Mechanic Street

FORM B - BUILDING In Area no. Form no.
M.ASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COM1\'1ISSIO:\

Office of the Secretary, state House, Boston
1. Town . _:)--:"l. "h!)~·_"'O;". ~t~:.

---_ .._--
Name 0. :: • ..::~lbee ~::.ouse
Present use :..<.esidence
Present owner Hr. .L~ichar·d J. ,1hite
3. Description: 2} Story Brick
Date _1820
Source_~ub. LocBl Bistor_i_e_s ~
style 2ederal
4. Map. Draw sketch of building location Architect Hone.

in relation to nearest cross streets and
----------------
other buildings. -Indrcate north. Exterior wa ll fabric :.<.~d Br-Lck
Outbuildi ngs (describe)_I,_lo_n_c _
Other features Gable. end. f a ce s
Street
_.~I-
_ D~O
..
s r:
LrWc..OL t/ Altered Date
r--------
Moved Date
q~D 5. Lot size:
On8 acre or less x Ove r one acre
r;.AY n- 16) D Approximate frontage_~Q_l<_·'_e_.e_.

_t__ . _
N CENTRAL sr
O 10C
Approximate distance of building from street
o sO
15 Feet
6. Recorded by Erne.st Ginne.tti
WfrlieRB~E sr \ o Organization Marlborough

COmmiss~on
Historica~
\ Date 6/24/78
(over)
30M-5-77
Original use ~(.csijencc
Subsequent uses (if any) and dates_._·~_(~_s_j

__
o__
'e_._n_c_8_· ~ _
8. Themes (check as many as applicable)
Aboriginal Conservation Recreation

Agricultural Education x Religion
Architectural Exploration/ Science/
The Arts settlement invention
Commerce Industry Social!
Communication Military humanitarian
Community development Political Transportation
9. Historical significance (include explanation of themes checked above)
Lucas BigeloH buil.t this house and lived here until he moved. to "
the corner of Lincoln and Pleasant streets, whe.n Hr. 0.;,1 •. Albee
carne to l'5arlborour;h from Hilford. in 1833 and. bought this place
whe r'e he resided until the tir.1eof his death. Nr. Albee "vas to
Har-Lbo r-o ugh ,,:'hat
Dr. Arnold was to Rugby. Taking pos i.tri.on as ~)rin-
cipal of the. old. Gates Academy, he. distinguished himself not on l.y
as as educator of ind.omitab1e perserverance and courage of convic-
tion, but as a friend and moulder of character of the rising gener-
ation.
He served the. t own as Representative to the General Court,
Senator, Deputy of U. S. Government Internal ~~evenue and in many
other prominent positions. rle was respected by citizens and
students alike. and. there can be no d.oubt that Mr. Albee in his day
did more. than any other man in to"m to awaken an interest in Edu-
cation.
10. Bibliogr aphy and/or references (such as local histories, deeds, assessor's records,
-early maps, etc.)
Historical Re.miniscences of Marlborough, Ella Bigelow, Marl. 1910.

History of Marlborough Hass., Charles Hud.son, Boston 1862.
1803 and 1835 Maps of Marlborough.

FORM B - BUILDING Assessor's Dumber USGS Quad Area(s) Forni Number
Massachusetts Historical Commission
80 Boylston Street
I 69-357-B I I Marlborough I I C I 70
Boston, Massachusetts 02116
Town Marlborough
Place (neighborhood or village) _
_
_.~.. ...•.
,
",.•.•..-'0,.0'
West YjJ1age
,.- - . ..-
,
..•.•. ' •....
__
-~--_.--. ..._-- Address 53 Mechanic Street
Historic Name 0W Albee House
Uses: Present Dwe!Jjng
Original DweJJjng
Date of Construction ca 1835
. Source Maps; style
. Style/Form Greek Revival
Architect!Builder __ .•. k.•..

u.••
J1•••• o.•..
n.•.•w.....
u _
Exterior Material:
Sketch Map Foundation dressed granite

