Nomination for Upton Town Hall

From the form

The catalogue entry the section above was filed under.

NPS Form 10-900 (Rev. 10-90) OMB No. 1024-0018 RECEIVED 2280 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service 185 JAN | 4 1999 National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NAT. REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES NATIONAL PARK SERVICE This form is for use in nominating or requesting determinations for individual properties and districts. See instructions in How to Complete the National Register of Historic Places Registration Form (National Register Bulletin 16A). Complete each item by marking "x" in the appropriate box or by entering the information requested. If any item does not apply to the property being documented, enter "N/A" for "not applicable." For functions, architectural classification, materials, and areas of significance, enter only categories and subcategories from the instructions.

Place additional entries and narrative items on continuation sheets (NPS Form 10-900a). Use a typewriter, word processor, or computer, to complete all items. 1. Name of Property historic name UPTON TOWN HALL other names/site number 2. Location street & number 1 MAIN STREET city or town UPTON state_MASSACHUSETTS code MA . county WORCESTER ._ not for publication _ vicinity code_027_zip code_01568 3. State/Federal Agency Certification As the designated authority under the National Historic Preservation Act of 1986, as amended, I hereby certify that thisfe nomination - request for determination of eligibility meets the documentation standards for registering properties in the National Register of Historic Places and meets the procedural and professional requirements set forth in 36 CFR Part 60. In my opinion, the property meets - does not meet the National Register Criteria.

1 recommend that this property be considered significant O,nationally - statewide (Jocally. (O See continuation sheet for additional comments.) uditz B. MiDenous 16/99 Signature of certifying official/Title Judith B. McDongugh, Executive Director Massachusetts Historical Commission, State Historic Preservation Officer State or Federal agency and bureau In my opinion, the property D meets does not meet the National Register criteria. (D See continuation sheet for additional Comments.) Signature of certifying official/Title State or Federal agency and bureau 4. National Park Service Certification 1, hereby certify that this property is: entered in the National Register - See continuation sheet. - determined eligible for the National Register - See continuation sheet.

- determined not eligible for the National Register C removed from the National Register D other (explain): Date Hei t Ball Date of Action 212.99 Upton Town Hall Name of Property 5. Classification Ownership of Property (Check as many boxes as apply) _private x public-local _ public-State _ public-Federal Worcester, MA County and State (Check only one box) x building(s) _ district site _ structure _object Number of Resources within Property (Do not include previously listed resources in the count.) Contributing Noncontributing 1 Name of related multiple property listing (Enter "N/A" if property is not part of a multiple property listing.) building sites _structures objects 1 Total Number of contributing resources previously listed in the National Register n/a 6.

Function or Use Historic Functions (Enter categories from instructions) Town Hall Current Functions (Enter categories from instructions) Town Hall 7. Description Architectural Classification (Enter categories from instructions) High Victorian Gothic Materials (Enter categories from instructions) foundation stone walls _ brick, sandstone, terra cotta roof other asphalt Narrative Description (Describe the historic and current condition of the property on one or more continuation sheets.) 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. OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Upton Town Hall Upton (Worcester Co.), MA 7. Description The Upton Town Hall is a large, brick, High Victorian Gothic building constructed in 1884 on Central Square in that town's center village.

In keeping with the aesthetic tenets of that style, the building expresses its many functions in its massing and ornament, with a distinct front section for the town offices and library, and a large rear component enclosing an ample auditorium. Its date of construction, size, and materials are all indicative of its role within an expanding manufacturing community, a town eager to accommodate important services in an ambitious and conspicuous building. The Town Hall sits on a small, nearly square lot, covered in asphalt, facing east onto Main Street and the bottom of the square, between two narrow roadways, Warren and Nelson Streets. Central Square is a complex intersection of Main, North Main, Milford, Grove, Church and Warren streets, focusing on the central Town Common. These roads extend in a spoke-like fashion, crossing and joining to the other major roads of the center village.

Upton Center is a section of Upton's extensive center village, a sprawling settlement extending along the winding North Main/Main street corridor across the center of town. Upton's Common forms the focal point of Central Square, and around it are found the area's major public buildings. The second meeting house stood in the area for a century and a half, first as the town's meeting house and, later moved and remodeled to serve as Waverly Hall, continuing as a secular meeting place. At that time, the tower and porch were removed, and it was updated in the Greek Revival style by applying paneled pilasters supporting a closed pediment on the gable end. It was located next to the Unitarian Church until it was demolished during the 1950s.

