North End / Waterfront preservation study online

riemish



shingles
stone



stucco asphalt asbestos alum/vinyl
^concrete iron/steel/alum.



BRIEF DESCRIPTION
A flemish gothic or moorish structure of three and a half stories with a high basement.
The first floor has a large ogee arched casement with leaded glass over the windows.
Smaller windows have been replaced with a large picture window and smaller lights on
either side. The window over the basement east doorway is topped with an ogee
arch with leaded glass^ There is also an ogee arch over the main west doorway but the

EXTERIOR ALTERATION (miho?) moderate drastic



CONDITION ^oo^ fair poor



LOT AREA 1560



sq.ft.



NOTEWORTHY SITE CHARACTERISTICS



CMap)



SIGNIFICANCE (con't on reverse)

The Medical Mission has been caring for the sick and the
needy of the North End since 1892. It was started by
students from the Boston University School of Theology
as a "center of uplifting influence and practical
teaching", later Harriet J. Cook saw a need for holding
clinics, and the value of this work was recognized by the
Women's Home Missionary Society of the Methodist
Episcopal Church, who assumed the responsibility of
maintaining the place, the Fourth Edition of a



Moved; date if known



Themes Ccheck as many as applicable ) m\

Aboriginal Conservation Recreation

Agricultijral Education Religion

Architectural X Exploration/ Science/

The Arts settlement invention

Commerce Industry Social/

Communication Military humanitarian

Community/ Political Transporation



Development



Significance (include expanation of themes checked above )

Directory of Charitable and Beneficient Organizations of Boston, 1899, also known
as the Directory of the Associated Charities of Boston lists an "Epworth League
House," or "University Settlement" at 34 Hull Street. The Epworth League was a
prominent Methodist Episcopal organization with local headquarters at 36 Bromfield
Street, ■.•Boston. .This settlement house was founded in 1892, and a "Medical Mission"
was added in 1894. The Medical Mission was open four days per week and charged
lO"? per case. A doctor and trained nurse were employed to visit patients in their
homes. The fifth edition of the same directory (1907) lists the "Hull Street
Settlement and Medical Mission" at 36 Hull Street. It was under the sponsorship
of the "Methodist Woman's Home Missionary Society." The Medical Mission Dispensary
was still charging 10<: per case. The officers included cooke, superintendent.
Miss E. J. Webster, treasurers, and Dr. Julia Bissell as headworker. In 1907, the
Associated Charities of Boston had a district office at 24 Hull Street with Miss d\
L.E. Gilman, in charge. The 1922 real estate atlas for Boston lists the owner ^
of the property at 34 Hull Street as the Women's Home Mission of New England
Conference of Methodist-Episcopal Church of New England. ^ The building has the
best location in the North End. It faces Copps ' Hill Burying Ground, where
one sees green grass, fine trees and blue sky, and from the upper floor of the
building there is a glimpse of Boston Harbor. The house inside is large and
roomy. The entire first floor is given over to the medical and surgical department,
while the upper floors are used for club work and quarters for the nine residents

Preservation Consideration Caccessibility , re-use possibilities, capacity

for public use and enjoyment, protection, utilities, context)

workers. Clinics are held every forenoon, and evenings for emergency cases. There
are thirteen volunteer physicians, two resident physicians, and four nurses on the
staff. A dental clinic was opened in 1912; and a nose, ear, and throat specialist
has given his services for some time. Obstetric cases are taken care of by both
doctors and nurses. Most of the patients and club members are Italians, and very
valuable service is therefore rendered the Mission by an Italian interpreter who has
been with it for some years. Although separate from the dispensary, yet closely

Bibliography and/or references (such as local histories, deedTs, assessor's

records, early maps, etc.)

1. "Hull Street Settlement and Medical Mission Dispensary" by R. G. Heiman in the
Saturday Evening Girls News . (Vol. IV, No. 2 Dec. 11, 1915) p. 9.

2. "Letter from George H. Jacobsen, (News and Archive's Unit at Mass. General Hospital)
to Mr. Robert Tryllo, 43 Belknap Street, Boston dated Sept. 3, 1963. (In the
Bostonian Society Hull Street Photo File)

3. Op. Cit. "Hull Street and Medical Mission Dispensary" p. 10. j

4. City of Boston, Building Department. ",

5. City of Boston, Assessor's Office.



Description (cont'd) Hull Street Mission

upper part is filled in with stone moldings between the first and second floors.
On the second and third floors a pair of windows are placed in the center of the
building. Stone sills and label moldings at window heads enclose diamond paned
upper over single paned lower sash. The fourth floor contains a single window
within the peak of the gable which has a copper finial. Two other symmetrical
windows are placed in the seamed metal roof. A stepped gable of wood surrounds these
two side windows.

