NFS Form 10-900 0MB No. 1024-0018 (3-82) Expires 10-31-87 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service For NFS use only National Register of Historic Places received Inventory—Nomination Form date entered See instructions in How to Complete National Register Forms Type ali entries—complete applicable sections_______________ 1. Name historic H. H. Richardson Historic District of North Easton and or common 2. Location street & number North Easton (see continuation sheet) __ not for publication city, town North Easton vicinity of state Massachusetts code county Bristol code 3. Classification Category Ownership Status Present Use •x- district x public x occupied agriculture __ museum building(s) x private unoccupied commercial x park structure x both work in progress educational J£ _ private residence site Public Acquisition Accessible entertainment religious object in process x yes: restricted x government scientific being considered - yes: unrestricted __ industrial __ transportation no military other: 4. Owner of Property name See Continuation Sheet street & number city, town vicinity of state 5. Location of Legal Description courthouse, registry of deeds, etc. Bristol County Registry of Deeds street & number City Hall city, town Taunton state Massachusetts 6. Representation in Existing Surveys title National Register of Historic Places nas this property been determined eligible? ——yes . no date 1972_________________________________-JL federal __ state __ county __ local depository for survey records National Park Service_________________________________ _ city, town Washington state DC 7. Description Condition Check one Check one .^excellent deteriorated unaltered _J^L original site good ruins _vl altered moved date fair unexposed Describe the present and original (if known) physical appearance There are five Richardson buildings in this historic district: the Oliver Ames Free Library, the Oakes Ames Memorial Hall, the Gate Lodge at Langwater, the Gardener's Cottage at Langwater, and the Old Colony Railroad Station. The boundaries encircle the contiguous Library and Memorial Hall, and Rockery in front, the two structures at Langwater, and the third boundary description is for the railroad station. A great deal of the visual impact of North Easton is also due to the genius of the great American landscape architect, Frederick Law Olmsted. The village of North Easton has a collection of works by Henry Hobson Richardson largely due to the patronage of one resident-manufacturing family— the Ames. The town depended on this family's manufacture of shovels and tools and was built radiating from the core of factories and railroad station to a ring of workers houses to finally the larger estates on the outer edges. The town today still retains its orderly village aspect. The Richardson Buildings; 1. Oliver Ames Free Library (1877-1883) Although the Library was commissioned in September, 1877, the building did not open until 1883, possibly because of cost overruns. The final cost including the building, the furnishings, the books and investments in a permanent fund, was more than $80,000. A brief description follows: Richardson's design for the Ames Library is basically rectangular in plan with the major rooms, the stack wing, hall, and reading room, arranged longitudinally. A broad gable projects forward from the north end of the longitudinal mass. This gable is marked by the arched entry to the outside porch on the first floor and by a row of five arched windows separated by pairs of short columns supporting the arches on the second. The stack wing windows form a horizontal band, each group of three separated by four short columns. Construction is of warm light brown Milford granite laid in random ashlar with dark reddish brown Longmeadow brownstone trim. The roof is red-orange tile over a wood barrelvaulted stack wing ceiling. The fireplace in the reading room is largely the work of Stanford White. The original stone and present bronze medallions of Oliver Ames II were designed by Augustus Saint-Gaudens. In 1931 the children's wing in red brick was added to the rear, an addition that eliminated the original lavatory and document room. Additional shelv­ ing has been incorporated in the original stack wing to accommodate a greater number of acquisitions.l Originally, the stack wing was divided by an open wooden screen of beaded spindles which was later moved to give free access to the stack shelves. 