National Register of Historic Places

Whittenton Fire and Police Station

Taunton, Bristol County, Massachusetts
Listed
July 4, 1984
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
84002271

About this property

The Whittenton Fire and Police Station is a historic fire station and police station located on Bay Street in Taunton, Massachusetts. Built in 1888, it is one of only two surviving 19th-century Queen Anne-style fire stations in the city. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. The Whittenton Station is located on the east side of Bay Street, a major north-south artery leading north from downtown Taunton, and just north of its junction with East Britannia Street. It is a brick structure whose main block is 2-1/2 stories in height, topped by a hip roof with a large central gable-roofed projecting dormer. A two-story ell projects to the right at a recess, with a three-story hose drying tower behind. The main block houses three equipment bays behind segmented-arch openings, with four sash windows in a 1-2-1 pattern above. The dormer is framed in wood and finished in decorative cut shingles, with large scroll brackets on either side of a round arch in which a three-part window is set. The side section has two pedestrian entrances, one for the fire station and one for the police station. The station is one of two in the city designed by its second fire chief, Abner Colemn, and was built in 1888 (the other, the Weir Engine House was built in 1889). It was built by contractor James T. Bassett. It is a fine local example of a municipal Queen Anne structure, built during a period of significant growth in the city. The station houses Taunton's engine 4, water rescue 1, Whittenton police precinct, and a community police substation. The building previously housed a neighborhood library. National Register of Historic Places listings in Taunton, Massachusetts

Location

Taunton, Bristol County, Massachusetts
41.92067, -71.09645

Categories

COMMUNITY PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENTARCHITECTURE
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

Hopewell School
Industrial
0.1 mi
Reed and Barton Complex
Industrial
0.3 mi
Hopewell Mills District
Listed
0.4 mi
North Taunton Baptist Church
Industrial
0.4 mi
Union Congregational Church
Civil War
0.5 mi

Questions about this property

When was Whittenton Fire and Police Station listed on the National Register?

Whittenton Fire and Police Station was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 4, 1984.

What type of historic resource is Whittenton Fire and Police Station?

Whittenton Fire and Police Station is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Whittenton Fire and Police Station?

The period of significance for Whittenton Fire and Police Station is recorded as the industrial era.

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