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NPS Form 10-900 (Rev. 8-86) OMB No. 1024-0018 United States Department of theInterior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Registration Form L5 MAR 2 61990* NATIONAL REGISTER This form is for use in nominating or requesting determinations of eligibility for individual properties or districts. See instructions in Guidelines or 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 Ben jamin Stickney Cable Memorial Hospital other names/site number 2. Location street & number Intersection of Routes 1A and 133 city, town Ipswich state Massachusetts code MA county Essex N/A not for publication N/A vicinity code 009 zip code 01938 3. Classification Ownership of Property X private public-local public-State public-Federal Category of Property X building(s) district site X structure object Number of Resources within Property Contributing Noncontributing _buildings sites 1 _structures objects 1 1 Total Number of contributing resources previously listed in the National Register Name of related muttiple property listing: 4.
State/Federal Agency Certification As the designated authority under the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended, I hereby certify that this X nomination Jrequest for determination of eligibility meets the documentation standards for registering properties in the National Register of Historic Places and meets the proceduraland professional requirements set forth in 36 CFR Part 60. In my opinion, the propertyX meets does not meet the National Register criteria. See continuation sheet. Signature of ceritying official Execut ive Director, Massachusetts Historical 323170 Date Commission; State Historic Preservation Officer State or Federal agency and bureau In my opinion, the property 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 I, hereby, certify that this property is: Ventered in the National Register. See continuation sheet. ]determined eligible for the National Register. See continuation sheet. determined not eligible for the National Register. Cuae AShiM 5-10-90 removed from the National Register. other, (explain:) Signature of the Keeper Date of Action Ben jamin Stickney Cable Memorial Hospital, Ispwich, MA 6. Function or Use Historic Functions (enter categories from instructions) Health Care/Hospital Current Functions (enter categories from instructions) Vacant/Not in use 62 7. Description Architectural Classification (enter categories from instructions) Colonial Revival TO100 Materials (enter categories from instructions) foundation walls Concrete Brick roof other Slate Terra Cotta, Marble, Wood, Asphalt, Metal, Steel Describe present and historic physical appearance.
The Benjamin Stickney Cable Memorial Hospital (Cable Hospital hereafter) is located on an irregular-shaped lot formed by the intersection of Routes 133 and 1A in Ipswich, Massachusetts. It is set back 700 feet t from the intersection and is sited at an elevation of 73.88 feet above sea level, on the promontory of a low hill, and is approached by a curved driveway off Route IA through a large open lawn in which are two parking lots. The driveway bears east at a formal circle (now altered) in front of the entrance to the original building, and exits from the property onto Route 133. The Colonial Revival-style hospital, completed in 1917, is a brick structure set in an H-shaped plan. A large addition, completed in 1961, extends from the east elevation of the original structure. A small, raised grass terrace with steps fills the small court at the main entrance to the 1917 structure.
original building is a larger, open patients' terrace, defined by low concrete and brick walls and a variety of shrubs. One of the two remaining, gabled airing balconies extends from the west elevation to form one edge of the terrace. The east edge of this terrace has been reconfigured with the addition of a dining room, built into the slope in 1961. The original Cable Hospital building (65 feet X 120 feet) is a 2 1/2-story brick load-bearing and terracotta tile structure, H-shaped in plan, with a gable main block and symmetrical projecting wings, which terminate, front and rear, with prominent parapeted gables, each articulated with paired, false chimneys. Gabled, clapboarded dormers are located on the north elevation of the main roof and the east and west elevations of the wings. The roof is clad with variegated purple slate.
A large louvered wood, octagonal ventilator is centered on the ridge line of the main block roof, which also contains a deck, unseen from the ground. The original brick furnace chimney rises through the roof deck midway between the ventilator and the west end. A one-story rectangular airing balcony (10 feet x 30 feet) with a gabled parapet end extends perpendicular to the west elevation. This addition also included the one-story (30 feet x 35 feet) brick and concrete dining room sunk in the terrace behind the addition. Both of the 1961 structures are considered non-contributing elements of the National Register resource. Centered on the rear (south) elevation of the main block is an additional two-story airing balcony, or sun porch, framed in wood with applied moldings, which rests upon clustered wooden posts.