Draw a map of the area indicating properties within
it. Number each property for which individual Wallffrim brick, with wood-clapboard
inventory forms have been completed. Label streets, pediment
including route numbers, if any. Attach a separate Roof asphalt shingle
sheet if space is not sufficient here. Indicate north.
Outbuildings/Secondary Structures _
none
Major Alterations (with dates) Wood fire es-
cape added at rear; small shed dormer on N ;
new sash in gable' 20th centm)' See also P 2

N Condition exceIJent
Moved [X] no [ ] yes Date N/A
Acreage less than one acre
Recorded by Anne Forbes Setting On sma]1 comer Jot in 19th.C resi-
Organization for Marlboro His! Camm dential neighborhood; next to early 20th-e
Date 3/31194
v . concrete-block store
BUILDING FORM
ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION [ ] see continuation sheet

Describe architectural features. Evaluate the characteristics of this building in terms of other buildings
within the community.
The Albee House, one of the most intact local examples of the early Greek Revival, is also a unique
example in Marlborough of the style in its pedimented, side-hall-entry, gable-end form executed in
brick. It is a small 2 1I2-stol)' three- by four-bay gable-roofed, rectangular building, of common-bond
brick construction to the roofline, with a clapboarded facade pediment. A small pedimented dormer
on the south slope of the roof is probably original to the house. The building is typically early-Greek
Revival in its detail. A wooden fretwork panel fins the entablature of the main entry, which has a
sidelighted, eight-panel door with heavy applied moldings. The windows are 6-over-6-sash, with a
tripartite sidelighted window in the pediment gable. The foundation is granite, as are all window
sills and lintels, the wide door lintel, and the wide steps in front of the entry.
This house was formerly much larger, with a 2 1I2-stol)' wing extending eastward from the rear
northeast comer. With the expansion of Charles Albee's business, by 1885 the wing had grown to
three stories, and a one-story grocery store section had been added at the front, abutting the main
part of the bouse.
HISTORICAL NARRATIVE .[X] see continuation sheet

Explain history of the building. Explain its associations with local (or state) history. Include uses of the <
.:~
building, and the role(s) the owners/occupants played within the community. 1
)
Deed research will be necessary to clarify the construction date of this house. Although it does not
appear to be shown on the 1830 or 1835 maps, according to Bigelow it was built prior to 1833 by
Lucas Bigelow, who lived here until he moved to the comer of Lincoln and Pleasant Streets and sold
it to Obadiah W. Albee.
One of the most influential citizens in Marlborough in the middle of the nineteenth century, in 1833
Obadiah Albee (1808-1866) came to Marlborough from Milford, just after his graduation from
Brown University, to take over as principal of the Gates Academy. Founded as the Marlborough
Academy in 1826, that institution and the Masonic Lodge had built a combined school and lodge
building at the old common in 1827. From that time, however, the school had been in declining
circumstances. Mr. Albee is given credit for singlehandedly rescuing the school and returning it to
a position of prominence in education at a time when there was great concern about the quality of
the town schools. A firm believer in education for all, however, when the town opened its first high
school in 1851, he helped facilitate the absorption of the academy into the new institution, and he
was appointed its first principal. Mr. Albee remained at that post through 1860, the year the town
replaced the old academy building with a three-story, Second Empire high school building. (Cont.)
BIBLIOGRAPHY and/or REFERENCES [X] see continuation sheet

Bigelow, Ella. Historical Reminiscences of the Early Times in Marlborough. 1910.
Gardner, Ralph D. Horatio Alger, or the American Hero Era. New York: Arco Publishing Co.,
1978.
Hudson, Charles. History of the Town of Marlborough. 1862.
Maps and Atlases: Walling: 1853, 1857, 1871; Beers: 1875; Bailey & Hazen: 1878; Walker: 1889;
Sanborns.
Marlborough Directory: 1869.
Pitman, J.A. Notes on the HistOI)' of Marlborough. Marlborough: Times Pub~shing Co., 1905.
[ X] Recommended for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. If checked, a completed
National Register Criteria Statement form is attached.
INVENTORY FORM CONTINUATION SHEET Community Property
Marlborough O,W. Albee House