8. Significance *JatfOriftl Period Areas of Significance— Check and justify below prehistoric - archeology-prehistoric community planning ... landscape architecture _. religion __ 1400-1499 „ _ archeology-historic _ ..._ conservation ._._... law __ science 1500-1599 agriculture economics literature sculpture 1600-1699 _X_ architecture education military social/ __ 1700-1799 ___art engineering __ music humanitarian _^*1 800-1 899 commerce exploration/settlement philosophy theater 1900- . _ communications industry politics/government transportation invention other (specify) Specific dates Builder/Architect Statement of Significance (in one paragraph) North Easton, Massachusetts, is the result of an extraordinary collaboration between two of the towering figures of 19th century America. Henry Hobson Richardson, one of this country's greatest architects and Frederick Law Olmsted (1822-1903), the preeminent landscape architect of the era worked together under the patronage of the unusual family that turned a small iron foundry into a shovel manufactory that produced great wealth. In a short eight years this small industrial village became a beautifully coherent planned town containing several of the century's architectural landmarks. The town, itself, is located on the rapid Queset River which supplied waterpower to a series of small mills. In 1803, Oliver Ames moved from Bridgewater and began to manufacture shovels in the factories he built on the banks of the river. In the period of railroad and canal expansion which followed, Ames pro­ spered by supplying digging and trenching equipment. In 1844 his sons Oakes (1804-1873) and Oliver II (1807-1877) assumed management of the company. They also became involved in railroads beginning in 1855, and were major suppliers of trenching tools to the Union Army in the Civil War. Later they helped finance and construct the Union Pacific Railroad. 9 The California Gold Rush brought further business to the shovel factory and enormous profits came to the Ames family. Oakes Ames served in the United States Congress from 1862 until his death in 1873. In 1865 Ames was drawn with his brother Oliver into the Credit Mobilier, a company formed to finance the construction of the Union Pacific Railroad. In the profit taking scandals that ensued, the Ames were embroiled in a factional dispute and, as a result, Oakes Ames career as a politician was over. In retrospect, both Ames brothers were typical businessmen of the 19th century—perhaps over zealous, but not corrupt. They were both vindicated and a monument at the highest point on the Union Pacific line was erected to them by the railroad at Sherman Summit, Wyoming. It was designed by Olmsted & Richardson. The children of the two brothers were the patrons of Richardson and Olmsted: Oakes son, Oliver II, who became governor of Massachusetts, gave the Memorial Hall money in memory of of his father and funds for the Library and Oliver's children, Helen Angier Ames and Frederick Lothrop Ames who saw the projects through. F. L. Ames was a Harvard graduate (1854), along with Charles Gambrill, later Richardson's partner. 9. Major Bibliographical References See Continuation Sheet 10. Geographical Data Acreage of nominated property 5.8 Quadrangle name Brocton Mass. Quad. Quadrangle scale 1:25,000 UTM References See Continuation Sheet A B I I I I I I I I I I I Zone Easting Northing Zone Easting Northing cUJI I . I . i I I i I °UJ I I El , I I I , I , , I I , 1 I.I F| , | I . I I I I I I I ol . I I I i 1 . , 1 1 i 1 III "I ' 1 I . , i I I , I I , Verbal boundary description and justification See Continuation Sheet List all states and counties for properties overlapping state or county boundaries state code county code state code county code 11. Form Prepared By name/title Carolyn Pitts, Historian organization National Park Service, History Division date street & number 1100 L Street, NW telephone (202)343-8166 city or town Washington state DC 20013-7127 12. State Historic Preservation Officer Certification The evaluated significance of this property within the state is: __ national __ state __ local As the designated State Historic Preservation Officer for the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (Public Law 89- 665), I hereby nominate this property for inclusion in the National Register and certify that it has been evaluated according to the criteria and procedures set forth by the National Park Service. State Historic Preservation Officer signature ________ title date For NFS use only I hereby certify that this property is included in the National Register date Keeper of the National Register Attest- date Chief of Registration NPS Form 10-900-a OMB No. 1024-0018 <M2) Expires 10-31-87 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Inventory—Nomination Form Continuation sheet Item number Page 1 List of Buildings and owners 1. Oliver Ames Free Library (1877-1883) William Ames, President David Ames Free Library Trustees Room 849 Main Street 294 Washington Street North Easton, Massachusetts 02356 Boston, Massachusetts 02108 2. Oakes Ames Memorial Hall (1879-1881) Fred Ames, Chairman Board of Trustees Oakes Ames Memorial Hall Box 34 North Easton, Massachuestts 02356 Rockery (Park in front of Hall) John Kent, Chairman Board of Selectmen, Town of North Easton 02356 3. Gate Lodge of Langwater (1880-1881) 4. Gardener's Cottage of Langwater (1884) Mr. Oliver Ames 153 Elm Street North Easton, Massachusetts 02356 5.