Stone Building

North Easton Railroad Depot // 1881

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Located within the historic village of North Easton, Massachusetts, the town’s old railroad depot is a rare case of a humble commuter stop designed by one of America’s great architects. The Easton Branch Railroad opened in 1855 and was later absorbed into the Old Colony Railroad, which was led by Frederick Lothrop Ames, whose shovel-making empire shaped the town. In 1881, Ames hired Henry Hobson Richardson, the Boston architect whose bold style became known as Richardsonian Romanesque, to design a new gatehouse for his estate, and a new railroad depot for his hometown. Rather than a plain wooden shed, Richardson gave the Old Colony Railroad stop a sturdy presence in rough-faced stone, with a broad, sweeping roof that dips low over deep eaves and rounded arches that welcomes travelers beneath its shelter. Beyond his exceptional use of materiality and understanding of building forms, Richardson even decorated the building with hidden features like a bullseye glass bowed window on the track side, snarling beasts in the woodwork, and waiting benches with lion’s head armrests. As rail was largely replaced by the automobile in the 20th century, train service terminated in North Easton in 1958. A decade later, in 1969, the Ames family purchased the property from the Penn Central Railroad and donated it to the Easton Historical Society, who maintain the architecturally significant building and hold their museum within. The depot sits within a larger ensemble of Richardson-designed buildings in the village for members of the Ames family, showcasing their influence and an assortment of various building types all designed by one of the United States’ finest 19th century architects, all within a short walk from each other.

North Easton Savings Bank and Post Office // 1904

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Located across the street from the iconic Oakes Ames Memorial Hall and the Ames Free Library, the North Easton Savings Bank and Post Office building perfectly compliments the Richardsonian Romanesque enclave found in the village, but it was not designed by the renowned architect whom the style is named after. The building was constructed in 1904 from plans by the firm of Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge, a Boston-based firm that grew out of Henry Hobson Richardson’s practice after his death in 1886. For this building, which served as a bank and local post office, the firm employed many of the hallmarks of the Richardsonian Romanesque style, just in a refined, less elaborate style. The building has walls of rough-faced granite ashlar blocks with brownstone trim and engaged columns. The three-bay front façade contains the centered entrance, recessed within a wide brownstone arch in the signature Richardsonian manner. The bank moved out of the building in the 1960s, and the building has served as professional offices ever-since, and is a contributing resource in the iconic enclave of buildings in North Easton.

Ames Free Library // 1879

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One of the most architecturally significant library buildings in the United States, the Ames Free Library in the small town of Easton, Massachusetts, is a landmark example of the Richardsonian Romanesque style designed by its namesake, Henry Hobson Richardson. The library in the village of North Easton was funded as part of the will of Oliver Ames Jr., who left $50,000 for the construction of a library for his native town. The request was carried out by Ames’ children, Frederick Lothrop Ames and Helen Angier Ames, who hired Henry Hobson Richardson to design the new structure. Richardson had recently completed the Trinity Church in Boston and was designing a library in Woburn at the time the Ames Family first commissioned him to put Easton on the map. Richardson would later design four other buildings in Easton for members of the Ames Family, including the Oakes Ames Memorial Building next door to the library. The Ames family also contracted architect Stanford White for the fireplace in the reading room and sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens for the decorative medallions of the library’s benefactor. Construction started on the library in 1878 and it was completed in 1879, but the library did not open until 1883, possibly due to cost overruns. Essentially rectangular in plan, the Ames Library features three main masses: a longitudinal block; a stair tower with a pyramidal roof; and larger gable entry projection. The library is built of ashlar granite blocks and brownstone trim, which frames the openings. Over fifty years after the library was completed, the 1931 children’s wing was added onto the rear. The gift of Fanny Holt Ames, the addition was designed by Shepley, Rutan, and Coolidge, who continued Richardson’s architectural firm upon his death in 1886. The addition of brick showcases how materiality and certain design changes can effectively showcase the evolution of a building without detracting from its original design and integrity.