Significance (cont'd)

interwoven, is the regular settlement work, carried on by the Mission. There are at

present ten boys' clubs, under the direction of young men from Harvard; five girls'

clubs, and five young women's clubs. Two of these groups are composed of workers

from Schraf f t ' s candy factory, who are interested in campfire activites and have

as their leader Miss Harris, who is also the welfare worker at Schrafft's. The

Mothers' Club is doing very good work in making clothes for themselves and their

children. A number of mothers bring their babies along, and altogether they

make a congenial and happy group. The children, too, learn to sew and keep house,

through the training they receive in the kitchen garden. Many youngsters learn the

value of a clean home, and how to make it clean and attractive. An important

part of the work is the stamp saving stations. One station is at the Mission

for the boys, and others are at the various candy factories. Through the industrial

classes for wontsry, "thai bays 'and girls' clubs, the stamp saving stations, and the

numerous social gatherings and picnics which are planned by friends and churches,

the members of the house are "helped to be self-reliant and self-respecting, to

become efficient in practical arts, and familiar with some of funamentals of a liberal

education,"-^ In 1920, building permit records indicate that the authorities

of the Medical Mission Dispensary desired to place beds for children in a large

second story front room, of its present building for emergency cases and one

nights rest after minor either operations. They will not be occupied

continously. . .we are not opening a hospital ward as comonly understood, but only

temporary use of a bed or two from 6 to24 hours at indefinite periods. In 1927

the building was converted to an apartment, housing eight fmailies. An elevator

was installed, new pliombing and heating appartus was added asw well as new

terrazzo floors on the first and second floors. In 1960, owners Conrad and Livia

Cenerizio install sprinklers, three bathrooms, and upgraded kitchens. The

boiler room was enclosed in masonary. In 1963, owner Jamds G. Muller

changed he occupancy to four families and in 1972 owner Adam Moshella legalized the

occupancy to thirteen apartments. 4



.ai



BOSTON LANDMARKS COMMISSION




Building Information Form Form No.
ADDRESS 11 Tileston Street cOR.



^e a^nT-l-h Fnri



NAM E Catherine Moore House — same



present
MAP NO. 26N-13E



SUB AREA



original
N/W



DATE 1929


1




source


ARCHITECT Biqelow,


Wadsworth, Hubbard S Smith 1




source


BUILDER






source


CWNER same


Roman Catholic Archidiocese of


original


present Bostc


PHOTOGRAPHS





iq/-^^mftS/4fiQ7iss



Ward ^. Parcfil



TYPE Cresidential) single double row 2-fam. 3-deck ten apt.
Cnon-residential)



NO. OF STORIES tlst to cornice)



plus



ROOF



f1rlf



cupola



dormers



MATERIALS (Frame) clapb oards <^)^^n^l^P=; stucco asphalt asbestos alum/vinyl

(other) ^bricA Q^stone^ ( ^ncrete ) iron/steel/alum.

(foundation) cast stone (trim)

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

This brick structure is five stories in height and three bays wide. The central bay
on the first floor contains a recessed doorway which is reached by four stone steps.
The door itself is round-arched with glass in the upper portion and paneling below. The
doorway is marked by an ogee arch in cast stone blocks. There are small windows on
either side of the dooJiJihich are covered with ornate metal grilles. The windows on the
EXTERIOR ALTERATION ^ ^jiinolS moderate drastic



CONDITION C goo



fair



poor



LOT AREA



27 12



sq.ft.



NOTEWORTHY SITE CHARACTERISTICS



(Map)



SIGNIFICANCE (con't on reverse)

In 1930, the Catholic Charitable Bureau, under the

administration of the Sisters of Saint Joseph, founded

the Catherine Moore House to function as a settlement

house offering crafts and classes. As the second

generation grew up, there was no great need for basic

educational and vocational skills, although the need

did not vanish entirely. However, recreational

and social activites remained important in this crowded



Moved; date if known



Themes Ccheck as many as applicable ) |gr

Aboriginal Conservation Recreation

Agricultural Education Religion

Architectural Exploration/ Science/

The Arts settlement invention

Commerce Industry Social/

Communication Military himianitarian

Community/ Political Transporation

Development

Significance (include expanation of themes checked above )

and still somewhat poor district. The interior of this building contains an
auditorium, kitchen and living quarters on the upper levels for the Sisters of Saint
Joseph. The building dimensions are 24 X 23 X 65. And the facility is still a
residence for the Sisters of Saint Joseph who teach at Saint John's School on Moon Street

Description (cont'd)

second, third and fourth floors are all treated with flared brick lintels. On the
fifth floor there is a round brich arch over the window and the arch itself has been
filled in with concrete. Recessed brick panels separate the second and third floors.
A narrow copper cornice is found above the fifth floor windows, and above this there is
open masonry work, which serves as a wall for the roof deck on top of the building.



