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NPS Form 10-900 (Rev. 8-86) OMB No. 1024-0018 RECEIVED United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Registration Form DEC 2 819871 NATIONAL REGISTER This form is for use in nominating or requesting determinations of eligibility for individual properties or districts. See instructions in Guidelines for Completing National Register Forms (National Register Bulletin 16). Complete each item by marking "x" in the appropriate box or by entering the requested information. If an item does not apply to the property being documented, enter "N/A" for "not applicable."For functions, styles, materials, and areas of significance, enter only the categories and subcategories listed in the instructions. For additional space use continuation sheets (Form 10-900a). Type all entries. 1.
Name of Property historic name District 13 Police Station other names/site number 2. Location street & number 28 Seaverns Avenue city, town Boston (Jamaica Plain) state Massachusetts code 025 county Suffolk code N/A not for publication N/A vicinity 025 zip code 02130 3. Classification Ownership of Property Xl private public-local public-State public-Federal Category of Property X building(s) district site structure object Name of related multiple property listing: N/A Number of Resources within Property Contributing Noncontributing 1 buildings sites structures objects 1 Total Number of contributing resourcespreviously listed in the National Register _ 0 4.
State/Federal Agency Certification As the designated authority under the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended, 1 hereby certify that this XI nomination LIrequest for determination of eligibility meets the documentation standards for registering properties in the NationalRegisterofHistoric Places and meets theprocedural and professional requirements set forth in 36 CFR Part 60. In my opinion, the property LXmeets does not meet the National Register criteria. See continuation sheet. Vaune A Talma DeC.22,1987 Signature of certifying official Executive Director, Massachusetts Historical Comnission State or Federal agency and bureau State Historic Preservation Officer In my opinion, the property meets does not meet the National Register criteria. See continuation sheet. Signature of commenting or other official Date State or Federal agency and bureau 5.
National Park Service Certification 1, hereby, certify that this property is: Jentered in the National Register. See continuation sheet. determined eligible for the National Register. See continuation sheet. determined not eligible for the National Register. Patuck Andus 2/10/88 removed from the National Register. other, (explain:) Signature of the Keeper Date of Action 6. Function or Use District 13 Police Station, Boston, Massachusetts Historic Functions (enter categories from instructions) Current Functions (enter categories from instructions) Government; correctional facility domestic; multiple dwelling 7. Description Architectural Classification (enter categories from instructions) High Victorian Gothic Materials (enter categories from instructions) foundation walls roof other sandstone redbrick slate N/A Describe present and historic physical appearance.
The District 13 Police Station, at 28 Seaverns Avenue in Jamaica Plain, is an unusual exanp le of the High Victorian Gothic Style, in an area still largely canprised of Greek Revival, Italianate, Queen Anne,and Colonial Revival frane houses. Although the police station itself is just 2 1/2-stories high, the red brick structure doninates the neighborhood. The structure is the only Gothic style municipal building in Janaica Plain, and is one of just a few high Victorian style buildings in the City of Boston. The original building is a simple rectangle in plan, but the steep ly pitched roan, off-center entrance, donners, and other window treatment create the 1llusion ofvariety and irregularity characteristic of this style. The use of red brick and contrasting stone trim give further vitallty to the design.
Two full floors are set above a raised basenent, with dorners in the hipped roof providing light to the large attic space. The Maple Place facade is three bays wide, with two windows on either side of a central door at ground level. On the first and second floors, paired lancet windows are flanked by wider sing le windows. The main facade of Seaverns Avenue is divided into six bays with end bays projecting slightly fron the center four. Each end bay contains two windows on the basenent level and a pair of arched windows on the first and second floors. The front entrance off-set at the eastern end of the central section, is reached by a flight of stone steps f lanked by heavy stone posts with a carved quatrefoil motif. An ornate cast iron fence runs along the Seaverns Avenue edge of the property, and in a subdued version fonns the bannister for these steps.