Oakes Ames Memorial Hall // 1881

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Located in the center of North Easton, Massachusetts, the landmark Oakes Ames Memorial Hall is the work of famed architect, Henry Hobson Richardson, and among one of the finest of his buildings. In 1879, the children of Oakes Ames (1804-1873), an extremely wealthy businessman, industrialist and congressman from Easton, commissioned the great American architect to design a Memorial Hall as a tribute to their father. Richardson, the architect of Boston’s beloved Trinity Church in Copley Square, responded with this picturesque masterpiece in his eponymous Richardsonian Romanesque architectural style, with walls of rusticated granite that are articulated with contrasting brownstone at the arches, window and door surrounds, and deep band courses. The Ames Memorial Hall is sited atop a rocky outcropping with the building accessed by a grand brownstone stair and landscaping designed by Frederick Law Olmsted. The building is relatively square in form and features a prominent corner tower, an arcaded entry of five massive arches on squat columns, and a steeply peaked roof finished in red terracotta. Often overlooked, the frieze at the top of the tower is lined with ornamental carvings of the signs of the Zodiac in brownstone. The building was provided to the Town of Easton by the Ames Family “for all the ordinary purposes of a town hall”, but it was never used for its intended purpose as the town hall, and has mainly served as a meeting space for groups and events. The Town of Easton does a commendable job preserving these nationally significant Richardson-designed landmarks for all to enjoy.

Searles Castle – Stanton Harcourt Manor // 1907

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One of the most enchanting and unique buildings in the state of New Hampshire, can be found tucked away in the woods in the town of Windham. This is Searles Castle. Built between 1907-1915, the massive castle was built for Edward Francis Searles (1841-1920), who was born in Methuen, Massachusetts, to middle-class parents who worked in a local cotton mill and operated a small farm. As a young child, Edward’s father died and he would leave school to work in a nearby cotton mill at just 12 years old. As a young man, he eventually moved to Boston, where for the next twelve years, Edward sold furniture and used his savings to pay off the mortgage on the family farm. Edward travelled to Europe and upon returning, he secured a job with Herter Brothers, a New York interior decorating firm. In 1881, Searles decided to go to California where he would take some time to call on some of the very wealthy clients of Herter Brothers. One of those clients was Ms. Mary Sherwood Hopkins of San Francisco, a wealthy widow of Mark Hopkins, a railroad tycoon who died in 1878 and left his wife with a massive fortune. Mary had no children of her own and would eventually marry her designer, Edward Searles, who was 22 years her junior. Mary changed her will to leave all her wealth to her new husband. It was at that time that Edward Searles started building several large mansions all over New England, including the massive castle in Windham. Mary died in 1891. For his castle in New Hampshire, Searles hired English-born architect Henry Vaughan, to furnish designs for a building to replicate a Tudor mansion in Stanton Harcourt, England. It is built of cut granite, fieldstone, and dark red sandstone, most of which came from Searles’ own quarries in nearby Pelham, New Hampshire. Edward spent most of his time at his estate in Methuen, and after his death in 1920, the property was inherited by his secretary and later deeded to The Sisters of Mercy in 1952. Due to the incredible costs maintaining this architecturally significant castle and expansive grounds, the Sisters of Mercy relocated to another building on the grounds and have rented the Castle for weddings and other events.

Armstrong Memorial Building // 1899

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The Armstrong Memorial Building is the first purpose-built library building serving the town of Windham, New Hampshire, and is an eclectic example of late 19th century architecture combining elements of the Shingle and Craftsman styles. Built in 1899, it was the town’s first purpose-built library building, a role it played until 1997, when a new library was built elsewhere in town. The building is constructed of random laid fieldstone with a broad hipped roof with corbeled eaves and a shingled gabled entrance. Local architect, William Weare Dinsmoor, furnished plans for the building which has long been one of the beloved structures in Windham. Its namesake, George Washington Armstrong (1836-1901), funded the building for the town but it is unclear who it memorializes. After the new Nesmith Library was built in 1997, the building has been repurposed into a museum detailing the town’s history.

Old Providence Custom House and Post Office // 1857

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One of the finest buildings in Downtown Providence, the old Custom House and Post Office is a landmark, showcasing how Federal buildings were once well designed and meant to show stability through high-quality design and materials. The stately building was completed in 1857 from plans by architect, Ammi Young, who became the Supervising Architect of the U.S. Treasury Department in 1852. Ammi Young designed a number of notable buildings all over New England, with his finest being the many custom houses and other Federal buildings. For the Providence Custom House and Post Office, he utilized granite from quarries in Quincy, Massachusetts for its walls to show strength, with a hipped roof and metal dome and corner quoins as additional design elements. The building can be classified as a blending of Greek Revival and Italianate styles with the use of both pedimented and arched window treatments and blocky form. The building housed federal offices until November 1909, when a new and larger Federal Building was erected a few blocks away. The Federal Government vacated the structure in 1989 and was ultimately bought by the State of Rhode Island and converted to office space for the State Courts System. After extensive renovation at a cost of $550,000, the building was opened by the state in 1992 as the John E. Fogarty Judicial Complex.