This change of use of the meeting house was the result of a split among its members into Unitarians and Trinitarians, each of whom built its own new church in 1848, employing late versions of the Greek Revival style. First Congregational Church (4 North Main Street, MHC #3) is a gabled nave-plan building with a vestibule and pilaster ornament. The First Unitarian, later the Holy Angels Roman Catholic Church (3 North Main Street, MHC #9), is also a gabled nave-plan, in this instance with an Ionic portico. The Methodist Church, now the Knowlton-Risteen Building (4 Main Street, MHC #12), was built in 1876, and altered a century later when it became the town's library. Originally a Queen Anne style building with a tower, it was significantly altered and received a new gambrel roof. The last public building added to the square was the Town Hall, in 1884.

(continued) NPS Form 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Section number - Page . Upton Town Hall Upton (Worcester Co.), MA Commercial buildings were common additions to town civic centers, and Upton's experience is no exception. Four stores survive facing onto Central Square, and each bears key features characteristic of commercial buildings at the time of its construction. The Stoddard- Aldrich Store (2 Grove Street, MHC #11) is a two-story, hip-roofed building from 1833, with a modern wing and a porch screening its facade. The Arcade Block (1 North Main Street, MHC #10) was constructed three years later; a wide four-bay, end-gabled main block with a low wing to the south, connecting it to a lower end-gabled block, screened by a modern porch.

Replacing the Fiske Building after it burned in 1874, the Lesure Building (6 Milford Street, MHC #8) is a two-story, hip-roofed block with corner tower. The Boston Branch Store (8 North Main Street, MHC #6) is a two-story mansard block of three bays across and a deep footprint, built in 1892. The Maroney Block (2 Church Street, MHC #2) is actually a pair of buildings, built in 1915. One of the pair is a "tax-payer block," the other a low single-story garage, constructed of rough- faced concrete block. The survival of Wood's Blacksmith Shop (9 North Main Street, MHC #7), an altered one-story gabled block, is unusual. Southwick's Tavern, whose appearance is known from historic photographs, stretched to seven irregular bays across its facade and was also exceptionally deep, all related to its public function.

The western section had a separate entry and appears to have enclosed a shop, a common practice at this time. The building was demolished to make way for the Town Hall. Following the regional pattern of center village development, Upton Center includes a number of ambitious houses dating to the early 19th century when clustering first formed a village within the agricultural landscape. Large two-story, center-chimney houses, trimmed with similar Federal entry treatments, include the Pease Houses (29 Main Street, MHC #32, and 2 Pleasant Street, MHC #147). Larger and more fashionable contemporaries survive as well, including several Federal ell houses, the Hale House (32 Main Street, MHC #34), the Norcross House (26 Main Street, MHC #29), and the Messenger House (5Pleasant Street, MHC #149).

A small group of large double houses were built by the Nelson family (5,8 and 11 Main Street, MHC #15,18 and 19). As a result of the building boom of the 1830s and 1840s, small Greek Revival houses are also found in Upton Center, adding to the character of the village. Small 1 ½ story cottages were particularly popular here as well as elsewhere in Upton, including a dozen examples. Well-preserved examples include the houses built by William B. Hall at 2 and 4 Plain Street (MHC #145,146), that built by Elijah Stoddard (25 Main Street, MHC #30), and the example that mixes Gothic and Greek elements (12 Pleasant Street, MHC #152). End houses were popular as well, and nearly as numerous. One which employs the temple front is the Rogers House (11 Plain Street, MHC #156), with a full Doric portico.

Large well-preserved examples include the Messinger House (46 Main Street, MHC #40) and the Hall House (continued) NPS Form 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Section number - Page- Upton Town Hall Upton (Worcester Co.), MA (6 Pleasant Street, MHC #150). End houses built later in the century, with Italianate and Queen Anne ornament include a number of examples, such as the Goldthwaite House (48 Main Street. MHC #42), the Murphy House (78 Main Street, MHC #62), and the Walker House (24 Main Street, MHC #28). New construction slowed considerably in the 20th century, and only a small number of later or modern buildings were constructed in this area.

Within this landscape, the Town Hall is an outstanding landmark, comparable in scale and brick construction only with the Knowlton Hat Factory (NRIND) in West Upton. The Upton Town Hall is a well-preserved, large-scale, and complexly massed building in the High Victorian Gothic style, measuring about 80' across at its widest point, and about 100' feet in depth. It is composed of two distinct portions, a particularly complex section in the front which houses town offices and circulation spaces, and the large and simpler cross-gabled mass in the rear, which encloses the auditorium. The front section is a gable-roofed block at its core, with an exceptional array of roof dormers. Two facade gables are positioned asymmetrically on the front of the building, one over the offset entry and a wider one at the right or north end. Between them is a narrow shed dormer.