The porch roof was originally topped X See continuation sheet NP& Porm 10-000- (8-05) United States Department of the Interlor National Park Service Natlonal Register of Historlc Places Contlnuatlon Sheet Approvel Ne. 1084-0010 Sectlon number. Page. 1 Benjamin Stickney Cable Memorial Hospital Ipswich, MA with a wooden balustrade. The south porch was seasonally enclosed and has a glass sun porch which extended to either side of the balcony on the first floor and was apparently constructed soon after the hospital opened. By 1955, the sunrooms, which had collapsed because of snow, were replaced with permanent wood frame structures with windows facing the patients' terrace. The H-shaped main block has an active facade with even fenestration and a variety of window styles.
A11 the windows in the original structure have marble sills and splayed lintels, with wood surrounds and double-hung sash. The first level in particular is composed of a number of diverse design elements. The front entrance, topped with a tracery fanlight, is surrounded by a projecting portico with paired columns that support a simple pediment. On both sides of the portico are fixed, ten-light narrow slit windows. These are flanked by large, twelve-light over six arched, double-hung windows with Basement windows, although shortened, reflect those above them in style and detailing. The second floor of the main block is expressed within the roof plane with the gabled dormers. Each dormer has arched, double-hung windows with tracery muntins in the arched top sash.
The north elevation of the east wing of the building, at foundation level, has two rectangular windows and a steel double-door; at the first story there are three rectangular six over six windows; the second story has two centered six over six double-hung windows. Punctuating the gable is a small, centered lunette. The west elevation of this wing has an altered single blind window opening on the first floor. The second-story roof plane has a gabled dormer identical to those on the main block. In 1961 the emergency room entrance was moved from the west side of the original building to the east wing. This resulted in a dramatic change in grade and the addition of a door, concrete bumpers, and a steel columned, metal-roofed porch. As a consequence, the east elevation of this wing has been severely altered.
The west wing's north elevation was also originally organized with three Only the east opening remains a window on the ground level; the center and west bays have been bricked in and made into vents for the furnace room. On the upper level, where the operating room is located, and centered on the north elevation, is a large steel-frame, Palladian-like window set into a semi-circular arch and extends into the second story. The central bay has a single-glazed sheet glass window, and the two flanking openings have working casement vents.
These elements are surmounted by a small fan light with tracery similar to the dormer windows, and is surrounded by an enriched wood (continued) NP&Form 10-800- 0-88 United States Department of the Interlor National Park Service Natlonal Register of Historlc Places Continuation Sheet Approvel No 108-0010 Benjamin Stickney Cable Memorial Hospital Ipswich, MA Sectlon number 7 Page - panel. The architect, wanting to preserve the architectural integrity of the structure, designed a unique solution for incorporating this large opening. Operating rooms of the era used natural light and often had large windows and skylights. This is disguised on the facade by the arch of the Palladian-like window. Inside, on the second floor, the window is enclosed within a soffit structure sheathed in wainscotting, which also served as a sitting bench in the sewing room.
In 1961 a brick furnace chimney was added to the face of this elevation. There are two narrow two over five vent windows which flank the central operating room window; the east window has been partially altered with the installation of louvers. The east elevation of this wing is identical to that described for its counterpart, except that the single opening has not been altered by brick in-fill. The first story on the west élevation, from north to south has two rectangular windows, a broad, plain, segmental-arched frame door, a brick, flat-roofed vestibule entrance with a modern door and a rectangular window above; and a bricked-in window opening at the south end. A small brick and concrete, shed roofed loading dock with a ramp and steps extends partly across this elevation. The remaining airing balcony extends from this elevation as well.
The west end of the complex historically served as a service entrance, handling ambulance calls, deliveries to the basement laboratories, coal delivery, and removal of the deceased. A Classical portico, similar to the front entry, formerly appointed this elevation, with a platform for loading/unloading patients and hospital equipment. An adjacent areaway contained a flight of stairs to the basement. These structures were all modified or replaced in 1961, when the emergency room was transferred to the east portion of the building. The south elevation of the 1917 block is expressed with only the first and second stories above ground level because of the change in elevation of the sloping building site. The west wing has three bays on the first story and two on the second; windows are typical six over six configuration. A lunette is found in the parapeted gable.
