North Easton Historic District | |
Location | Easton, Massachusetts |
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Coordinates | 42°4′13″N71°5′59″W / 42.07028°N 71.09972°W |
Area | 500 acres (200 ha) |
Architect | Richardson, Henry Hobson; Olmsted, Frederick Law |
Architectural style | Greek Revival, Late Victorian, Gothic Revival |
NRHP reference No. | 72000119 |
Added to NRHP | November 3, 1972 [1] |
The North Easton Historic District is a historic district in Easton, Massachusetts encompassing a cohesive village area developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, primarily through the activities of the locally important Ames family. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. In 1987, a portion of the district was designated a National Historic Landmark District, known as the H. H. Richardson Historic District of North Easton, which includes several buildings designed for the Ameses by architect H. H. Richardson.
The North Easton Historic District is bounded on the east by Massachusetts Route 138, the south by Main and Lincoln Streets, the west by Main Street, and the north by Elm Street. The largest features of this area are the estates of the Ames family and their former industrial sites, when they were leading manufacturers of shovels and other tools. The district includes rows of worker housing built by the Ameses for their workers, and the former Ames Company factory, located near the railroad tracks that run north-south through the district just east of Main Street. [2]
The district's most sophisticated architectural elements are in its public buildings, and in the estates of the Ames family. Early examples include the Gothic Revival architecture of Queset, possibly designed by Andrew Jackson Downing and built about 1854, and Langwater, a Second Empire house built in 1859. Most notable, however are five buildings designed by H. H. Richardson in his signature Richardsonian Romanesque style, which were designed a National Historic Landmark District in 1987. These include the Ames Free Library and Oakes Ames Memorial Hall, sited on a parcel landscaped by Frederick Law Olmsted, the Old Colony Railroad Station, the Ames Gate Lodge, and the F. L. Ames Gardener's Cottage. [2]
Easton is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 25,058 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Greater Boston area.
Oakes Ames was an American businessman, investor, and politician. He was a member of the United States House of Representatives from Massachusetts. As a congressman, he is credited by many historians as being the single most important influence in the building of the Union Pacific portion of the transcontinental railroad. He is also noted for the subsequent scandal that alleged the improper sale of stock of the railroad's construction company.
Henry Hobson Richardson, FAIA was an American architect, best known for his work in a style that became known as Richardsonian Romanesque. Along with Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright, Richardson is one of "the recognized trinity of American architecture".
Oliver Ames was an American businessman, investor, philanthropist, and Republican politician who served as the 35th governor of Massachusetts from 1887 to 1890.
Newton Highlands is one of the thirteen villages within the city of Newton in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The Newton Highlands Historic District includes residential and commercial businesses back to the late 19th century.
Oliver Ames Jr. was president of Union Pacific Railroad when the railroad met the Central Pacific Railroad in Utah for the completion of the First transcontinental railroad in North America.
Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge was a successful architecture firm based in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, operating between 1886 and 1915, with extensive commissions in monumental civic, religious, and collegiate architecture in the spirit and style of Henry Hobson Richardson.
The Ames Free Library is a public library designed by noted American architect Henry Hobson Richardson. It is located at 53 Main Street, Easton, Massachusetts, immediately adjacent to another Richardson building, Oakes Ames Memorial Hall.
Oakes Ames Memorial Hall is a historic hall designed by noted American architect H. H. Richardson, with landscaping by Frederick Law Olmsted. It is located on Main Street in the village of North Easton in Easton, Massachusetts, immediately adjacent to another Richardson building, Ames Free Library.
The Ames Monument is a large pyramid in Albany County, Wyoming, designed by Henry Hobson Richardson and dedicated to brothers Oakes Ames and Oliver Ames Jr., Union Pacific Railroad financiers. It marked the highest point on the first transcontinental railroad, at 8,247 feet (2,514 m).
The Ames Gate Lodge is a celebrated work by American architect Henry Hobson Richardson. It is privately owned on an estate landscaped by Frederick Law Olmsted, but its north facade can be seen from the road at 135 Elm Street, North Easton, Massachusetts. In 2013, the Ames Gate Lodge was protected by a preservation easement held by Historic New England.
Oakes Angier Ames was an American businessman, investor, and philanthropist in the Ames family of North Easton, Massachusetts.
The Downtown Springfield Railroad District is a historic district encompassing a group of early 20th century railroad-related buildings in Springfield, Massachusetts, USA. They are in an area roughly bounded by Lyman, Main, Dwight and Frank B. Murray Streets. The district includes the Union Station, the old freight house, commercial warehouses and a retaining wall and bridge designed in part by H. H. Richardson. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.
The Machine Shop Village District is a historic district roughly bounded by Main, Pleasant, Clarendon, Water, 2nd Streets, and B&M Railroad in North Andover, Massachusetts. The district encompasses a well-preserved former textile mill village developed in the mid-19th century, with a variety of worker and upper-class housing, and two historic mill complexes. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.
The F. L. Ames Gardener's Cottage is a small residential house in North Easton, Massachusetts. This building was designed in 1884 by noted American architect Henry Hobson Richardson and built the following year. This building sits on the original Ames estate and was designed soon after the neighboring Ames Gate Lodge. Frederick Lothrop Ames also commissioned Richardson to build the nearby Old Colony Railroad Station. Two other notable buildings in North Easton, the Ames Free Library and Oakes Ames Memorial Hall, were also Richardson designs and commissioned by the Ames family.
The H. H. Richardson Historic District of North Easton is a National Historic Landmark District in the village of North Easton in Easton, Massachusetts. It consists of five buildings designed by noted 19th-century architect Henry Hobson Richardson, and The Rockery, a war memorial designed by Frederick Law Olmsted. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1987.
Fairlawn is a historic mansion at 189 May Street in Worcester, Massachusetts. It is now part of the main building of the Fairlawn Rehabilitation Hospital. The mansion were the property of James Norcross, a nationally prominent builder whose Norcross Brothers firm was engaged in construction projects involving famous architects, including H. H. Richardson and McKim, Mead & White. The Norcross brothers were also locally prominent, building a number of Worcester landmarks and operating a factory in the city which produced architectural parts.
The Ames Shovel Shops, also known as Ames Shovel Works or Ames Shovel Shop, is a historic 19th century industrial complex located in North Easton, Massachusetts. It is part of the North Easton Historic District, and consists of several granite buildings constructed between 1852 and 1885, along with several newer additions and outbuildings dating to about 1928.
North Easton station is a former railroad station designed by noted American architect H. H. Richardson. It is located just off Oliver Street in North Easton, Massachusetts, and currently houses the Easton Historical Society. The station was built in 1881 and served commuter trains until 1958. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972 as Old Colony Railroad Station. In 1987, it also became part of the H. H. Richardson Historic District of North Easton, a National Historic Landmark District. The proposed Phase 2 of South Coast Rail would return commuter rail service to the location in 2030 as Easton Village station.
Frederick Lothrop Ames was heir to a fortune in railroads and shovel manufacturing. He was Vice President of the Old Colony Railroad, a director of the Union Pacific railroad, and a co-founder of General Electric. At the time of his death, Ames was reported to be the wealthiest person in Massachusetts.