80 Boylston Street Area(s) Form No.
Boston, Massachusetts 02116 C 70
HISTORICAL NARRATIVE, cont.

He subsequently retired to take up other pursuits. Even before his retirement, he had served in the
Mass. House of Representatives, (in 1849 and 1851), and in the state Senate in 1855 and 1857. In
1861, he was appointed to fill the remainder of the Senate term of the Rev. Horatio Alger, who had
left Marlborough for Natick.
An ardent and eloquent abolitionist, while serving in that year he was instrumental in drafting the
state's free slave law. He also took over the Rev. Alger's position as editor of the Shenstone Laurel,
the publication put out by the Shenstone Society, (see Area Form C: "West Village",) for which he
became the chief contributor, as well. (The Shenstone Society was a village-improvement group
formed in 1853 for the purpose of beautifying and landscaping the rapidly-growing "west end",
Members of the society planted shrubs and shade trees every spring for twenty years.) Among
Obadiah Albee's other local roles, he was a Director of the North Branch Railroad, and, according
to one source, was a trial justice in the Marlborough police court.
After Mr. Albee's death in about 1870, this property was inherited by his widow, Margaret, who lived
here until at least 1889. The house then fell to their son, Charles H. Albee, who also lived here with
his family for many years. With Charles W. Nourse, Charles Albee established a grocery, furniture
business, and auction house in a former building that abutted the north side of the house. He also
apparently built the three-story store block at 57 Mechanic Street for the business. In a bouse
directly to tbe rear (demolished), another son, Milton H. Albee, established a photography business,
which operated there through the turn of the century.
Both Charles and Milton bad fought with the Mass. 5th Regiment in the Civil War, Charles with
Company I, and Milton with Company E. Another brother, Eugene, had fought with the 9th
Regiment, Company I. In 1900, Charles was Commander of the John A. Rawlins Post 43, G.A.R.
Massachusetts Historical Commission Community Property Address
80 Boylston Street
Boston, Massachusetts 02116 Marlborough 53 Mechanic Street
Area(s) Form No(s).
C 70
National Register of Historic Places Criteria Statement Form
aleck all that apply:
[x] Individually eligible [ ] Eligible only in a historic district

[x] Contributing to a potential historic district [] Potential historic district
Criteria: [x] A [].B [x] C [J D

Criteria Considerations: [] A [] B [] C [] D [] E [] F [] G
Statement of Significance by __ F_o_r_be_s_I_S_c_h_u_le_r _

The criteria that are checked in the above sections must be justified here.
The Obadiah W. Albee House is eligible for the National Register for meeting Criteria A and C.
The property is representative of a well appointed Greek Revival structure suitable for the
headmaster of the local private Academy and later the High Scbool principal, Obadiah Albee. The
house is the only extant Greek Revival gable-end dwelling of brick construction in Marlborough.
It retains integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association.
FORM B - BUILDING In Area no. Form no.
7/
l\1ASSACHUSETTS
, , HISTORICAL
Office of the Secretary,
COMMISSION
State House, Boston
Town Xarlbor0u~h
~-----~----_.-
----_ ...........•........... _-
Address 1L:~ nechanic Street
Name Martin ~ice Homestead

----------~
.._-.--
Present use .i.{esidence
r- Present owner I-·Js. 1'1a:i:'ieL. Cormier
II
--~ I I
I Description;
Date 1804
1 t Story SaltBox
Source Pub. Local Histories
~Style
v __ Colonial
• _
.1. Map. Draw sketch of building location Architect None

---------------~_._-
in relation to nearest cross streets and
other buildings. Indicate north. Exterior wall fabric ·,.,lood Clapboard.
Outbui ldings (describe) ~_lo_n_e _
Other features 2+ Story t 2 room
o o plan added for Abel Rice son

ri of rrar_t_i_n .__ ~~~~ _
o
o 1'J
HVDS~W 517
Altered
--------- Date
---------
r:::J a !J 5. Lot size:
One acre or less X Over one acre

u Approximate frontage 100 Feet
o Approximate distance of building from street
Q 15 Feet
o 6. Hecorded by Ernest Ginnet_t_i _
Organization Marlborough Historical

Commission
RECt:JVED Date 6/14/78
~ .
(over)
JUL 6 1978
fvlASS. HlsT. COIvlM

7. ~riginalo~ncr (if kno~n)~_}"_ii_J_r_t_i_~~i_~
__
i_c_e~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~
Originaluse ~hoe I"Llking and none
Subsequentuses (if any) and dates