The roof ridge above the entry is topped by a high belfry, rising from a curved base to a narrow pyramidal roof. A tiny hip-roofed dormer is located just below it. each side elevation has projecting elements, a paneled and corbeled chimney and a shed-roofed wall dormer on the north end wall, a hip-roofed bay housing the vault on the south end wall. The front office section is connected to the auditorium by a high gable-roofed rear ell, flanked on each side by shed-roofed projections. On the north side is a shed dormer and a sloping porch covers the entrance to the ell. On the south, three sections are stepped out to expand and light the circulation space: a shed dormer, a shed-roofed bay at the first and second floor levels, and a deeper shed-roofed bay at the ground level. The rear auditorium is cruciform, with high, intersecting clipped-gable roofs.

At each gable end, a corbeled chimney rises and screens a small gabled dormer, lit on each side of the stack with a tiny square sash. Two modern brick entry porches are located at each corner of the building, providing access to office spaces added in the raised basement. The building's red brick walls are broken by contrasting bands of granite between the basement and the first floor, sandstone at the height of the window heads, projecting paneled sections of brick at the second floor, and a checkered pattern of bosses in the gable ends. Although originally covered in slate, the roof is now sheathed with asphalt shingles. The building's openings are distributed reflecting function, and a mix of types and sizes to suit them.

On the office and circulation section of the building, the largest windows light offices, with (continued) NPS Form 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 4 Section number - Page. Upton Town Hall Upton (Worcester Co.), MA smaller sizes tucked under the eaves or positioned high on the wall to accommodate interior uses. On the largest groups of windows and where windows intersect the sandstone belt courses, the window's lintels are also sandstone. On the auditorium section, the rear wall is blank, where the stage is located, while each side elevation is lit by a pair of triple tall windows, with narrow 9/9 sash topped by stained-glass transom lights. The main entry is recessed, with steps leading to a wide double-leafed and transom-lit door.

This entry is positioned under a segmental arch of sandstone supported on a carved and shaped lintel of the same material. On a glass pane in the arched transom is inscribed "UPTON TOWN HALL" Most of the building's original plan can still be discerned on the building's interior. Through the entry is a central hall, flanked by two offices on the south side and originally a single large library space on the north; the library is now subdivided into three smaller offices and a hall. Behind this section is a perpendicular passage and two sets of stairs to the basement and the balcony and upper auditorium. The rear auditorium is a large open space, with a stage on the west wall and a balcony on the east. The stage projects slightly into the room, and is trimmed with ornamental panels and moldings.

The balcony opposite is richly ornamented, with turned posts and smaller balusters and a molded rail. Massive trusses span each of the four walls, rising through the open roof, and another pair crosses in the center of the original ceiling. These are now obscured by a lowered ceiling with recessed lighting. They rise from carved posts with floral elements at the spring lines and include bent and carved ornamental woodwork and stenciling. Above the offices and original library is a second and smaller auditorium, also with a stage. The basement floor of the office section was formerly the town's lock-up and later the police station; it now houses town offices. The basement section under the auditorium was formerly a kitchen and large dining area, later serving as offices, a gymnasium, and training areas for the police, and now also serves as office space.

Archaeological Description While no prehistoric sites are currently known on the Town Hall property, sites may be present. Environmental characteristics for the property indicate locational criteria that are favorable for many types of prehistoric sites. The property is located on a well drained, level to moderately sloping terrace in close proximity to Center Brook, an unnamed tributary stream and related wetlands. The area lies within the Blackstone River drainage. Five prehistoric sites are also recorded in the general area (within one mile). In spite of the above information, however, the potential for recovering prehistoric survivals on the property is low.

Historic period development of the relatively small lot including the present Town Hall, which has a basement (continued) NPS Form 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet 5 Section number - Page - OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Upton Town Hall Upton (Worcester Co.), MA and the remainder of the lot whichis covered with asphalt paving, have likely impacted any prehistoric resources that were present. There is a high potential for historic archaeological resources on the Town Hall property. Structural remains may survive from the 18th century Southwick's Tavern that occupied the parcel throughout the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The tavern was removed for construction of the town hall. Structural remains may also exist from outbuildings, including barns, which were related to the tavern.

