within I D I I I - The Historical Society

1 FORMF - STRUcrUREUSGSQuadI MarlboroI~-<;"'.:,: /-.' i<. '".J'~..~.,.~..;!te 'Szdr featuresrestRecordedbyAnneForbesconsulta ntOrganizationforMarlboroI-listCaromDate 8/30/94 Area(s) I 909 IAssessor- s-# (neighborhoodor village)_SligoHillAddressBelmontStreetEx tensionHistoricNameSligoHillWaterTankOwn ership:[ ] private[X]publicTypeof STRUcrURE(checkone):[ ] bridge[ ] canal[[ ] dam] fort[ J gate[ J kiln[ J lighthouse[ ] pound[X]other[ ] powderhouse[ :I carousel[ ] trainingfield[ ] street[] tower[ ] tunnel[ ] wall[ ] windmillwatertowertankDateof Construction1894-1895 SourceMarlborollohADIma]ReportsArchitect ,Engineer,or Designer_B R FeltonConstructionMateriaI(s)castironAlt erations(..lithdates)late-20th-centmyant ennasattachedto uppersectionCondition~oodMoved[ ] yes[X]noDateAcreage5 ') acresSettingOnsummjtof SligoHjllinopengras,yareaModernsteelwate rtankwatertowerandmoderntanktonorthFollo wMassachusettsHistoricalCommission'?]]]

2 1.<:/}'~~r/t,fanua!instructionsforcomple tingthis[ \Yf[]seecontinuationsheetDescribeimporta ntdesignfeaturesandevaluatein termsof a raresurvivingcylindrical,rivetedcast-iro ntank,withconicalroof,of200, is raisedup on eightdiagonally-braced, walkwayringsthetopedgeof thecylinder,andtheentireuppersectionof thestructure,andalargesheet-metalstorage tankto its southwesthaslong-sincetakenovertheoldtan k' ;Atthewestendof theBelmontStreetExtension,threesquaregra nitegateposts,witha shortremnantof ironpicketfencebetweenthem,remainfroma gateor [ ] seecontinuationsheetDiscusshistoryof thestructure,andhowit relatesto thedevelopmentof a strikingreminderof thefirstmajormunicipalprojectundertakenb yMarlboroughafterit becamea city--thesubstantialupgradeof of thecommunity' presencetodayremainsas a symbolof theageof theshoe-factories,whichbothdrovethedeman dforprogressin Marlborough'smunicipalsystems,andinspire dtheresidentialdevelopmentof ten-yeareffortto establisha publicwatersupplysystemforMarlborough,th eoriginalMarlboroughWaterWorks,witha 5,000,000-gallonreservoirhereat thetopof SligoHill,7(demolished)wascompletedin 1883,at a costof $165, fromLakeWilliams.]

3 Thecapacityof thereservoirtogetherwiththewatershedwas1 75,000, thetimeMarlboroughbecamea cityin 1890,its publicwatersupplysystemwasserving1,500ho mesandbusinesses,andwaterusagewasupto 364,242gallonsa ,however,andundertheadministrationsof thefirstfivemayorsof thecity,a majorupgradeof 1893an additionalsource,MilhamReservoir,wasopen edin thewesternpartof thecity,andthatsameyearthecityacquired56 moreacresof landaroundLakeWilliamsto the1890'seffort,undertakenat theurgingof theWestVillage,wherethegreatestconcentra tionof factoriesandthedensestneighborhoodswerel ocated, a state-of-the-artfire-protectionsystemfor thatpartof steamfireengineswasrejectedin favorof a , ,designedthis200,OOO-gallonwatertowerto be locatedhereat thehighestpointin 'ssuervision,theWaterDepartmentalsobuilt threemilesof pipeandhydrants,completingthesystemin []seecontinuationsheerCentennial'90 , ,GeorgeA.

4 'TheMarlboroughWaterWorks:a History."1941(7).Reportof the\ , [X]Recommendedforlistingin theNationalRegisterof checked,youmustattacha BoylstonStreetBoston,Massachusetts02116 CommunityPropertyAddressMarlboroughBelmo ntSt. ExtensionSligoHillWaterTankArea(s)DFormN o(s).909 NationalRegisterof HistoricPlacesCriteriaStatementFormCheck all thatapply:[x) Individuallyeligible[ ) Eligibleonlyin a historicdistrict[ ] Contributingto a potentialhistoricdistrict[) PotentialhistoricdistrictCriteria:[x]A[] B[x]C[] DCriteriaConsiderations:[) A[) B[)C[]D[)E[) F[)GStatementof Significanceby __ A=._F_o_rb_e_s_Thecriteriathatarechecked in theabovesectionsmustbe a rareand,in spiteof theantennasbristlingfromits surface,intactsurvivingexampleof avanishingtypeof late-nineteenth-centuryengineeringstruct ure,theSligoHillWaterTankmeetsCriterionC . of the embodimentof thestate-of-the-artwater-supplyandfire-f ightingsystemthatwasinstalledas oneof thefirstmajormunicipalprojectsundertaken afterMarlboroughbecamea city,it alsoillustratestheevolutionof communityservices,especiallyasinstigated by Marlborough'sinfluentialshoe-manufacture rs,andthusmeetsCriterionA as]]]]]]]]]