Preservation Consideration Caccessibility , re-use possibilities, capacity
for public use and enjoyment, protection, utilities, context)



Bibliography and/or references (such as local histories, deeds, assessor's
records, early maps, etc.)

1. City of Boston, Buildling Department.

2. City of Boston, Assessor's Office.

3. Todisco, Paula J. Boston's First Neighborhood: The North End (Boston Public
Library, 1976). p. 46.



BOSTON LANDMARKS COMMISSION



Building Information Form Form No,



Area




North End



ADDRESS ^q m^ . RpnnPt. St. COR, galem St. and Tileston St.
NAME No- Bennet St. Industrial School same



present
MAP NO. 26N-13E S27N-13E



original



SUB AREA N/W



DATE 1874



appears on building



ARCHITECT



BUILDER



original present j_^-

School



PHOTOGRAPHS



19/330150/4692140



Ward 3, Parcel 2292



TYPE Cresidential) single double row 2-fam. 3-deck ten apt,
Cnon-residential) industrial school



NO. OF STORIES Clst to cornice)

ROOF mansard ^cupola



plus



dormers



^iafiboards s hin gles stucco asphalt asbestos aliim/vinyl
Dricy <^one) foundation and::oncrete iron/steel/alum.



)



MATERIALS (Frame)

(other)

trim
BRIEF DESCRIPTION

North Bennet Street Industrial School (NBSIS) consists of a group of four structures
which make up most of the block bordered by Salem, No. Bennet, Tileston and Wiggin Streets.
The principal building on the corner of No. Bennet and Salem Sts.; six bays face on Salem
St. and nine bays face on No. Bennet St. The Salem St. facade was designed with slightly
more elaborate ornamen tatio n. The first floor is treated with raised brick horizontal bands.
EXTERIOR ALTERATION C gTinOjf ) moderate drastic new 1/1 dnnhl p hnng metal sash through

_.„^ all four buildings

CONDITION good Cfaig ) poor ^LOT ARE A7^42n total ^sq.ft.

NOTEWORTHY SITE CHARACTERISTICS Th^^p jg ^ ^^^^ ^ pi ^yg^^,,^H h^hSnH rh^ hnng^ al- ^7 No

Ronnpl- g;i- ^nri hhp gm^ 1 1 hnilHing nn Til pg-hnn qt-

SIGNIFICANCE (con't on reverse)
The No. Bennet Street Industrial School (NBSIS) was built

on the site of the Salem Street Church. This church was

organized in 1827, and the building was consecrated on

January 1, 1828. Edward Beecher preached in this church

for many years. An almanac from 1873 lists the Salem

and Mariner's Church at Salem and No. Bennet Sts. In

1874 the building at the corner of Salem and No. Bennet

St. was built.



(Map)



Moved; date if known



|1



Themes Ccheck as many as applicable )

Aboriginal Conservation Recreation

Agricultural Education XX Religion

Architectural Exploration/ Science/

The Arts settlement invention

Commerce Industry Social/

Communication Military humanitarian XX

Community/ Political Transporation

Development

Significance (include expanation of themes checked above )

In 1879 Mrs. L.E. Caswell rented space in the Seaman's Friend Society building for use
as a serving room for poor women. Soon an organization called the North End Industrial
Home was leasing the entire building, and a n\amber of other activities (printing shop,
library, cooking school, kitchen garden, and others) had been added to the sewing room.
Pauline Agassiz Shaw became involved with the Home when she was asked to establish a day
nursery, as she already had in Roxbury and Cambridge. Mrs. Shaw and others bought the
building at No. 39 No. Bennet St. in 1884 and name of the establishment was changed to
the North Bennet Street Industrial School. The school was incorporated the next year
and the property was conveyed to it.

Courses in cooking, sewing, woodworking and other vocational skills were taught at the
school. Later most of these courses became absorbed into the public school curriculum.
Evening classes for older people and classes in citizenship were also offered, â–  The fi|f\1
manual training received a great boost when Mrs. Shaw established the Sloyd Training ^l_.0(
under Mr. Gustaf Larrson. The basis for this Swedish .system of training was that all the
objects made should be useful, and not just provide an exercise. As the system evolved,
no particular objects were required to be made, but rather a set of minimiim requirements <
had to be met. This system was found to be very successful. NBSIS took manual training
one step further and established a vocational guidance and placement department in 1907.
A settlement department was also organized in 1902. Boys' and girls' clubs, performances)

Preservation Consideration Caccessibility , re-use possibilities, capacity
for public use and enjoyment, protection, utilities, context)

National Register Individual Listing



Bibliography and/or references (such as local histories, deeds, assessor's
records, early maps, etc.)

