGNATUBE TITLE DATE Realty Acquisition Specialist, Principal 11-6.86 FOR NPS USE ONLY I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS BROPERTY IS INCLUDED IN TH : NATIONAL REGISTER DIRECTOR.

OFFICE SARENFOTOGY AND HISTORIC PRESERVATION ATTEST: wage ( KEEPER pF THE NATHONAL REGISTER DATE DATE 10/5/p2 10/15/87 GPO 899-214 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 8 OMB No. 1024-0018 Exp. 10-31-84 For NPS use only received date entered Page 1 By the end of the 1860's, private ownership of the water rights, coupled with several substantial reservoirs, had settled and disputed water right claims, and the town continued its economic growth and the detie on dhe d.ack.eon expanding population. The demise of the Blackstone Canal, in 1848, saw the introduction of the Providence and Worcester Railroad, and the transportation of both import and export goods continued to grow without interruption.

The manufacture of cotton textiles was the keystone to Millbury's dynamic economy, which continued to grow, peaking at the time of World War I and slowly declining during the textile recession of the mid- 1920's. The Crash of 1929 and the subsequent decade of depression that blanketed the country, ending only with the material demands of World War II, was disasterous for Millbury. Diversified industry, which wae dasteroun dor mntbur a began infiltrating the area in the early 1900's, aided the economy somewhat, but one-fourth of the town's mills closed and twenty-five percent of the work force was unemployed. In 1933, under the new Roosevelt Administration, James L. Ivory, a prominent, local Democrat, was appointed as the new Postmaster of Millbury, replacing Henry Maxwell, who had been appointed to the position by President Harding.

Postmaster Ivory immediately sought the construction of a new permanent Post Office for the town. Besides the actual need for larger quarters, the building would demonstrate governmental efforts to reduce unemployment and provide the town with a symbol of Federal power and stability during troubled times. The first Post Office had officially opened in Millbury in 1817, with Asa H. Waters, the town's most prominent citizen appointed Postmaster. Mr. Waters obtained space in a storefront on South Main Street, near the corner of Elm Street. The office remained in that location for many years before moving to the Savings Bank Building on Elm Street, at the turn of the century. Mr. Ivory's continued efforts persisted until 1939, when a site was finally selected, adjacent to the Waters Mansion, on the western edge of the commercial district on Elm Street..

Construction began in 1939 for the Post Office, the first non-residential project since the construction of the Colonial Revival high school in 1920. Cutler Construction Company of Boston was awarded the post office project and hired carpenters and laborers from the local area, providing short- term relief for the local economy in terms of the labor force and the infusion of capital for local merchants. NPS Form 10-300-a (3-82) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form Continuation sheet Item number 8 OMB No. 1024-0018 Exp. 10-31-84 For NPS use only received date entered Page 2 Designed under Supervising Architect Louis A.

Simon, the "Father of Starved Classicism", and Neal Mellick, Supervising Engineer for The Federal Works Administration, this Moderne structure, with light Art- Deco detailing, contrasted with the Federal homesteads and gothic- romanesque, commercial surrounds, without alienating or offending the earlier styles. This design style emphasized the progressive programs of the New Deal Era, yet harmonized with the characted of the neighborhood with its warm brick veneer and low hipped roof. Joe Lasker's mural in the lobby, depicting a skirmish between English soldiers and native indians in King Philip's War, followed the dictum of the Section of Fine Arts, requiring that the art work in Federal governmental buildings represent the area or history thereof. Painted on canvas in Lasker's studio and laminated to the plaster wall, the work is a splendid presentation of the original W.P.A.P.

effort to employ artists and introduce "good" art to the public. Under the guiding hand of Postmaster Ivory, who died in office in October, 1943, Millbury became a first-class Post Office and continues to serve the community of Sutton as well as Millbury. A keystone on Elm Street, this bold, crisp and inventive property, unaltered from its original state, is unusually significant in design and important for its contributing role in Millbury's environment. STREET KSTONE PENN N3D SEWAGE DISPOSAL 000 Broake Dorothy Pond 500 ROAD Dw GREENWOO OldCommww Park 632Hill Clear View -Country Club 1Bes1 MARTIN tVER High Sch *Sumpi St Brigid :-400 Cem WORCESTER Central PROVIDE R 00* Y 25 to Howe 390.- Resergoirs Howe ospect Pond 378 PROSPEÇT Hill . Pumpine Field ROAD.

640' 5643 CARLETON Playground West 11bu Ramsho rook Brierly Pond Brook jot Bramanville URBAN Shiner Hole 559 WEST Mayo Pond servoir® UNITED STATES POST OFFICE 119 ELM STREET MILLBURY, MA 01527 WORCESTER SOUTH QUADRANGLE UTM: 19-2/72/940-46/74/430 Staughterhouse Pond 319 Hathawi Pond 550 Sibley 87001764 <50 WASO Form - 177 ("R" June 1984) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES EVALUATION/RETURN SHEET US Post Office-Millbury Main Worcester County MASSACHUSETTS isbetantivo Revien resubmission nomination by person or local government owner objection appeal Working No. SEP -4 1987 Fed. Reg. Date:2 Date Due: - 10/1187 -10/19/87 Action: _LACCEPT.

10-15-87 -RETURN Federal Agency: - -REJECT USPS L NR decision Substantive Review: sample L request Lappeal Reviewer's comments: Exceptionally important noderne Doot office with mural executed Recom./Criteria. by Doekacher entitled"an Reviewer _ Discipline zaclts - Philio War, Date_ veayal distoy neizent in the Kerfedes Yporsoret Deotic - see continuation sheet Nomination returned for: - substantive reasons discussed below ant program 1. Name 2. Location 3. Classification Category Ownership Public Acquisition Status Accessible Present Use 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 - unaltered -altered Check one -original site moved date Describe the present and original (if known) physical appearance summary paragraph completeness clarity alterations/integrity dates boundary selection 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 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 113. Other Z Maps Photographs Heas mack peapeety on full usos map.