The carved,wooden, double doors are franed by a shallow pointed arch. The original transon and door lights are missing, as is much of the window sash. A trio of lancet windows and sing le arched window, set between recessed panels, complete the first floor of this central section; four evenly spaced sing le arched windows make up the second floor. xSee continuation sheet NPSForm10-000~ (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number _ Page . OMBApprova/ No. 1024-0018 District 13 Police Station, Boston, Massachusetts Windows throughout the two main floors terminate in pointed arches with polychranatic voussoirs of red and beige stone. Those on the basenent level are flat-headed with rosettes carved in the center of the stone lintels.
The sane light-colored standstone is used for quoins at the corners of the main String courses forning the sills of the windows and others at the spring-line of the first floor window arches are also of this contrasting stone, as is the sloping water table above the basenent level. Thebracketed cornice supports a steep roof originally conposed of bands of slate in contrasting colors; it is now a uniforn gray. Five pyranidal-roof ed domers pierce the roof on the north and south facades. The central domers contains a pair of narrow 1/1 windows; the others have a single 2/2 sash. A trip le-window dorner sumounted by a spired ventilation shaft is set into the end slopes. The original floor plan of the building is still very much in evidence. On the basenent level, the bars of the old jail cells can be seen.
The first floor contains several offices with surviving trim, while the second floor Tocker roon still contains many of its original oak lockers. Adjacent to the locker roon is an area originally partitioned for use as sleeping quarters for the policenen, and later converted to servicenen's quarters (c. 1943). Although these partitions have since been renoved,some original trin renains. The attic was never finished, though it is spacious and well-lit. Largewoodbeams andbrick piers intersect the space, with additional support suppTied by iron tie-rods. The annex (ca. 1892), connected to the rear of the original building by a 1 1/2-story passageway, is of the sane red brick and originaliy had Ronanesque decorative elenents in red terra cotta and Longneadow stone.
Architect Edmund Wheelwright's 1892 rendering of the design for this building shows a single pointed-arched entrance on Maple Place, with seven windows set between colonettes on the floor above. The Starr Lane facade has a similar doorway below two-triple-arched windows, and the whole was crowned with a low hipped roof. Its Gothic arches and use of polychrony related this annex to the 1873 building. The annex contained a patrol-wagon house and stable on the ground floor, with a municipal courtroan, offices and a doritory above. The hayloft was built above the domitory, and a small staircase connected these two roans with the stable below. The courtroon has a a public staircase, a private staircase for court offices, and a set of stairs for crininals that led to the covered passageway connecting to the jail cells in the main building.
continued NPS Form 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number - Page. 2 OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 District 13 Police Station, Boston, Massachusetts An early 20th century renovation converted the stables to a garage. At this tine the arched entrance on Maple Place was replaced by two round-arched vehicular entrances with oversized fanlights. The colonted windows above were replaced by larger keystoned windows, as were the windows on the passageway. On the Starr Lane, facade the doorway was filled in with brick, and large 9/9 windows were substituted for the triple-arched Romanesque ones. The Georgian Revival style, of the exterior renovations, was carried through to the interior. The wainscoting and trin in the courtroon appear to have been renodeled during this renovation.
Although the date is not docunented, stylistic evidence suggests that these alterations were carried out in the 1920's. Archaeo logy While no prehistoric sites are currently recorded on the property, it is possible that sites are present. At least eight known sites are located in close proxinity (within one mile) to the station. In addition, its prox inity to Janaica Pond, Muddy River and Stony Brook would have made this an attractive area for nature settlenent and substence. Although these factors indicate a high site potential for the original landscape, historical developnent in the area, and the small size of the lot suggest that the liklihood of significant prehistoric survivals is low. These factors also suggest that the potential for significant historic sites is low.
Sone early sett lenent (17th -18th centuries) of Boston (then Roxbury) occurred in the area although later developnent probably destroyed most sites. 8. Statement of Significance