Occupational related features (trash pits, privies, wells) associated with the tavern should also be present. It is unknown, to what extent construction of the Town Hall and surrounding asphalt paving have impacted archaeological resources related to the Southwick Tavern. Some filling, that might have protected earlier resources, may have occurred prior to construction of the Town Hall. Deeper deposits including wells, privies, trash pits and cellar holes, not located directly under the Town Hall building might also survive. (end) Upton Town Hall Name of Property 8: Statement of Significance

Statement of significance

Applicable National Register Criteria (Mark "x" in one or more boxes for the criteria qualifying the property for National Register listing.) XA Property is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history. Property is associated with the lives of persons significant in our past. xC Property embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type,period, or method of construction or represents the work of a master, or possesses high artistic values, or represents a significant and distinguishable entity whose components lack individual distinction. _ D Property has yielded, or is likely to yield information important in prehistory or history. Criteria Considerations (Mark "x" in all the boxes that apply.) Property is: _A owned by religious institution or used for religious purposes. _B removed from its original location.

_ C a birthplace or grave. _ D a cemetery. _ E a reconstructed building, object, or structure. - F a commemorative property. _G less than 50 years of age or achieved significance within the past 50 years. Narrative Statement of Significance (Explain the significance of the property on one or more continuation sheets.) Worcester, MA County and State Areas of Significance (Enter categories from instructions) Architecture Community Planning and Development Period of Significance 1884-1949 Significant Dates n/a Significant Person (Complete if Criterion B is marked above) n/a Cultural Affiliation n/a Architect/Builder 9.

The rest of the file

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

Major Bibliographical References (Cite the books, articles, and other sources used in preparing this form on one or more continuation sheets.) Previous documentation on file (NPS): Primary location of additional data: - preliminary determination of individual listing (36 x State Historic Preservation Office CFR 67) has been requested - previously listed in the National Register - previously determined eligible by the National Register - designated a National Historic Landmark - recorded by Historic American Buildings Survey Name of repository: - recorded by Historic American Engineering Record #. NPS Form 10-900-a (6-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number Page OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Upton Town Hall Upton (Worcester Co.), MA 8.

Statement of Significance The Upton Town Hall is a large brick, Victorian High Gothic building, completed in 1884 and serving as the town's primary meeting place since that time. Sited on Central Square in Upton's center village, the building represents the continuity of that area for town meetings, public buildings, and ritual and celebratory occasions. After meeting in its first and second meeting houses, Upton followed the pattern of larger towns in the late 19th century and constructed a large masonry building to serve expanding municipal services. The Town Hall was designed by E. Boyden and Son, a Worcester architectural firm well known for its ambitious public buildings. Well preserved, it retains integrity of location, setting, design, materials, workmanship, feeling and association, meeting National Register criteria A and C at the local level.

The town of Upton is an upland community located in central Worcester County at the western edge of the Blackstone River valley. The historic landscape surviving there includes elements of three distinct settlement and development patterns. Upton Center and West Upton were once individual villages, but late 19th century expansion created a single linear village traversing the center of town. To the north and south of these, much of the agricultural landscape survives, but late 20th century suburban development has produced inroads, particularly in the north and southeast. Upton Center and Central Square are also significant as clusters of well-preserved buildings in the town of Upton. In this area most of the primary house types can be found, as well as the most of the town's public and commercial buildings.

The village extends along Main and North Main streets through the center of the town, and has been recommended for National Register listing. English settlement into the Upton area came comparatively, delayed until the early 18th century. Upton was incorporated in 1735 from segments of older regional communities, including Hopkinton, Mendon, Sutton and Uxbridge. Although the town's first meeting house was located to the south of Upton Center near the intersection of Mendon and Grove streets, this site was contested and in 1796 a new, more central location was selected in the present Central Square.

The town built its new meeting house along the east-west roadway on a parcel of land soon designated as a Common, and pictorial evidence suggests that it was two stories in height, indicating a gallery on the interior, and that it included an enclosed entry and stair tower on its long south-facing wall. Perhaps its only neighbor was the building which formerly stood on the (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 - OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Upton Town Hall Upton (Worcester Co.), MA site of the present Town Hall, Southwick's tavern, a large building combined dining, lodging, and retail functions in a single building. Gradually dwellings began to cluster in the area, as the meeting places and transportation routes attracted other activities.

The town's minister built a house near the church in the 1790s (demolished in the 1960s) and was soon joined by neighbors and their houses of similar scale and ambition. The siting of the meeting house and common eventually led to the clustering here of most of the town's primary buildings, particularly during the second quarter of the 19th century. The town's meeting house was remodeled in 1832, adding a stylish vestibule to its traditional form, a three-bay projecting section which rose to a clock tower and steeple. Two stores were added to the busy intersection at about the same time, the hip-roofed Stoddard-Aldrich Store and the Arcade Block. A far greater alteration was made to the area as a result of the split of the Congregationalists into Unitarians and Trinitarians. Each new society built a new and fashionable Greek Revival church at opposite ends of the Common in 1848.