-~~~~--~-~-~~---~-~-~-~~
Residence
8. Themes (check as many as applicable)
Aboriginal Conservation Recreation

Agricultural
-- Education Religion
Architectural
-x.- Exploration/ Science/
The Arts settlement invention
Commerce -- Industry -X-- Social/
Communication Military -- humanitarian
Communitydevelopment
--
X Political Transportati on --
'--
9. Historical significance (include explanatron of themes checked above)
Passing up Mechanic Street we come to the house of Martin Rice, a

.,
\
shoe maker by trade, and upon his marriage to Sally l<ice on Harch 5,
1804 he built the above house. II Shoemaking today is vastly different
from those early days, Hhen the farmers carried. their hides to the
tanners to be made up into leather of various kinds; so Le , kip, cowhi.de ,
and calf. 'I'heri it .zas taken to the shoemaker's shops 11ith the. owner ' s
name. marked on each roll and when boots and. shoes were want ed they
wouLd take the measure and. make from their own materials. It
Hartin Rice was born t·1arch 29, 1781 and. be twe en the years 180'+ and
1825 11 children were. born to his ~nfe Sally, he died. in 1844 at the
age of 63.
10. Bibliography and/or references (such as local histories, deeds, assessor is records,
ear ly maps, etc.)
Historical Reminiscences of Marlborough, Ella Bigelow 1910, Marl.
History of Marlborough Hass. Charles Hudson, Boston 1862.
1803 and 1835 maps of Marlborough.

INVENTORY FORl\1 CONTINUATION SHEET Community Property
Marlborough Martin Rice Homestead

80 Boylston Street Area(s) Form No.
Boston, Massachusetts 02116 C 71
Additional information by Anne Forbes, consultant to Marlborough Historical Commission,

3/31/94:
ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION, cont.
Since the inventory form for this property was written, the building has been radically altered. The
north ell has been raised to two stories, all the windows and doors have been replaced, the
architectural trim has been covered or removed, and the turn-of-the-century porch has been rebuilt
to the roofline.
ASSESSOR'S # 56-70.
NARRATIVE HISTORY, cont.

This house, along with the small farm that surrounded it, was apparently inherited by Abel Rice, 2nd.
He lived into the 1880's, and by the time he died, the Rice fann was the only substantial piece of
undeveloped real estate remaining in the West Village. After Abel Rice's death, his wife lived on
in the house, but the farm was acquired by shoe-manufacturer S.H. Howe, who subdivided it into 23
house-lots, laying out Norwood Street through the western part of the farm. By 1889, with Mrs. Rice
still living in the farmhouse, two new houses had been built between it and Elm Street. Most of the
others in the subdivision were built during the 1890's.
In the early part of this century, the house was the home of Millard Stockwell.
.• -~{~.. .......;.,
.;~~..-~.~
~,".;
BIBLIOGRAPHY and/or REFERENCES~ cont.
Maps and atlases: Hudson, 1830; Wood, 1835; Walling, 1853, 1857, 1871; Beers, 1875; Bailey &
Hazen, 1878; \Valker, 1889.
Bigelow, Ella. Historical Reminiscences of the Early Times in Marlborough. 1910.
Directories.
Pictor.ial Marlborough. 1879.
[ ] Recommended for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. If checked, a completed
FORM B . BUILDING Assessor's number USGS Quad Area(s) Form Number
MasJachusetts Historical Commission I 69-258 I I Marlborough I I c, I /0/
80 Boylston Street
Town Marlborough
West Village
----··Address 40 Mechanic Street
Historic Name Old post Office
Uses: Present vacant
Original commercial
ate of Construction 1911.12
Marlborongh Annual Rep011s
Renaissance Revival
Architect/Builder unknown
.. '. ~,:'
Exterior Material:
Sketch Map Foundation granite block

it. Number each property for which individual \\lanrrrim marble
inventory forms have been completed. Label streets,
including route numbers, if any. Attach a separate Roof metal , undetermined
none
Major Alterations (with dates) Doors and
windows replaced or removed; original light
fixtures beside stairs gone Rubberized paint

covers most stone surfaces.
Condition __ f•a••. ••.
i_t _
Moved [ Xl no [ ] yes Date ---oN_I•.•.•