1. City of Boston Assessor's Records.

2. City of Boston Building Department Documents.

3. Murphy, Brenda, "Pauline Agassiz Shaw: 1841-1917," (A press release in the
NBSIS Collection of the Shlesinger Library, Radcliffe College)

4. "Pauline Agassiz Shaw", (A reprint from the Boston Post , February 5, 1941 by
a printing class in the NBSIS). . .a:;.

5. Annual Report of the Superintendent (School Document No. 7) , -. zs
(Boston Public Schools, Sept. 1929.) -: -._ - •



1 Description (cont'd) No. Bennet St. Industrial School

)
'' The entrance is marked by a slight projection. A round stone arch rises above the

doorway and the windows on either side are topped with brick segmental arches with

central stone voissoirs.

A stone belt course separates the first and second floors.. The second floors windows
have stone sills and decorative carved stone window heads with floral and scroll designs.
The third floor windows have simpler stone window heads. Heavy brick corbelling separates
the third and fourth floors. The fourth floor windows are set into the mansard roof.
Fermented window hoods are used here, except over the entrance bay where there is a gabled
hood (the gable is filled with a cut-out scroll design) . The mansard roof is covered with
composition shingles.

Nine bays of the building face on No. Bennet St. The decorative treatment on this facade
is basically the same as that found on Salem St. The doorway is given less prominence;
the brick banding marked off with simple stone capitals act as pilasters on either side
of the opening. A dentilled stone cornice tops off this entrance.

Just to the east of this facade there is a simple Federal style strucutre (37 No. Bennet St.)
This buildings is 3 bays wide and 3 stories plus a dormer tall. The doorway has been
recessed. All the windows have stone sills and flared stone lintels; the size of the
windows decreases as you go upward.

On Tileston St. there is another small brick building which is part of the NBSIS complex.
\ _It is three stories in height and each floor contains three pairs of windows. One of the
'' two doorways on the first floor has been bricked up; the other has a new metal door.

The fourth and final structure in the group occupies the corner of Tileston and Salem Sts.
(5 bays on Tileston and 2 bays on Salem St.) This simple four story building is also
constructed of brick. It has a storefront in the first floor.

Significance (cont'd)

and outings were provided. A summer day camp and caddy camp were started to get the
North End's children out into the countryside.

At the end of the nineteenth century, NBSIS provided a service that was very much needed
in the North End. Today this North End landmark is still very well -regarded for its
excellence in vocational training programs.

Pauline Agassiz Shaw was born in 1841 in Neuchatel, Switzerland. Her mother was an artist
and her father, Louis Agassiz, was a well-known natural scientist. At the age of 7 she
moved to Cambridge with her brother and sister where her father was teaching geology
and zoology at Harvard.

Pauline Agassiz Shaw was considered to be quite beautiful. At the age of nineteen
she- married Quincy Adams Shaw, a wealthy merchant. After she had her own children she
became interested in establishing kindergartens. From 1877 until 1888 Mrs. Shaw supervised
a number of kindergartens a part of the public school system.

Next. Mrs. Shaw became involved with day nurseries. As the discussion above indicates,
) this was the vehicle by which she became associated with the NBSIS. Mrs. Shaw's connection
with the school continued throughout her life until her death in 1917.



Bibliography (cont'd)



No. Bennet St. Industrial School



6. Boston Tercentenary Committee, Subcommittee on Memorial History Comp.
Fifty Years of Boston , Boston, 1930.

7. Swartzman, Jennie, "The North Bennet Street Industrial School", Saturday Evening
Girl News , April 8, 1916, pp. 3 S 4.

8. Saturday Evening Girl News , "The Coming of the Settlement," Feb. 12, 1916. pp. 6-7

9. Emerson, Edward C, "Is Shopwork in the Schools of Boston Worthwhile?", Our Boston ,
April 1927. pp. 15-17.

10. Todisco, Paula., Boston's First Neighborhood: The North End , Boston, 1974

11. Introductory Statement prepared by Schlesinger Library
(Radcliffe College) for the NBSIS Collection.

12. Bostonian Society Scrapbook Collection: "Ancient Boston",
January 27, 1883 (Book E, p. 61) .

Herald, c. 1886 (Book D, p. 20).