The old meeting house was then moved to a new position next to the Unitarian church, its tower and porch were removed, and it was remodeled in the Greek Revival style, Known as Waverly Hall, this building became the location of Town Meetings until the present Town Hall was completed in 1884. The Common, cleared of buildings, became a park at the center of the area known as Central Square. At the mill privilege, both a saw and grist mill were in operation. Artisan shops were numerous and a number of show shops were scattered throughout the area. To the two stores built in the 1830s was added Fisk's at the corner of North Main and Milford, an imposing Greek Revival temple-front building of two stories. With the classical treatments of the Unitarian Church, the Congregational Church, and Waverly Hall, the Center offered a prosperous and fashionable appearance for the town.

By the middle of the 19th century, the village had reached the general form it takes today, with Central Square forming the hub for spokes of North Main, Milford, Grove, Main, Church and Warren Streets. Along these spokes, residential development had intensified, reflected in the construction dates of properties within this area. Like many rural communities, the Federal style remained preeminent into the 1830s, and traditional house forms including the central chimney and double house forms continued in favor. With the 1840s however came an important shift in design, with the coming of both new ornament and new forms. Higher studded small houses meant a more generous half story rather than garret and the new end house form became more popular.

Greek Revival entablatures, flourishes of Gothic ornament, and the brackets and paneled elements of the Italianate style were employed in the successive decades of the mid 19th century. While all of these styles might be found in isolated examples across the (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 - 3 OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Upton Town Hall Upton (Worcester Co.), MA town, Upton Center, like other center villages across the state, was the focus for building in these new forms. The concentration of these examples here reflects the population of the center village, here as elsewhere the traditional home for the community's rising middle class.

This new population of professionals, retailers, and clerks formed the core of the consumer society that brought about this transformation of material life. With hat manufacturing on the rise, the Center Village continued to grow throughout the late 19th century, and the town's population reached its high point of 2,265 in 1885. In Central Square the additional of the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1876 and the construction of the Town Hall eight years later added significantly to the civic infrastructure and brought popular picturesque styling to the Classical center. As new stores were built, like the Boston Branch Store, or rebuilt, when Fiske's Store burned and was replaced by the Lesure Building, the growth of Central Square continued.

New residences paralleled these trends as Queen Anne end houses were added along the outer roadways, increasing the density of the village and completing the connection of west Upton to Upton Center along Main Street. Growth slowed during the early 20th century, preserving many features of the important village landscape. The Upton Town Hall was constructed in 1884 on the site of the Southwick Tavern that occupied this central location throughout the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Upton town meetings were likely held in the town's meeting houses during the 18th century, although they are likely to have adjourned to the tavern in cold weather. But as towns became increasingly uncomfortable with the combination of secular and sacred activities that characterized meeting house use, many of them began to build special purpose town houses or town halls.

Upton, however, used the remodeled First Church, designated Waverly Hall. The presence of this large meeting mall may explain the comparably later date for constructing a new town hall. This new building reflected the elaboration of town government's functions and staffing late in the 19th century, with the inclusion of not just a large meeting space, but an array of offices and a library as well. The Town of Upton began to consider the advisability of constructing a new town house in 1882. A committee of five was appointed at the March town meeting to investigate a variety of issues related to this decision, including examining town houses and town house plans, considering available sites for the building, and contacting Worcester architects Elbridge Boyden and Son for plans and estimates.

In consultation with Boyden, they determined that the building should be of brick, with an overall size of 96' in length and 85' in width. They also specified a (continued) NPS Form 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet 4 Section number - Page - OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Upton Town Hall Upton (Worcester Co.), MA number of spaces within the building. The main hall would measure 85 x 50', with a seating capacity of 750, a stage, and a balcony. The library, described at this time as "back of the hall," would measure 30 x 36', while the two offices would measure about 15 x 18" and 14 x 18" Over these would be another, smaller, hall with a seating capacity of 250.

The building would include a basement lock-up with four 6 x 8' cells, as well as a kitchen and a room "capable of seating four hundred persons for dining." The committee also notes that the site of the "Old Nelson Hotel" would be available for purchase, for $500, and a small adjacent piece of compete the necessary parcel would also be available from the Nelson Brothers. The estimate cost for the land and building would be $18-20,000. With this proposal in hand, by November the town began a débate that would stretch into the next year. The town's prominent hat manufacturers spoke against the plan. William Knowlton was concerned about the debt that the town would incur, while George Knowlton thought improvements to other town buildings and infrastructure should take precedence. The first vote was close, with only four votes separating the yeas and nays.