A _
Recorded by Anne Forbes Setting At comer of Gay St ; commercial
Organization for Marlboro His' Camm block to S ; mixed 19th.C residential and
Date 3/31/94
, modern fast food restaurant opposite
BUILDING FORM

Describe architectural features. Evaluate the characteristics of this building in terms of other
buildings within the community.
In spite of the removal of its windows and doors and its long period of vacancy, the 1912
Marlborough Post Office remains one of the city's grandest buildings. It is a two-story rectangular
block of marble on a granite-block base. A parapet of alternating solid and turned-balustrade
sections surrounds the shallow-hipped roof, contributing to the box-like effect of the building.
Relating in its materials and Renaissance Revival style to the two bank buildings at 181 and 202
Main Street (see Forms #105 and 132,) the Post Office employs many similar details, such as a full
classical cornice and a row of two-story arched, keystoned window openings separated by pilasters.
Here there are five window bays across the facade, and as at the other two buildings, the main
entry occupies the lower section of the center bay. A semi-circular metal hood on narrow fluted
pilasters shelters the entry, and wide granite steps flanked by granite-block parapets lead up to it
from the street. On either parapet, a granite plinth ornamented with a carved stone volute
indicates that a large pair of lamps, probably similar to those at the City Hall, once stood bere.
At either end of the facade is a slightly projecting corner pavilion with a single double-hung window
at the first story, and a recessed rectangular stone panel above it at the second. The building is
three bays deep; the end elevations have double-hung windows at the first story and what appear
to have been smaller single-sash windows at the second. Classical moldings surround all door and
window openings, and projecting window crowns appear at the first story double-hung openings.
Metal grills protect all the windows at basement level.
Historic photos show that the large arched 'windowswere two-part, fanlighted, center-mullioned 4·
over-a-sash, and those on the sides of the building were 6-over-6-sash. The lamps flanking the door -,
were the columnar type, with single glass globes, and a sculpture of an eagle was, probably in
bronze, was mounted above the entry.
HISTORICAL NARRATIVE [] see continuation sheet

Explain history of the building. Explain its associations with local (or state) history. Include uses of the
building, and the role(s) the owners/occupants played within the community.
The history of the post office in Marlborough is one of ever-increasing expansion and
professionalism. The post office was first officially established in 1799, with Joseph Brigham as
postmaster. For many years the post office was kept in private homes, then in a succession of stores,
the Thayer Tavern and Exchange Building on lower Main Street, and then in various business blocks,
including one that was in the long, slow process of being moved. By the end of the nineteenth
century it was located in the Town Hall, and then in the Grand Anny building through the turn of
the twentieth century.
The cornerstone for this building was laid in april of 1911 by the Marlborough Board of Trade; the
building was completed in 1912, during the administration of Mayor John Shaughnessy.
The post office has been vacant since 1967.
BIBLIOGRAPHY and/or REFERENCES [ ] see continuation sheet

Bigelow. Historical Reminiscences of Marlborough. 1910.
Maps and Atlases: Sanborns.
Gibbons, W. Former inventory form, 1979.
Marlborough Historical Society: Moineau photo collection.
[X] Recommended for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. If checked, a completed
80 Boylston Street
Old Post Office
Area(s) Form Noes).
84

Check all that apply:
[x] Individually eligible [ ] Eligible only in a historic district

Criteria: [x] A [] B [x] C [] D
Criteria Considerations: [] A {] B [] C [] D [] E {] F [] G
Statement of Significance by __ F_o_rb_e_s_/~S_ch_u_l_er _

