Old Police Station, 65 1/2 Park Street, Adams, Berkshire County, MA. Surveyed as HABS MASS,2-ADAM,3-, with 1 photograph and a 819-word written history.
“The Old Police Station in Adams, MA, is representative of a small, functional police station of the tum of the century, built at a time when police services were just being put on a professional footing in small-town America.”
Written record, HABS MASS,2-ADAM,3- survey. Machine-read text.
surveyed by the federal HABS program as HABS MASS,2-ADAM,3- · the record runs 819 words · one of 80 surveyed structures published for this county.
1 photograph from the federal survey record, Library of Congress.
Source document Quoted word for word from HABS MASS,2-ADAM,3-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.
The Old Police Station in Adams, MA, is representative of a small, functional police station of the tum of the century, built at a time when police services were just being put on a professional footing in small-town America. While the building has little architectural distinction, it is interesting because of the manner it accommodates its function. Description: The two-story structure is landlocked on a site behind the former Town Hall, in the center of a large mixed-use block. It was always reached by a narrow alley, affording only a partial view of its front facade. A commercial building and its parking lot bounds the police station to the north, residences to the east and south, and the alley and rear of the former town hall to the west.
The residence to the south was demolished to provide a site for the new Adams Police Station. The building is a small Queen Anne Revival industrial structure, with brick walls, fieldstone foundations and a flat tar and gravel roof. There are a few architectural conceits, but the cornice has pleasant brickwork comprising 3- brick corbels, with a single-brick denticulation three courses below. Brickwork is projected to suggest quoins on all four comers, and the water table and window lintels are of local marble. The front door has an arched fanlight with a marble keystone, and is surmounted by an interesting sign, which is being salvaged for the new station. Of special interest are the iron grilles at the smaller windows, seven of which are original.
These seven small windows not only retain their grilles, but original wood sash with six panes in two horizontal rows, and swinging in away from the grilles. Since this arrangement is not very water tight, there must have been reluctance to open these windows, accounting for their survival. Larger windows were replaced in the last 20 years, but no records were kept Other small windows were also replaced with raw aluminum, in the last 20 years. OLD POLICE STATION HABS No. MA-1299 (Page 2) Inside, almost no original detail remains, with the following exceptions: The three male cells, built of plate steel, are interesting for their smallness x or sq. contrasting vividly with present 60 sq. ft. cells required by code.
Otherwise, their construction is similar to that of modem prefabricated steel cells. Upstairs, there is a larger, original steel cell for women, and the stair hall retains its original oak doors, each with five horizontal panels. While none of the plumbing fixtures are original, it is interesting to note that all are located outside of the cells they serve, even when a single cell is involved. Interior alterations are all of post WWII vintage, and include plumbing fixtures, men's and woman's cells, the padded cell, the second floor darkroom, and a washroom for the Chief Records of dates were not kept. Histoor: According to the Adams Historical Society's records, the Police Station was built in and is consistent with that date in its style and remaining detail.
It has served the Town in its original function until November and is now vacant. At the time of its abandonment it met none of the criteria of the Massachusetts Department of Health for incarceration facilities, and is in critical structural condition because of an unintended collapse of its southeast comer during adjacent excavation. The building is scheduled for demolition by the Town of Adams, MA.
Source document Quoted word for word from HABS MASS,2-ADAM,3-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.
Maximilian L. Ferro, FAIA, RIBA Historical Architect The Preservation Partnership 134 Quaker Street Weare, NH Date Prepared: December 11, OLD POLICE STATION HABS No. MA-1299 (Page 3) +-' Q) Q) l.. ;w (fJ I"\ C Hou~ - 2 v -~ l.. (0 a. School S1:ree1: Old Police S1:a.1:ion Si1:e A.dams, IV1 a.ssa.ch use1:1:s OLD POLICE STATION HABS No. MA-1299 (Page 4) Ora wn December ,- - - - - --. -1 I I I I I I I M~~onry Walls are Ctoss-Hatch~d I I I I I I I I..t.Jt.,;_~)CCA'1 Alf D I; II --U.~.9<. . - c _, II I I II II I A J"DISTS 2 x'. NOH. I , .. I I Fl8..0.$IO~t ' I I 8 ,, It I I wkU--;,+--+-- 1 Scale OLD POLICE STATION HABS No. MA-1299 (Page 5) Drawn December Masonry Walls are Cross-Hatched Scale OLD POLICE STATION HABS No.
MA-1299 (Page 6) Drawn December E-t-.1 I ' ;- i(J ,_, ,~ I I .CHIEF CFF\Ce:"" M~sonry Walls are Cross-Hatched I Scale
| Adams, Massachusetts | The place record: every map, photograph and survey of this town. |
| Berkshire County, Massachusetts | 397 topographic sheets across the county. |
| Library of Congress record | The original filed report, and the sheets the survey produced. Those published here appear above. |
The federal surveyors worked through Adams building by building. These are the other structures they measured and filed a report on, longest report first.
| Sheet | Structure | Survey | Report |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Renfrew Manufacturing Company Mill No. 2 | HAER MASS,2-ADAM,2- | 8,880 words |
 | Society of Friends Meetinghouse | HABS MASS,2-ADAM,1- | 51 words |
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