A week later, an announcement went out for a special town meeting to reconsider the vote. William Knowlton reassured citizens that his objection was not based on an interest in locating the town house in West Upton, near his home and factory, and that he also favored the center as the appropriate location. A second vote gave a slightly wider margin to those in favor of the plan to build, nine town house." The vote was again in favor of the plan to build, 183 to 151. Building presumably began soon thereafter, and the Town Hall was completed in 1884. To design the new building, the town engaged E. Boyden and Son. The career of Worcester architect Elbridge Boyden (1810-1898) is particularly illustrative of the transformation of the 19th century building trades, epitomized by the rise of the architect- designer, as distinct from the housewright-builder.

Boyden successfully bridged this shift, from his apprenticeship as a house carpenter at the age of sixteen to becoming a practicing architect. He designed and oversaw the construction of numerous institutional and residential buildings in New England, the Mid-Atlantic states, and even several Midwestern states. The first twenty years of his career was spent in Athol, Massachusetts where he apprenticed and later practiced. In 1844 he relocated to Worcester and within a couple of years established a partnership with engineer Phineas Ball, under the name Boyden and Ball. In 1863 he and his son George E. Boyden, an engineer, established a practice under the name E. Boyden and Son, a partnership ended only by the son's premature death in 1885.

(continued) NPS Form 10-900-8 (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number - Page - OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Upton Town Hall Upton (Worcester Co.), MA Upon Boyden's arrival in Worcester, the bulk of his practice concentrated upon institutional buildings, including churches, schools town halls, hotels and commercial blocks, with some residential commissions. At least 75 public buildings are attributed to him. A few of his churches include the Athol-Orange Baptist Church (1849), Worcester's Cathedral of St. Paul (1869; NR 1980), Spencer's First Congregational Church (1863; NR 1986), and Hardwick's Gilbertville Congregational Church and Chapel (1874, NR 1991).

Equally numerous are his schoolhouse designs, including several in Worcester such as the Ash Street Schoolhouse (1860; NR 1980), the East Worcester Grammar School (1863, NR 1980), the now-altered Lamartine Street Schoolhouse #1 (1867), Cambridge Street Schoolhouses #1 and 2 (1869, NR 1980), the Winslow Street Schoolhouse (1878), and the Grafton Street Schoolhouse #1 (1879, NR 1980). Boyden designed several other town halls including those in Sherborn (1858, NR 1986) and North Brookfield (1864). His best known design is Worcester's Mechanics Hall (1855, NR 1972), a multi-purposed Italianate commercial block with store fronts and an auditorium known for its acoustic excellence.

Stylistically his work employs the numerous styles popular during his lengthy career including Greek Revival, Romanesque Revival, Gothic Revival, Italianate, Second Empire, Renaissance Revival, Queen Anne, and High Victorian Gothic. Boyden has been considered progressive in his use of new building materials, such as with the design of the first cast-iron fronted New England building (the Foster block in Worcester, 1854, now demolished) and in the use of terra cotta ornament. Boyden provided pans, which are not known to survive, specifications, and construction oversight to the project; the firm received $600 for these services. The surviving specifications convey a clear sense of the design and construction practices of the period.

The contractor would provide all licenses necessary for the construction; all labor, materials, transportation, scaffolding and tools; insurance during the building process; as well as keeping the construction site safe and secure and his work and materials covered and protected. Among the specifications for materials and techniques, the contractors were repeated enjoined to provide high quality work, the most succinct statement coming early in the document: "skillfully perform the work in the best manner according to the true intent and meaning of these papers." Bidding specifications provide rich detail on the building's design, construction, and materials. The excavation of the building's cellar and the construction of its foundation might be separately bid from the remaining construction above the foundation. The stone foundation supported brick walls to the level of the water table.

Above, the building was constructed with a spruce frame and a brick veneer, and Montague face bricks were specified for the outer course. (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. 6 Page. OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Upton Town Hall Upton (Worcester Co.), MA A mix of materials enriched these upper walls, including sandstone and terra cotta ornaments selected by the architect, while the roof would be of slate. All components of the wood frame are specified by position and size, with larger members to support the library, and detailed descriptions of the roof trusses which would ornament the large hall.

