Friday, February 08, 2013 at 11:39 PM

 

Inventory No: HRV.3   

Historic Name: Harvard Fire Station

Common Name: Harvard Ambulance Garage

Address: 13 Elm St

City/Town: Harvard

Village/Neighborhood: Harvard Center

Local No: 17D-05; 20; W1

Year Constructed:

Architect(s):

Architectural Style(s): Colonial Revival

Use(s): Fire House; Other Medical

Significance: Architecture; Community Planning; Politics Government

Area(s):HRV.A: Harvard Common Historic DistrictHRV.O: Harvard Center Historic District

Designation(s):Local Historic District (3/27/1975); Nat'l Register District (9/22/1997)

 

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220 Morrissey Boulevard, Boston, Massachusetts 02125www.sec.state.ma.us/mhc

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FORM B - BUILDING a s s e s s o r ' s # 17D-05

Massachusetts H i s t o r i c a l Commission 80 B o y l s t o n S t r e e t Boston MA 02116

•» " mm

Bp;. 1

Recorded by: C l a i r e W. Dempsey

O r g a n i z a t i o n : Harvard H i s t o r i c a l Commission

Date: May 1993 R E C E I V E D JUL 1 5 1991

MASS. h i. COMM.

usgs quad Ayer

a r e a

form # 3

Common

Town Harvard

P l a c e Common

Address 13 Elm S t r e e t

H i s t o r i c Name:

Ambulance Garage

Use P r e s e n t garage

O r i g i n a l f i r e s t a t i o n

Date of c o n s t r u c t i o n : 1921

Source r e v e r s e

S t y l e C o l o n i a l R e v i v a l

Form gable block

A r c h i t e c t N/A

E x t e r i o r M a t e r i a l :

W all/Trim wood

Roof a s p h a l t

Foundation stone

O u t b u i l d i n g s no See r e a r of form f o r more

d e t a i l e d d e s c r i p t i o n

A l t e r a t i o n s See r e a r of form f o r more

d e t a i l e d d e s c r i p t i o n .

C o n d i t i o n good

Moved no

Acreage on common

S e t t i n g v i l l a g e See r e a r of form f o r d e t a i l e d d e s c r i p t i o n

B U I L D I N G FORM

ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION

The b u i l d i n g t h a t now serves as the town's Ambulance Garage was co n s t r u c t e d as Harvard's F i r e S t a t i o n i n 1921. The small b u i l d i n g i s a r e c t a n g u l a r , gable-roofed block, covered i n clapboards and s i t t i n g on a stone and concrete foundation. A small h i p - r o o f e d wing i s lo c a t e d along the south w a l l . The present facade has a doorway on the l e f t or south, a s i n g l e garage door, and another doorway centered i n the wide r i g h t bay; i t apears t h i s was once a garage bay, closed to accommodate the town v a u l t . Three gable-roofed dormers s i t on the f r o n t r o o f slope, a shed-roofed dormer on the r e a r . A p a l l a d i a n window l i g h t s the gable end, and an e x t e r i o r chimney r i s e s along t h a t end w a l l .

HISTORICAL NARRATIVE

As e a r l y as 1831 Harvard began e f f o r t s t o p r o t e c t the tonw c i t i z e n s and p r o p e r t y from the danger of f i r e . That year the town voted $100 toward the $268 t h a t was needed t o purchase a f i r e engine, the r e s t t o be r a i s e d by s u b s c r i p t i o n . The town house the engine i n a small enginehouse l o c a t e d i n the b u r y i n g groud near the hay scales. L i t t l e i n f o r m a t i o n i s a v a i l a b l e about f i r e p r o t e c t i o n u n t i l 1875 when the l a r g e f i r e at the Congregational U n i t a r i a n Church h i g h l i g h t e d the town's l a c k of p r e p a r a t i o n . AT t h a t time the town purchased a number of hand pupms, which were s t o r e d at the Town H a l l and a t the Poor Farm. Four years l a t e r the town purchased two ca r r i a g e s f u l l y equiped w i t h the necessary aparatus, one f o r the center and one f o r S t i l l River, a t a cost of $306. I n 1892 the town purchased i t s f i r s t chemical e x t i n g u i s h e r s at a cost of $1200. L i t t l e mention of b u i l d i n g s i s found i n disc u s s i o n of these l a t e 19th century b u i l d i n g s , but t h i s F i r e S t a t i o n dates t o 1921. I t remained i n use u n t i l the l a r g e r b u i l d i n g , l o c a t e d behind i t was co n s t r u c t e d .