There are three half-sashed windows in wells below the terrace grade which illuminate the basement. The east opening at the first-story level has been bricked in. The east wing's south elevation is similar, but there are only two bays and a lunette on each of the three levels. The return elevations of each wing (east and west) are short sections of wall that both contain a single bricked-in window opening. Perpendicular to the west wing stands the remaining airing balcony. It is a one-story gabled brick structure with a slate roof. There are three recessed brick panels on the north elevation; each has a small rectangular window at (continued) 700-0016 Nas tom 10800e United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number Page - Benjamin Stickney Cable Memoiral Hospital Ipswich, MA the top.
A small door had been added in the center bay in 1971. When constructed, these three bays were covered with wooden lattice. The south elevation was filled in with a wood and glass wall in ca. 1955 and later became part of an enclosed walkway to the adjacent medical office building (1971). Originally, the south elevation was open to the air with no windows or lattice, allowing patients to convalesce in the sunshine and fresh air. The end wall of this balcony has an eight over eight, double-hung window in a semi-circular arched opening and a wooden fan light. Northwest of the airing balcony and linked by a brick wall and gate, is the ambulance court and ambulance garage, containing living quarters for the staff. The garage and court were removed in 1971, making way for the adjacent medical building (not part of this nomination).
ons ti 1904, 5r gar of poant fore tie st eo ar, of the orgtnat sain bofcplans fed cied in size At the same time, a new parking lot and electrical transformer station were added. In 1971, with the construction of the Cable Medical Center (not part of this property), a 57-car parking lot was constructed adjacent to Cable Memorial Hospital. The area in front of the hospital, which is enclosed by the wings, is a raised brick and marble edged terrace planted with grass. The terrace survives intact. A brick walk leads to the hospital entrance, and on the walls of the terrace flanking the entrance are two original Classical cast-iron lamp posts. The patients' terrace, a rectangular grassy area surrounded by a low concrete foundation wall, lies behind the hospital and is 175 feet x 80 feet in dimension.
Originally, the terrace was enclosed with a low brick wall, detailed with marble copings and spheres. These features, and two pergolas, which were located in the southeast and southwest corners of the terrace, were removed in 1961 to reduce maintenance costs. The 1961 sunken dining room altered the east side of the terrace, although the low brick wall and coping were repeated to screen the asphalt roof. The southern edge of the terrace is lined with shrubs and trees and planting beds. Intensive maintenance of this perimeter was abandoned in the 1940s with the death of Ramsey Sinclair, a maintenance staffmember. The south lawn, beyond the patients' terrace, was originally mowed, but has been allowed to return to woodland. Except for a narrow fire lane passing through this area from its origin at Route 133, the former lawn is entirely overgrown with mature hardwood trees.
(continued) NPS Porm 10-000-1 (1-00) United States Department of the Interlor National Park Service Natlonal Register of Historlc Places Continuation Sheet Approvel No. 1084-0010 Benjamin Stickney Cable Memorial Hospital Ipswich, MA Sectlon number - Page. In 1961, a three-story, rectangular, flat-roofed addition, designed by James H. Ritchie & Associates, Boston, was added to the east elevation of the original structure. The addition is related to the original structure through use of the same materials and colors (red brick and marble trim), the same east/west axis, roof line, and lintel configuration. Windows have steel frames and sash. There are no windows on the first story; and five mullioned six over six windows on the third story with a single eight over eight window in the west end bay.
Large air vents and grates of sheet metal run along the first story at ground level on the north elevation. The east elevation is not fenestrated but has a vertical, white marble decorative panel. The windows fill the two west bays of the second story and a mullioned six over six window is adjacent to the latter. The third story has eight over eight windows in the two west end bays; the remaining five bays contain mullioned six over six windows. The block is surmounted by a large rectangular, one-story brick elevator penthouse. The transformer station, a one-story, brick, I-shaped utility structure, is situated approximately 50 feet north of the 1961 addition. This noncontributing structure also houses the emergency generator for the hospital complex. An ad jacent wooden utility pole marks the electrical service entrance off the main grid, which runs along Route 133.
The 1961 addition increased the capacity of the hospital from 20 to 41 beds and resulted in a re-arrangement of the functions of the 1917 structure, although the basic central corridor plan and many of the original features, surfaces, and significant spaces remain intact. Hospital architects of the -early twentieth century were specific regarding materials and design for wall and floor surfaces, as Edward F. Stevens expressed in Cable Hospital. The materials recommended by Stevens in his book, The American Hospital of the Twentieth Century, were those used and still found in the wards and operating oued er te waoee rooms. Most floors are either covered with linoleum or the original polished terrazzo; walls and ceilings of patient rooms and hallways are smooth-surfaced hard plaster, with base, ceilings, and wall corners coved to inhibit unsanitary conditions.