All interior finishes are specified, in most instances lathe and plaster, with wainscoting in the meeting hall, built-in shelves in the safe and the library, special hardware in the lock-up, and marble or slate mantels. The contract was let to H.W. Woods, who received $18,850 for the project, as well as $131.41 for extra labor. Other large items among the town records include Jones, McDuffee & Co.'s bill for lamps, Chas. A. Hoyt's bill for plumbing, J.W. Harris's bill for furnaces and stoves, J.B. Lawrence & Co.'s bill for chairs, and J.J. Nelson's bill for "Ballou frescoing," presumably for the large hall. Some years after construction, Milford architect Robert Allen Cook (1872-1949) was engaged to work on it.

Extant undated drawings at the Massachusetts State Archives are incomplete about the work to be done, but it is possible Cook added stabilizing elements supporting the auditorium trusses. Base on records at the Society of the Preservation of New England Antiquities, it is possible that this work was done in 1912. The same records also indicate he was also consulted on an unknown item in 1898. Cook studied with a draftsman and traveled in Europe to study in 1897, visiting Spain, France, and Italy. He had an extensive practice in this section of Central Massachusetts, specializing in public buildings, and was particularly well known for his work for the Draper Company in Holyoke. Cook engaged in a number of projects in Upton, for the Knowltons as well as in the construction and remodeling of a number of public buildings. In 1940 the town contracted the Boston engineering firm J.R.

Worcester & Co. to draft plans for structural reinforcement on the Town Hall's auditorium section. The specifications for this work note that because the exterior walls were not solid masonry with buttressing, they were insufficient to support the trusses spanning the auditorium, which were sagging and exerting outward pressure on the supporting piers. The work to be done included new concrete brace supports in the basement, reinforced basement ceiling girders, steel rod hitches for truss reinforcement, and bent steel plates to connect all purlins to diagonal trusses. This problem, evidently present since the initial construction, had been aggravated by the addition of a new and the cost of additional blueprints and specifications for the contractors bringing the total to $525.19.

$2,746 was set aside by the town Selectmen for the structural repair work by an unknown contractor with the final cost totaling $3,824.43. (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- OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Upton Town Hall Upton (Worcester Co.), MA In 1965, after considering several other locations, the basement was remodeled to serve as the town's police station. At this time the small brick vestibules were added to each side of the building to provide access to the basement. The police station's space was later expanded to include the former kitchen and dining area. After the police moved out of the town hall to their own building in the 1980s, these spaces were used for other town boards and commissions.

Archaeological Significance Historic archaeological resources described above have the potential to provide information on the development of a center village in a Worcester County upland community during the 18th and 19th centuries. Careful mapping of structural remains related to Southwick's Tavern can document the layout of the tavern and the full range of commercial activities which took place in the building. Archaeological resources may include features and artifacts that can help reconstruct specific architectural features of the tavern and the facilities it contained. Detailed analysis of occupational related features can also contribute several potential sources of information relating to the nature of specific activities at the tavern, the individuals who used them, and whether the tavern served a local or more transient population.

Archaeological resources associated with Southwick's Tavern are also important since they may provide information which indicates how the village center and community changed during most of the years between initial settlement and construction of the Town Hall. (end) Upton Town Hall Name of Property Worcester, MA County, State 10. Geographical Data Acreage of Property less than one acre UTM References See continuation sheet. (Place additional UTM references on a continuation sheet) 1. 19 Zone 2. 285900 Easting 4672120 Northing Zone Easting Northing Verbal Boundary Description (Describe the boundaries of the property on a continuation sheet.) Boundary Justification (Explain whythe boundaries were selected on acontinuation sheet.) 11. Form Prepared By 3. Zone Easting 4. Zone Easting _ See continuation sheet name/title_ Claire W.

Dempsey and Laura Driemeyer, Consultants with Betsy Friedberg, NR Director, MHC organization Massachusetts Historical Commission date January 1999 street & number_220 Morrissey Boulevard telephone617-727-8470 city or town_Boston state MA zip code_ 02125 Northing Northing Additional Documentation Submit the following items with the completed form: Continuation Sheets A USGS map (7.5 or 15 minute series) indicating the property's location. A sketch map for historic districts and properties having large acreage or numerous resources. Photographs Representative black and white photographs of the property.

Additional items (Check with the SHPO or FPO for any additional items) Property Owner (Complete this item at the request of the SHPO or FPO.) name _ Town of Upton street & number 1 Main Street city or town Upton -stateMA _telephone 508-529-6901 _zip code 01568 Paperwork Reduction Act Statement: This information is being collected for applications to the National Register of Historic Places to nominate properties for listing or determine eligibility for listing, to list properties, and to amend existing listings. Response to this request is required to obtain a benefit in accordance with the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended (16 U.S.C. 470 et seq.).

