National Register of Historic Places

Arlington Gaslight Company

Arlington, Middlesex County, Massachusetts
Listed
April 17, 1985
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
85001021

About this property

The Arlington Gaslight Company is an historic industrial complex in Arlington, Massachusetts. It is one of the town's few large-scale examples of industrial architecture, built for a local fuel company in 1914. The three-building facility presently houses the town's public works department with the Gas Light Company Building housing the town's Facilities Department. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. The former Arlington Gas Company property consists of about 4.5 acres (1.8 ha) on the east side of Grove Street in central Arlington, and is bounded on the north by the former railroad right-of-way that now carries the Minuteman Bike Path. The largest surviving building, a power station occupying a significant portion of the back section of the property, is a prominent local example of Romanesque Revival architecture, with corbelled brick decoration on its cornices. Fronting on Grove Street are two smaller brick buildings, one originally serving as the gas company offices, and the other as a meter house. The site's previous industrial use was for the Welch and Griffith saw factory, the first in the United States. This complex burned down in 1913. The complex was built in 1914 to house the Arlington Gas Company, which manufactured fuel for home use. It originally included a large storage tank, on top of which was emblazoned "ARLINGTON" and an arrow pointing north; this was one of the earliest known aids to aerial navigation, and was torn down in 1975. The complex now serves as the town's public works yard with The Facilities Department, Building Department / ISD, and IT Department. National Register of Historic Places listings in Arlington, Massachusetts

Location

Arlington, Middlesex County, Massachusetts
42.42131, -71.16873

Categories

INDUSTRYARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Arlington Pumping Station
Industrial
0.1 mi
Highland Hose House
Civil War
0.1 mi
Cutter, Gershom, House
Industrial
0.1 mi
Farmer, Kimball, House
Industrial
0.3 mi
Prentiss, William, House
Industrial
0.4 mi

Nearby Battles

Battle of Menotomy
1775Revolutionary War
0.8 mi
Skirmish at Menotomy (Arlington)
1775Revolutionary War
0.8 mi
Battle of Lancaster (King Philip's War)
1676Colonial
2.5 mi
Lexington Green — Parker's Stand
1775Revolutionary War
3.7 mi

Questions about this property

When was Arlington Gaslight Company listed on the National Register?

Arlington Gaslight Company was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 17, 1985.

What type of historic resource is Arlington Gaslight Company?

Arlington Gaslight Company is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Arlington Gaslight Company?

The period of significance for Arlington Gaslight Company is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Arlington Gaslight Company?

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