Old Stone Studio // c.1820

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One of the most significant buildings in the coastal town of Marion, Massachusetts, is this stone structure, which is said to have had its beginnings as a storage warehouse. Located on Spring Street north of the main village, this building was constructed as early as 1820 as a salt works storage facility, and is an extremely rare surviving storage facility associated with the early 19th century salt industry in town. While many storage facilities we know today are void of architecture and soul, this building looks like it was plucked from the French countryside, thanks to a late 19th century renovation by one of the most prestigious architects in the United States. The salt industry in Massachusetts began on Cape Cod during the Revolution. Salt was a vital necessity for the preservation and curing of fish and meat for sale in this country and overseas. According to local lore, the Old Stone Studio was originally “a place for the conversion of sea water into salt.” Around the Civil War, the building was being used for petroleum processing facility, where kerosene, which had supplanted whale oil as a fuel for home and street lamps, was made and stored. The old stone structure had fallen into disrepair by the 1880s, that was until New York magazine editor, Richard Watson Gilder bought and restored it as a studio for his wife, artist Helena de Kay Gilder. At this point, Marion had become a premier summer colony with large waterfront estates and recreational facilities built for the wealthy in Boston and New York to spend the warmer months. Gilder hired his friend, Stanford White of McKim, Mead & White, to update the warehouse into a studio, adding the multi-light windows, decorative ironwork, and interior details, including the massive stone fireplace with a nine-foot mantle. The fireplace provided a stunning backdrop for guests, including President Grover Cleveland and First Lady Frances Folsom Cleveland, who summered in town. Ms. Gilder even painted the First Lady in the studio, and hosted her on occasions. The Old Stone Studio is now a private residence with addition off the rear.

Pettee Stone Cottage // c.1839

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Located next to the Pettee Stone Barn in Newton’s Upper Falls village, this equally charming stone cottage was built around the same time by Otis Pettee, a wealthy industrialist and founder of the Pettee Machine Works, which manufactured cotton and silk machinery. This cottage served as a shop and later as the residence of the caretaker of the silk mill which also had space and equipment to raise the silk worms in the adjacent barn. Later in the nineteenth century, the cottage was owned by George Pettee (1827-1896), son of Otis Pettee. In the 20th century, the structures were operated by the New England Spun Silk Corporation and it now is a single-family residence. The facade of the Pettee Cottage is three bays wide with twelve-over-twelve windows with wood shutters.

Pettee Stone Barn // 1839

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This historic stone barn in Newton’s Upper Falls village is representative of the ingenuity and resourcefulness of this once thriving nineteenth century mill village. Known as the Pettee Stone Barn, the structure dates to 1839 when Otis Pettee (1795-1853), who managed an iron foundry and machine-works for cotton machinery, built this structure as a warehouse. The barn was said to have been used additionally as a location for raising silkworms by Pettee’s company. After the business closed, the handsome barn was used later in the 19th and early 20th century as a carriage and horse barn for a shipping company and today, is rented to local businesses. Architecturally, the barn is significant for its use of fieldstone walls with door and window surrounds of cut stone and brick. A monitor roof runs the length of the gable ridge and illuminates the interior spaces. The Stone Barn remains remarkably preserved today and is a landmark in the community. 

Forest Hills Cemetery – Bell Tower // 1876

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Built atop Snowflake Hill just inside the entrance of the Forest Hills Cemetery in Boston, the cemetery’s bell tower stands as an architectural landmark in the iconic historic landscape. Completed in 1876, the octagonal, Victorian Gothic Revival style tower stands 100 feet tall and is built atop an outcropping of Roxbury puddingstone. The structure is also built of local Roxbury puddingstone blocks and trimmed with granite. The roof is clad with granite tiles and topped with an ornate copper weathervane. Originally, a swinging bell was rung in the tower, but it was replaced by an electronic carillon. The architect is not known for the handsome structure, but the contractors were the Concord and Roxbury Granite Railway Company, and the builders were Jacobs & Kelly of Boston.

