BlockThe nomination, in full
Bibliography, boundary description, and the people who prepared and reviewed the nomination.
FORM B - BUILDING 2253 NECO 5 1989 MUL - IKA, MADO. AREA FORM NO. MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION 80 BOYLSTON STREET BOSTON, MA 02116 15-4 Town Somerville Address Alewife Brook Parkway Historic Name Mystic Pumping Station Photo (3"x3" or 3"x5", black and white) Indicate address of property on back of photo. Staple to left side of form. Sketch Map: Draw map showing property's location in relation to nearest cross streets and/or geographical features. Indicate all buildings between inventoried property and nearest intersection(s). see altached Indicate north Use: Present maintenance shop Original punmins station DESCRIPTION Date 1 1852- Source Boston Water Works, lvstic Sunnly 1862-1565 Style Second Emnire Architect Seorce N. Baldwrin: Cherles!
Stevenson ExteriorWall Fabrichnick Outbuildings original demolished; replaced in 1940s with flat-roffed brick office structure Major Alterations (with dates) 1870,addition; 1895, additior; both for housing additiona] steam engines Condition 500d Moved Acreage Setting _ Date anproxinatelr two acres unban on edme of MDC mreenbelt UTM REFERENCE 19/324650/4597843 USGS QUADRANGLE SCALE Lexington, Ma 1:25,000 Recorded by _ .Tane Tarolan Organization Louis Berger &: Associates Date January 1934; revised 1980 MDC - TRA, MASS.
NATIONAL REGISTER CRITERIA STATEMENT (if applicable) Ine ystic Pumpins station is sicnificant because of its association witii the Mystic Water Worics ssem n t rpresentatr id ineteenth century small, integrated muncipal water sugply - system - It retains integrity of location, setting, materials, worlmanshig and feeling anddesig, +meets criteria C of the National Register of Historic Places. The boundary of the Mystic Pumping Station is"ectangular shape that includes the buildins. itself and two small areas of grass between the building and sidewalk in front of the building. The boundary is shown as the red line on the attacied man, Mystic Water Woris, Metropolitan Water Works, Land Plans, 1897. Scale: 100' = 1". ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE Describe important architectural features and evaluate in terms of other buildings within the community.
(15-L) (45-3) The liystic Water Works comnler includes Upper and Lower Ilystic Lakes, a dam, a gatehousen and a pumming station all built between 1262 and 1865. The facilities are in a' dense suburban area. The dam and gatehouse are adjacent to each other and located between Upper and Lower Mystic Lake The pumping station is located in the Mystic River Pariwway, an MDC greenbelt parkway approximate one-quarter mile southwest of the dam and gatehouse. The Mystic Lakes are natural glacial kettle ponds and were originally three ponds, now combined into two. The station is a one and one-nalf story, mansard-roofed structure of load bearing brick. The symmetrically arranged 9-bay main block is flanked on the west by a 4-bay wing added in 1895, and on the east by a two-bay wirg added in 1870, both of which conform stylistically to the original main block.
Much of the original detail remains and only a cupola and some decorative iron work from the roofs has been removed. In 1887 the Water Board noted that the roof trusses in the station were "old and distorting." The same year most of these trusses were renlaced HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE Explain the role owners played in local or state history and how theont). building relates to the development of the community. The Nystic Pumping Station was built between 1862 and 1865 by the City of Charlestown and incorporated into the 3oston Water Board when Charlestown was annexed by the City of Boston in 1874. It was built smaller than originally designed due to construction costs.
The building contained two-Worthington steam engines, one with a capacity of 8,000,000 mdg; the other, 5,000,000 mdg- A one hundred foot chimney was connected to the station by an underground With the addition of the City of Everett to the system a third engine was added which required construction of the east addition. A fourth engine, added in 1895, soon after the Metropolitan Vater Board took over the works, required construction of the west wing. In 1912 the engines were soldfor scrap. During World War I the building was renovated into offices and used for research. In 1921 the building was again renovated and the chimney demolished. Today the building is used for a maintenance office and shop for the MDC. The Mystic Water System has been out of service for many years, and has thus lost integrity as a system.
Three of its components nevertheless do retain integrity and remain as good examples of their type of property. These are the Mystic Dam (15-2), the Mystic Gatehouse (15-3), and the Mystic Pumping Station (15-4). BIBLIOGRAPHY and/or REFERENCES boston Water Works Mystic Sunoly 1862-5, Record Description of the Mystic Water Works kept at time of their construction during the year 1862-3-4-5 by Roberdeau Buchanan, S.B. Asst. Eng- Copied 1878. Manual of American Waterworks, 1890. Report of the Metropolitan Water Board, 1887. Annual Report of Metropolitan Water Board, 1912. Annual Reports of Metropolitan District Conmission, 1918, 1920, 1923, 1933 - INVENTORY FORM CONTINUATION SHEET MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Office of the Secretary, Boston Conmmity : Somerville Form No: 15-4 Property Name: Mystic Pumping Statior Indicate each item on inventory form which is being continued below.
ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE: by triangular wood trusses reinforced with iron tie rods. Several of the original trusses remain near the middle of the main block. They are about one foot in diameter, and are built up from thirteen narrow strips of laminated wood and connected to the building's walls with tie buckles. In 1912 the engines were removed and the building converted into offices. The structure was renovated again in 1921 andthe large brick chimney removed. The building is used today by the MDC for maintenance shops and offices. Staple to Inventory form at bottom (UPS Fom 100000 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number - Page- Water Supply System of Metropolitan Boston MPS Middlesex, Norfolk, Suffolk and Worcester Counties, MASSACHUSETTS S.hatantive Rerter COVER 1.
Ashland Dam and Spillway L 54i,2. Framingham Reservoir No. 3 Dam aguoe294 Jevton 3. Framingham Reservoir No. 2 Dam and Gatehouse 4. Framingham Reservoir No. 1 Dam and Gatehouse 5. Hopkinton Dam and Spillway 6. Lake Cochituate Dam 7. Medford Pipe Bridge 1. S'N 1 8. Middlesex Fells Reservoirs Historic District Subataalére leyten 9. Mystic Dam - Sup 10. Mystic Gatehouse 11. Mystic Pumping Station Jubstatdiro Jorios 12. Sudbury Aqueduct Linear District 13. Sudbury Dam Historic District 14. Weston Aqueduct Linear District 15. Fisher Hill Reservoir and Gatehouse 16. Forbes Hill Standpipe 17. Bellevue Standpipe 18. Chestnut Hill Reservoir Historic District L Sul 19. Marlborough Brook Filter Beds Substandiva Rerio, OMB Approval No.
1024-0018 DATE LISTED Bethh Sazge 01-18-90 shlmeDye1-18-40 Buth Suze 01-18-30 AelnesBgue 1-18-90 SulamByud1-18-90 AelumByud 1-18-90 AelaurBjaa118+0 AelanByuel1-18-50 age 01-18-90 DeloreeByaw11840 potZ Saze 01-18-30 AuluinByu11t 40 SuenneBgu 175-40 AuelouByan 1-1870 AlmByu 11890 AeluDyun1-18-90 AelmBgun1-1840 Aelmueßyer 118-90 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES EVALUATION/RETURN SHEET REQUESTED ACTION: NOMINATION PROPERTY Mystic Pumping Station NAME: MULTIPLE Water Supply system of Metropolitan Boston MPS NAME: STATE & COUNTY: MASSACHUSETTS, Middlesex DATE RECEIVED: 12/05/89 DATE OF 16TH DAY: 1/04/90 DATE OF PENDING LIST: 12/19/89 DATE OF 45TH DAY: 1/19/90 DATE OF WEEKLY LIST: REFERENCE NUMBER: 89002255 NOMINATOR: STATE REASONS FOR REVIEW: ER NPATAPROBEEM N PEPROANOROVEDN REQUEST: N SAMPLE: N SLR DRAFT: N NATIONAL: COMMENT WAIVER: N ACCEPT _RETURN REJECT 1/18/90 DATE Iatered 1n the Istional Register ABSTRACT/SUMMARY COMMENTS: RECOM./CRITERIA REVIEWER DISCIPLINE DATE DOCUMENTATION see attached comments Y/N see attached SLR Y/N CLASSIFICATION count resource type STATE/FEDERAL AGENCY CERTIFICATION FUNCTION historic current DESCRIPTION architectural classification materials descriptive text SIGNIFICANCE Period Areas of Significance--Check and justify below Specific dates Builder/Architect Statement of Significance (in one paragraph) 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 BIBLIOGRAPHY GEOGRAPHICAL DATA acreage UTMS verbal boundary description _boundary justification ACCOMPANYING DOCUMENTATION/PRESENTATION sketch maps USGS maps OTHER COMMENTS photographs presentation Questions concerning this nomination may be directed to Phone Signed Date MDC - TRA, MASS.
Mystic Pumping Statin, Somm Jane Cavolai Mactha Bowrrs Louis Buyer tAss. etrepelitan Wator Supply system O M E E NASTiC D Mystic Pumping Station Mystic Water Works, Metropolitan Water Works, Land Plans, 1897. Scale: 100' = 1" MDC - TRA, MASS. JEROMES 1A58O O ¡Location Lof Metropolitan Sewo, through Rumping Station, grounds: The parccel of 8670 Sg.fh on which the Pumping Station stands was laken in fee, and of the remainder. an casement. only was oblained to75oo? 5 OME (87.94 =- <8g} T.158.50 Boston 289° Levi C.Ieel. Arca. 2½. Acras. (includes 8670.Sq ft lakier by commonwealth) 112.21 -225A 1200g- Metropolitar Pumping Ste A 8670+59 ARLINI Please refer to the map in the Multiple Property Cover Sheet for this property Multiple Property Cover Sheet Reference Number: 64500254