National Register of Historic Places

Stone Building

Lexington, Middlesex County, Massachusetts
Listed
April 29, 1976
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
76000252

About this property

The Ellen Stone Building, built in 1833, is an historic Greek Revival style building located at 735 Massachusetts Avenue in Lexington, Massachusetts. It was originally a meeting hall and lyceum for East Lexington, which had its own civic identity and, later, its own church, the neighboring Follen Community Church. Notable speakers at the Lyceum included Ralph Waldo Emerson, Charles Sumner, Wendell Phillips, Theodore Parker, Lucy Stone, Josiah Quincy Jr. and possibly Henry David Thoreau. Emerson served as a minister in the building for three years prior to the building of Follen Community Church. The building was deeded to the Trustees of the Cary Memorial Library for $2,000 in 1891, by Ellen Stone, granddaughter of Eli Robbins, who built it, and it was named after her. After her death in 1944, she bequeathed $2,000 to the Town for a fund to aid needy and deserving girls in pursuit of education. The East Lexington branch library which had been established in 1883, occupied it until the building was closed for repairs after a flood in 2007. In 1945 a demolition permit was issued for the building followed by several attempts to find a new site on which to locate it. Ultimately it was renovated as the East Branch of Cary Memorial Library in 1947. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.

Location

735 Massachusetts Ave.
Lexington, Middlesex County, Massachusetts
42.42950, -71.20682

Categories

EDUCATIONARCHITECTURE
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

Follen Community Church
Industrial
0 mi
Peacock Farm Historic District
Listed
0.7 mi
House at 45 Claremont Avenue
Industrial
0.7 mi
Mason, John, House
Industrial
0.9 mi
Sanderson House and Munroe Tavern
Early Republic
1 mi

Nearby Battles

Lexington Green — Parker's Stand
1775Revolutionary War
1.8 mi
Battle of Lexington – Parker's Stand
1775Revolutionary War
1.8 mi
Battle of Lexington
1775Revolutionary War
1.8 mi
Battle of Lancaster (King Philip's War)
1676Colonial
2.3 mi

Questions about this property

When was Stone Building listed on the National Register?

Stone Building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 29, 1976.

What type of historic resource is Stone Building?

Stone Building is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Stone Building?

The period of significance for Stone Building is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Stone Building?

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