Estimated Burden Statement: Public reporting burden for this form is estimated to average 18.1 hours per response including the time for reviewing instructions, gathering and maintaining data, and completing and reviewing the form. Direct comments regarding this burden estimate or any aspect of this form to the Chief,Administrative Services Division, National Park Service, P.0. Box 37127, Washington, DC 20013-7127; and the Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reductions Project (1024-0018), Washington, DC 20503. NPS Form10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number _9, 10 Page - OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Upton Town Hall Upton (Worcester Co.), MA 9. Bibliography Architect's Vertical File, Boston Public Library, Fine Arts Department Blomquist, Carol, Chester P.

Inman, and the Society's Picture Book Committee. Upton, A Pictorial History, Memories of a Massachusetts Town. Upton: Upton Historical Society, 1995. Dempsey, Claire W., and Laura Driemeyer. Inventory of Cultural Resources, Upton, MA., 1995-1996. On fileat the Upton Historical Commission and the Massachusetts Historical Commission. Poor, William George, et al. Upton, Massachusetts, 1735-1935. Upton, 1935. Steinitz, Michael, Claire Dempsey, Myron Stachiw, and Charlotte Worsham. Historical and Archaeological Resources of Central Massachusetts. Boston: Massachusetts Historical Commission, 1983. Upton Historical Society. Collections including historic photographs and deed research summaries by Carol Blomquist. Upton, town of. Annual Town Reports and Selectmen's Reports, various years. 10.

Geographic data Verbal Boundary Description: The boundaries of the Upton Town Hall are shown on the attached assessors map. Boundary Justification: The boundaries of the Upton Town Hall are those historically associated with the building.

(end) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES EVALUATION/RETURN SHEET REQUESTED ACTION: NOMINATION PROPERTY Upton Town Hall NAME: MULTIPLE NAME: STATE & COUNTY: MASSACHUSETTS, Worcester DATE RECEIVED: DATE OF 16TH DAY: DATE OF WEEKLY LIST: 1/14/99 2/11/99 REFERENCE NUMBER: 99000185 DATE OF PENDING LIST: 1/26/99 DATE OF 45TH DAY: 2/28/99 REASONS FOR REVIEW: APPEAL: N DATA PROBLEM: N LANDSCAPE: N LESS THAN 50 YEARS: OTHER: N PDIL: N PERIOD: N PROGRAM UNAPPROVED: REQUEST: N SAMPLE: N SLR DRAFT: N NATIONAL: COMMENT WAIVER: N N N N VACCEPT RETURN ABSTRACT/SUMMARY COMMENTS: REJBCT 2:12.99DATE Intered in the istlonel Registor RECOM./CRITERIA REVIEWER TELEPHONE DISCIPLINE DATE DOCUMENTATION see attached comments Y/N see attached SLR Y/N Upton Town Hall Uptor (Worcester) MA acrial niw z fown canter Town Hall in left cunter Photo #1 Up tou Town Hall Uptrr (Worcestu Co.) MA frout, nide facades camera facin, N 1998, RGphoto jraplee photo #2 Upton Town Hall I'main Street Upton mA CWD|LBD 1995 photo#3 harge Anditonium Upton Town Hall, I main street Uston mt photo # 4 RG 1998 arge suattorium Upton Town Hall, Imain Street Uoton m ploto #5 RG 1998 NO FOOD DRINK CANDY BAICONY Rear Hall Upton Town Hall, IMain Street Uoton mt photo #6 RG 1998 The Commonwealth of Massachusetts William Francis Galvin, Secretary of the Commonwealth Massachusetts Historical Commission January 8, 1999 Ms.

Carol Shull National Register of Historic Places Department of the Interior National Park Service Mail Stop 2280, Suite 400 1849 C Street, NW Washington, DC 20240 Dear Ms. Shull: Enclosed please find the following nomination form: Upton Town Hall, 1Main Street, Upton (Worcester Co.), MA The nomination has been voted eligible by the State Review Board and has been signed by the State Historic Preservation Officer. The owners of the property were notified of pending State Review Board consideration 30 to 45 days before the meeting and were afforded the opportunity to comment. Sincerely, Betsy Frieduerg Betsy Friedberg National Register Director Massachusetts Historical Commission enclosure cc: James R.

Bates, Chair, Upton Board of Selectmen Claire Dempsey, Preservation Consultant Barbara Burke, Chair, Upton Historical Commission Thomas Davidson, Chair, Upton Planning Board 220 Morrissey Boulevard, Boston, Massachusetts 02125 - (617) 727-8470 www.state.ma.us/sec/mhc