The red tile floors of the airing balcony and south porch areas are extant. The operating room and its innovative window is essentially intact, as are the original dark buff Greuby tiles (now painted white) and gray sand tile floor, surgical instrument cases and radiator. Tiles have been added above the Grueby tiles and the original interior storm window has been removed. Memorial Hall, the crossing of the central corridor, and the patients' day room, all located on the first floor and part of the original entrances to the block, are the most significant spaces within Cable Hospital. The enriched architectural treatment of these spaces includes paneled wainscotting, leaded-glass French doors, ceiling crown moldings, and (continued) NºS Porm 10-000a (0-06 United States Department of the Interlor National Park Service Natlonal Register of Historlc Places Continuation Sheet Approvel No.
1084-0018 Benjamin Stickney Cable Memorial Hospital Ipswich, MA Sectlon number Page - semi-circular arches in the corridors with keystones. Marble memorial tablets in the entry vestibule recall the original benefactors; the bronze tablets inside (now removed for security reasons) are in memoriam to Benjamin Stickney Cable. Iwo side rooms, off Memorial Hall, which functioned as a waiting coom and the administrator's office, are similarly finished but have been altered somewhat with dropped ceilings and a partially in-filled door opening. Several pairs of the original leaded-glass doors are missing. Nursing staff originally lived on the second floor of the hospital. Finishes of door and window openings typically include single half-round moldings (to facilitate cleaning) and battered door openings.
The original staff dining room, labs and autopsy room, as well as the boiler plant, were all located in the basement. Extensive changes have been made in room partitions and finishes in these areas, as technology and patient care have advanced. There are two original steel stairways in the building, one at the west end, the second closer to the east end. The latter connected the nurses' living quarters on the second floor with the original dining room and kitchen in the basement, now a staff lounge. wrought-iron balusters, hardwood handrails, and square steel newel posts ornamented with brass knobs. Treads are molded terrazzo. Interior spaces and finishes in the 1961 addition, while not of historic significance, fall on the same general central corridor plan. Terrazzo floors and hard plaster finishes are typically carried through this wing.
A modern steel, fire-rated staircase is located at the northeast corner the building. There are two elevators in the Cable Hospital (1917, 1961); both are operated electrically and are cable type. The cars have plain, unornamented steel walls and doors. Cable Hospital, in active service between 1917-1980 and closed in 1987, retains integrity of its original location, setting, material, workmanship, feeling and association, and conveys the character of the original architectural and landscape plan, although continually updated to meet demands of advancing medical science, clinical space, and patient treatment requirements. The integrity of the original intact and distinguishable. Although altered by the 1961 addition, which affected the east elevation of the hospital and part of the patients' terrace, T ot the Bopteat ae the principal elevations, grades, and circulation plan survive.
(continued) (NPe rom 108000 Unlted States Department of the Interlor National Park service Natlonal Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet No. 108-0010 Benjamin Stickney Cable Memorial Hospital Ipswich, MA Sectlon number 7 Page 6 ARCHAEOLOGICAL DESCRIPTION While no prehistoric sites are currently recorded on the property, it is likely that sites are present. At least 14 known sites have been recorded in the general area (within one mile), and two sites, 19-ES-110 and 19-ES-339 may extend onto the hospital property. Coastal Essex County maintains one of the highest prehistoric site densities in Massachusetts. These factors plus the locational characteristics of the property, a well drained, level promontory on a low hill in close proximity to the Ipswich River and Plum Island Sand Marshes, indicates a high potential for locating sites.
There is also a high potential for locating significant historical archaeological remains on the property. Systematic survey and testing could determine whether or not Plantation Period or later survivals exist on the property. Ipswich was settled during the seventeenth century with the initial settlement less than one mile from the hospital property. Due to the close proximity of the hospital to the Ipswich River and the town's first settlement locus a distinct possibility exists for recovering survivals of this and later periods on hospital property. Archaeological survivals and trash deposits may exist on hospital property related to specific functions of the hospital. Structural remains and features (trash pits, privies) associated with Capt. Mason's fifty tents and wooden barracks may exist on the patients' terrace outside the hospital building.
(end) BinjaminStickney Cable Hospital, Ipswich, MA 8. Statement of Significance