North Easton station

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North Easton
North Easton station from the southwest, June 2017.JPG
The former station building in 2017
General information
Location80 Mechanic Street
North Easton, Easton, Massachusetts
Coordinates 42°4′9.37″N71°6′11.95″W / 42.0692694°N 71.1033194°W / 42.0692694; -71.1033194
Owned byEaston Historical Society
Line(s) Dighton and Somerset Railroad
Tracks1
History
OpenedMay 16, 1855 [1]
ClosedSeptember 5, 1958 [1]
Rebuilt1881
Former services
Preceding station New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Following station
Stoughton
toward Boston
Boston–New Bedford Easton
toward New Bedford
Boston–Fall River Easton
toward Fall River
South Stoughton
toward Boston
Boston–Fall River
via Randolph
Proposed services
Preceding station MBTA.svg MBTA Following station
Raynham Place
toward Battleship Cove or New Bedford
South Coast Rail
Phase 2
 North Easton
toward South Station
North Easton Railroad Station
Old Colony Railroad Station.jpg
North Easton station in 1890
North Easton station
Built1881
Architect H. H. Richardson
Part of H. H. Richardson Historic District of North Easton (ID87002598)
Significant dates
Designated NHLDCPDecember 23, 1987
Designated CPNovember 3, 1972

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. Restoration of passenger rail services to the site have been proposed as part of Phase 2 of the South Coast Rail project.

Contents

History

Richardson frequently included Asian stylistic elements, like this carved dragon on a support beam, in his designs Detail on the west facade of the North Easton, Massachusetts railroad station.jpg
Richardson frequently included Asian stylistic elements, like this carved dragon on a support beam, in his designs

The Easton Branch Railroad opened from Stoughton to North Easton on May 16, 1855. [1] Originally part of the Boston and Providence Railroad, it became part of the Dighton and Somerset Railroad in 1866.

A new station was commissioned in 1881 by Frederick Lothrop Ames, director of the Old Colony Railroad, during the same year that Richardson designed the Ames Gate Lodge for his nearby estate. Frederick Law Olmsted landscaped its grounds. It is a relatively small station, a single story in height with Richardson's characteristic heavy masonry and outsized roof. Its long axis runs north-south with the tracks, now disused, along its west side. The building is laid out symmetrically within, with a large passenger room at each end (one for women, the other for men).

The station's facade is constructed of rough-faced, random ashlar of gray granite with a brownstone belt course and trim. Two large, semicircular arches punctuate each of the long facades, inset with windows and doorways, and ornamented with carvings of a beast's snarling head; a further semicircular arch projects to form the east facade's porte-cochere. Eaves project deeply over all sides, supported by plain wooden brackets. [2]

Commuter rail service past Stoughton was cut on September 5, 1958. In 1969, the Ames family purchased the property from the Penn Central Railroad and gave it to the historical society. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. In 1987, it also became part of the H. H. Richardson Historic District of North Easton, a National Historic Landmark District.

A new MBTA Commuter Rail station, Easton Village, was proposed to be built at the site as part of full-build (Phase 2) plans for the South Coast Rail project. Preliminary designs from 2014 include a 800-foot-long (240 m) high-level platform across the track from the historic building. [3]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Roy, John H. Jr. (2007). A Field Guide to Southern New England Railroad Depots and Freight Houses. Branch Line Press. pp. 204–205. ISBN   9780942147087.
  2. ↑ Cummings, Abbott L. (January 1960). "Old Colony Railroad Station" (PDF). Historic American Buildings Survey. Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress. p. 2. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
  3. ↑ "Figure 3.2-23 Easton Village Station Proposed Reconstruction" (PDF). Volume II: FEIS/FEIR Figures Final Environmental Impact Statement/Final Environmental Impact Report on the South Coast Rail Project proposed by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers New England District. August 2013. Retrieved July 23, 2014.
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