Ambrosoli Block – Stone Castle // 1890

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The Ambrosoli Block, also known as the Stone Castle, is a stunning four-story building constructed of locally quarried Milford granite and brick, that has ties to the early development and history of Italians in Milford, Massachusetts. As local granite quarries in Milford prospered, many Italian-born immigrants settled in the community near their place of employment. Bernardo Ambrosoli (1843-1896), a well-known hotel proprietor in Boston’s North End, owned this structure in Milford, which served as a residential building and meeting and social hall for the local Italian community. The building was constructed by Giovanni Battista Giacomuzzi (1857-1919), a local stone cutter and builder. Bernardo Ambrosoli had connections to Milford as he also operated a hotel there, and owned this building which became a hub of early Italian-American life in town. The Stone Castle also served as the early meeting place for congregants of what would become the Sacred Heart Church of Milford. Bernardo Ambrosoli tragically died in 1896 when he was shot and killed by a bartender at his North End hotel. The Stone Castle, when built, was three stories tall with a one-and-a-half-story four-gabled roof on top, which burned in 1900. The present fourth floor in stone was added soon after with the brick banding showing the location of that addition. Today, the building is residential use.

Memorial Hall, Milford // 1884

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Designed by architect Fred Swasey in the Richardsonian Romanesque style, Memorial Hall in Milford, Massachusetts, is one of the finest examples of the style in the state and is built of locally quarried Milford granite with Longmeadow brownstone. The building was constructed in 1884 to serve multiple purposes: a free public library, meeting hall for the local Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) lodge, and most importantly, a memorial to honor the Civil War soldiers and sailors of Milford and nearby Hopedale. As a true Memorial Hall, the building features cannons in the front yard and on its facade, carved brownstone panels inscribed “Farragut” and “Grant” after Civil War generals, David Farragut and Ulysses S. Grant. Inside, the main staircase features the names of iconic Civil War battles and the entry features large marble panels with the list of local men who fought and died to fight for the nation. The library moved out of the building in 1986 when the current library was built behind Memorial Hall, and since then, the space has been occupied by the Milford Historical Commission as a local history museum space.

Claflin & Thayer Shoe Shop // c.1866

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The Claflin & Thayer Company was established in 1851 by Aaron Claflin (1807-1890) and quickly became a leading boot and shoe manufacturer in Milford, Massachusetts. The business expanded after the Civil War, and built multiple buildings on the town’s Central Street, including this early stone building constructed of locally quarried Milford “pink” granite. The building depicted here included a large engine and boilers on the first floor with two stories above housing workers and boot crimping stations. After Aaron Claflin died in 1890, the business dissolved and this building became used for storage for other corporations, with the significant, yet vernacular building sitting to deteriorate.

Milford Armory // 1912 

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A source of local pride, the Milford Armory building on Pearl Street in Milford, Massachusetts, is an architectural landmark in the community and shows how adaptive reuse can give old buildings new life. The structure was completed in 1912 and constructed of locally quarried and cut Milford granite, a pinkish-grey granite that covers an area of approximately 39 square miles, centered around present-day Milford. Between the Civil War and WWII, the town of Milford became famous for its “pink” granite as a building material, with over 1,000 men laboring in dozens of quarries supplying the stone for some of America’s most iconic buildings including: the Boston Public Library, Worcester City Hall, as well as the original Penn Station and Natural History Museum in New York, among many others. Besides being built of local granite, the Armory was also designed by local architect, Wendell T. Phillips, who followed nationwide trends designing the building like a fortified Medieval castle with crenellated towers, with long and narrow windows recessed, emulating the slit windows used in similar medieval structures. Like in many communities all over the country, the need to store firearms and major National Guard trainings declined with some being demolished, others sitting vacant, and others like the Milford Armory, seeing new life. The Milford Armory was slated for closure in 2002 and was ultimately saved when the Town of Milford and the National Guard struck a deal to initially rent the building for a Youth Center and gymnasium and share the space with the Guard.  The armory was home to the popular Youth Center, which needed gym space not available anywhere else. The building was ultimately purchased by the town and underwent a massive restoration, being rededicated as the Milford Youth Center in 2016.