Other Questions concerning this nomination may be directed to - Signed- - Date - _ Phone: - GPO 918-450 Comments for any item may be continued on an attached sheet SPECIAL IES ACHIEVING SIGNIFICANCE WITHIN THE LAST 50 Names of Nominated Properties: USPO - Whitnsoille mano, mA USPO= millbury maio, mA Recommendation: Accept A4C // Others(see attached): yes - no X Explanation of recommendation: astached to this sheet (eee beloro) attached to individual property evaluation/return sheet attached to MRA/Theme cover evaluation/return sheet Additional Comments : the artoork exhibited in both Post offices is cited in Park{ markouitzip Democratic Vistaz : fost offices and public Art in the Yew Deal "An Ancident in the King Philip War, 1670, "was woas executed Date: 10/14/87 aut wirk of the neww eal era tete jufill eligibilit ritera AxC. o ender TIS POST OFFICE U. S.

POST OFFICE 119 ELM STREET MILLBURY, MA 01527 PHOTO DATE-JUNE 1985 VIEW FROM NORTH FRONT ELEVATION U. S. POST OFFICE 119 ELM STREET MILLBURY, MA 01527 PHOTO DATE-JUNE 1985 VIEW FROM WEST RIGHT SIDE ELEV. NEGATIVES @ USPS-FREBO LEXINGTON. MA 02173 5W g TOST OLFICE U. S. POST OFFICE 119 ELM STREET MILLBURY, MA 01527 PHOTO DATE-JUNE 1985 VIEW FROM EAST LEFT SIDE ELEV. NEGATIVES @ USPS-FREBO LEXINGTON, MA 02173 POSTMASTER -OFFICE HOURS 9A.M. TO 12M. 2 P.M.TO 5PM. U. S. POST OFFICE 119 ELM STREET MILLBURY, MA 01527 PHOTO DATE-JUNE 1985 LOBBY-WEST WALL WPA MURAL NEGATIVES @ USPS-FREBO LEXINGTON, MA 02173 PO US.MAIL SERVICE UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE Facilities Service Office P.O. Box 324 Lexington, MA 02173-0324 July 29, 1986 NEW ENGLAND FIELD REAL ESTATE & BLDGS. OFFICE DESICN & CONSTR. BRANCH LEXINCTON. MA 023.73 SEP 9 10 22 AM '86 RECEIVED U.S. POSTAL SERVICE/ The Honorable Wynton B.

Adams Chairman, Board of Selectmen, Town of Millbury Town Hall 127 Elm Street Millbury, MA 01527 Dear Chairman Adams: The U.S. Postal Service in conjunction with the Massachusetts State Historiç Preservation Officer in Boston has evaluated the Main Post Office in Millbury and has determined it is significant from an historical viewpoint. In view of the above evaluation, the U.S. Postal Service intends to nominate thisobüilding to the National Register of Historic Places. We would, prior to our taking formal action, appreciate receiving your concurrence. If you concur with our proposed action, kindly return a signed copy of this letter in the enciosed envelope. Sincerely Greyory Gilleland Kenny General Manager * Concur: Wlgaten B. Atena Enclosure RECEIVED JUL S 1986 BOARD OF SELECTMEN MILLBURY, MASS.

WATES POSTA SERVICE UNITED UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE Facilities Department 475 L'Enfant Plaza. SW Washington. DC 20260-6400 November 7, 1986 Ms. Carol D. Shull Chief of Registration National Register of Historic Places National Park Service Department of Interior . c. 30240-1002 Washington, D.C. 20240-1002 Dear Ms. Shull: The Postal Service hereby submits a nomination for the post office located at 119 Elm Street, Worcester County, Millbury, Massachusetts. If you have any questions concerning this nomination, please contact me at (202) 268-3107. Sincerely, realty Acquisition Specialist, Principal Realty Acquisition Division Office of Real Estate Attachment AATES POSTA LINIS U.S.MAIL UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE FACILITIES SERVICE CENTER REAL ESTATE DIVISION WINDSOR, CONNECTICUT 06006-0330 September 1, 1987 Ms. Carol D.

Shull Chief of Registration National Register of Historic Places National Park Service Department of Interior Washington, DC 20240-1002 Dear Ms. Shull: The Postal Service is pleased to submit nominations for the following Post Office facilities: 1. 119 Elm St., Worcester County, Millbury, MA 2. 217_Commerical St., Branstable County, Provincetown, MA 3. 37 Taunton Green, Bristol County, Taunton, MA 4 2 Abbott St., Middlesex County, Woburn, MA 5. 58 Church St., Worcester County, Whitinsville, MA 6. 321 Main St., Middlesex County, Wakefield, MA 7. 48 Waterford Rd., Middlesex County, Winchester, MA 8. 75 Park St., Bristol County, Attleboro, MA 9. 90 Center St., Plymouth County, Middleborough, MA Some of these nominations were submitted previously and returned in order that full quadrangle maps could be included. This has been done in all cases.

Should there be any questions concerning these nominations, please do not hesitate to call me on 203-285-7181. Sincerely, WwliamMosae William S. Moncrief Real Estate Specialist, Principal Enclosures CC: John Sorenson Realty Acquisition Specialist, Principal Washington, DC SEP 4 1987