REFERENCES

Anderson, D i r e c t i o n s of a Town, 1976. Nourse, H i s t o r y of Harvard, 1894. Essays on Common Area by Sawyer (1952) and Hersey (1936). Notes of Scourgie, HHS. Holman Map of 1831. Beers A t l a s of 1870. Richardson A t l a s of 1898.

_x_ Recommended f o r l i s t i n g i n the Nat i o n a l R e g i s t e r of H i s t o r i c P l a c e s . See dotormiitaLiun of e l i g i b i l i t y f o r the Harvard Common Area.

(Attach photo here)

FORM B - BUILDING SURVEY

TASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Office of the Secretary, State House, Boston

1. Is this bui lding h i s to r i ca l ly significant to: Town Commonwealth Nation

Bui ld ing has h i s to r i ca l connection wi th the fol lowing themes: (see also reverse side)

59)

2. Town riAfi\>ARK>

Street address fc'Mfl

Name Hf?r STATUS

Commerce/ indus t ry Science/invention Trave l /communica t ion M i l i t a r y Affa i r s Religion/philosophy Indians

Music . Other— <l5evelopment of town/c i ty

Use: o r ig ina l & present itovant c QmpMe./*/-)

Present owner To w V Scholar Agr icu l tu re Ar t /Sculp ture Eduj_atipn_

^Governmen^ j ra ture

Open to public /4-T T> _ us

Date 17 &i -21 Style c DLQttfAL c OTT-AG-E

Source of dateTim;u iif/ , .anos /<?2 ?

Archi tec t t-« a /v p £ F/V i » F t-Wg u-Architectur^trrreusr>n~fbf inventorying:

^^L^AMA^J^UTT^ <jL -fe-z, a A / i , ^ ^ ^ j ST**-^ OR par t of Area # ^

V 3„ CONDITION (Excel ler^ Good Fa i r Deter iorated Moved Al t e red Added.

4. DESCRIPTION

OUNDATION/BASEMENT: High Regular Low Mate r i a l

W A L L COVER: (Wbod) B r i c k Stone Other

ROOF: (Bidge" Gamhral T H q t _ p Mansard ; uamorei jaaj_tiiP-JYtansara r Cupola /Dormer^wmdow^ Balustrade G r i l l w o r k

CHIMNEYS: 1 2 3 4

STORIES: 1 ^ 3 4

PORCHES: 1 2 3 4

Center Cgnd) In te r io r I r r egu la r Cluster Elaborate

ATTACHMENTS: W i n g s ( E ^ , Shed

/vnfy-<- PORTICO ^m^t Ra lnnny

FACADE: Gable end: Front /s ide Ornament.

E n t r a n c e ( 7 a d ^ Front : (dente^Side Details: ^^^Xe,^ - t w r c~ ayra-y^e, .^fx-cd

Windows: Spacing: Regu la r / I r r egu la r Ident ical /Varied^

Corners: P la in P i las te rs Quoins Cornerboards

5. Indicate locat ion of bui ld ing in re la t ion to nearest cross streets and other buildings

6. Footage of s t ructure f r o m street Proper ty has feet frontage on street

Recorder

For

Photo #JZ_li____ Date ffffpf*

SEE REVERSE SHI I :

RELATION OF SURROUNDING STRUCTURE

1. Outbuildings.

*?. Landscape Features: Agriculture Open Wooded Garden: Formal/Informal Predominant features Landscape architect

3. Neighboring Structures Style: Colonial Federal Greek Revival Gothic Revival Italian Villa Lombard Rom.

Venetian Gothic Mansard Richardsonian Modern

Use: Residential Commercial Religious Conditions: Excellent Good Fair Deteriorated

GIVE A B R I E F DESCRIPTION OF HISTORIC IMPORTANCE OF SITE (Refer and elaborate on theme circled on front of form)

Original Owner: TC»\l/ )V Deed Information: Book Number Page , Registry of Deeds

1 1

F o r m B . 1 0 M - 1 1 - 6 9 - 0 4 5 654 •

I N V E N T O R Y F O R M C O N T I N U A T I O N S H E E T

MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION

MASSACHUSETTS ARCHIVES B U I L D I N G

220 MORRISSEY BOULEVARD

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 0 2 1 2 5

Town Property Address

I 3 ^L-^l

Area(s) Form No.

1/95