)



J




c



I



BOSTON LANDMARKS COMMISSION




Building Information Form Form No. Are a North End

ADDRESS 30-32 N. Bennet Stree^p,_



NAME North End Bath House



present
MAP N0.26N-13E



original



DATE 1906



SUB ARE A N/W
5



source






ARCHITECT Maginnis, Walsh & Sullivan




Blda. Permit


source






BUILDER Mark K Mnorr






source






OWNER pHt-y r.f RMC-hnn


snm(=




original




present


PHOTOGRAPHS







iQ/^^m ^R/4fiQ9i9n



War-rl ^, P^T-rpI 9^47



TYPE Cresidential) single double row 2-fam.
(.non-residentiai, y^^^y^ hr^nQo ;.n^ gymnasium



3-deck ten



apt.



NO. OF STORIES Cist to cornice)



plus



ROO F flat pompoRition S .glateC UPOla



dormers



MATERIALS (Frame)
(other)



clapb oards
CEricKV



s^lijjqles stucco asphalt asbe stos alum/vinyl
jton^ granite ^concrete ^^^Nsteel/alum.

(foundation & trim) (cornice)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION

An example of Renaissance revival style. The third story dominates the building with three
connectned round-arched windows with elaborate stone trim (north and south sides) and
double rows of rectangular windows (east & west sides) set off by decorative stone pilasters.
The third floor is separated from the lower stories by a wide stone belt course with a sea
shell and sea creature motif. The third store is given additional emphasis by the use of
EXTERIOR ALTERATION minor moderate drastic

CONDITION good <|^^ poor ^^^^^i-jg^ LOT ARE A 6,000 ^sq.ft.



J



NOTEWORTHY SITE CHARACTERISTICS Adjacent to a playground and beside St. Anthony Roman
Cathni in .School . ^________

SIGNIFICANCE (con't on reverse)

The bath house is both architecturally and socially
significant. It was one of four bath houses built by the ,
city as a result of a new public health policy in 1895.
It provides year round bathing facilities for North End
(Kap) residents who are without bathtubs or showers in their own

apartments. It has been estimated that 900 people fall into
this category. 2 The bath house also serves as a recreation-
al facility with its gymnasium.



The firm of Maginnis, Walsh & Sullivan was known nationally



Moved; date if known



Themes Ccheck as many as applicable)



Aboriginal
Agricultural
Architect\iral
The Arts
Commerce
Comm;inication
Community/
Development



Conservation
Education
Exploration/
settlement
Industry
Military
Political



Recreation

Religion

Science/

invention
Social/

humanitarian
Transporation



Significance (include expanation of themes checked above )

for their design of Roman Catholic churches and institutional buildings. Charles Donagh
Maginnis (1867- 1955) was born and educated in Ireland. He came to the United States in
1885 and five years later he was working in the office of Edmund Wheelwright, the City
Architect. Timothy Francis Walsh (1868-1934) was born in Cambridge and educated in Bostor
After graduating from the Ehglish High School in 1886, he joined the firm of Peabody &
Stearns first as an architectural student and later as a draftsman. Walsh left Boston foi
a year of study in the Paris altiers '- in 1894; he spent additional year traveling abroad
.before returning to this country. Matthew Sullivan (1868-1938) was born and educated in
Boston. Like Maginnis, he worked in the office of Edmund M. Wheelwright. In 1895
Sullivan succeeded Wheelwright as City Architect.



;t-



In 1898 the firm of Maginnis Walsh & Sullivan was established. Some local examples of the

work are: The Boston College group; Church of St. Catherine of Siena; St. John's Chur

(North Cambridge); and Cardinal O'Connell's Residence. The firm received the AIA-med

for Ecclesiastical Architecture for the Carmelite Convent, Santa Clara, Carifofnia (1925)

and the Chapel of Trinity Chapel, Washington, D.C. (1927). â– ,.;-: r'

Description (cont'd)

stone pilasters at each corner. The fenestration patters on the first and second floors i

smaller and much less elaborate, but there is continued use of stone trim and classical

motifs. The doorway on the east side receives protection from a round-arched hood which

supported by heavy stone corbels. The doorway is embellished with a City of Boston seal
Preservation Consideration Caccessibility , re-use possibilities, capacity

for public use and enjoyment, protection, utilities, context)

carved in stone. The architect's choice of style may have been influenced by the Paul Rev
School (located just to the south of the bath house) in the Classical Revival style by
Peabody & Stearns. ....

The facility should be repaired so that it can provide the intended function. Additional
security in the form of lighting might provide some protection from vandalism.

Bibliography and/or references (such as local histories, deeds, assessor's ...
records, early maps, etc.)

1. City of Boston, Building Department documents.