The old Marlborough Post Office meets Criteria A and C, and is eligible for the National Register
individually and as part of a potential District encompassing lower Mechanic Street as a late-
nineteenth- and early-twentieth century commercial corridor linking Main and Lincoln Streets. As
Marlborough's first building constructed for a post office alone, this building is representative of the
growth and development of community services which in turn is reflective of the growing population
and prosperity in Marlborough in the early years of this century. It is also a well-preserved example
of Renaissance Revival architecture, relating in its form, style, and massing to the nearby
Marlborough Public Library, which was built a few years earlier.
FORM B - BUILDING Assessor's number USGS Quad Area(s) Form Number
Massachusetts Historical Commission I 69-371 II Marlborough I I__ A__ I 135
80 Boylston Street
Town Marlborough
Main Street rommercial area
Address 7/9 Mechanic Street
Historic Name _
Uses: Present Commercial
Original Commercial
Date of Construction __ 1_9_1_6 _
Source plaque on building
Style/Form Colonial (Federal) Revival
Architect/Builder __ l~!D~k_n~o~w_n _
Exterior Material:
Sketch Map Foundation brick

it. Number each property for which individual WallfTrim brick; clapboard at TeaT
including route numbers, if any. A ttach a separate Roof not visible
none
Major Alterations (with dates) _
__ F_ru:ade doors and storefronts replaced
N
Condition __ ~fa~j~r _
Moved [ X] no [ ] yes Date N/A

,
Recorded by Anne Forbes Setting On main downtown commercial
Organization for Marlboro Hist Carom street , faciu<7

0 major intersection at MODument
Date 3/3] /94 Sq Parkiul1o both east and west

BUILDING FORM
ARCHITECfURAL DESCRIPTION [ ] see continuation sheet

Describe architectural features. Evaluate the characteristics of this building in (elms of other
buildings within the community.
This building, which today stands alone between two parking areas, is a small flat-roofed two-story
brick commercial block with a one-story clapboard section stretching to the rear. The storefronts
have been radically altered, but from the first-story wooden cornice to the dentilated pressed-metal
cornice of the high parapet front, the building is intact. Two wide brick arches at second-story level
each contain a large multilight, central-mullioned round-arched window. The surrounds of the
brick arches are punctuated at intervals by painted stone blocks, and topped by keystones. "1916" ;
appears in a round medallion on the wall between the arches. ,i
HISTORICAL NARRATIVE [] see continuation sheet \

j
Explain history of the building. Explain its associations with local (or state) history. Include uses of
the building and the role(s) the owners/occupants played within the community.
7/9 Mechanic Street is the only survivor of what was once a nearly continuous streets cape of
commercial buildings that stretched from the old GAR Building at the west corner of Rawlins
Avenue around the curving comer of Main and Mechanic Streets at Monument Square. In the
1920's an auto showroom and repair garage abutted the east side of the building, and a one-story
art deco 12-store block, the Ginnetti Building, swept around the corner to the northwest. Between
the garage and Rawlins Avenue were a small brick store block, two bowling alleys, the Marlborough
Theatre, a movie theater (the Pastimes Building--MHC #208). and the GAR building.
This building appears to have originally housed two stores at the first story, but by 1938 one of
them had been divided in half. The westernmost store, today's #9 Mechanic Street, was occupied
by a fish market for many years. The second floor originally housed a meeting hall.
BIBLIOGRAPHY and/or REFERENCES ] see continuation sheet
Maps and Atlases: Sanboms from 1920.
[ X] Recommended for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. If checked, a

completed National Register Criteria Statement form is attached.
80 Boylston Street
Boston, Massachusetts 02116 Marlborough Main Street district
Area(s) Form No(s).
A 64, 80, 81, 86, 98, 99, 112, 113, 105,

106, 1.20,127, 128, 130, 131, 132, 133, 134, ~)155,
173, 1.83,184, 1.85,192, 193, 194, 208, 209, 473, 504,
805, 900, 901, 902, 906, 911, 912

[ ] Individually eligible [ ] Eligible only in a historic district

Criteria: [x] A [] B [x] C [] D
Criteria Considerations: [] A [] B [] C [] D [] E [] F [] G
Statement of Significance by __ F_o_r_b_es~/_S_ch_u_]_e_r _

A potential National Register District, meeting Criteria A and C of the National Register, exists
along Main Street from Exchange Street. to Bates Avenue, including short sections of the northern
side streets. This district embodies and articulates the evolution of the community's commercial,
municipal, and institutional history. The Town Common (1660) and the Old Common Cemetery
(1706) are reminiscent of the beginning of this municipality. Most of the other properties in this
district were built in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century and are reflective of the
expanding population and the need for increased housing and space in schools, churches and
municipal buildings. The business and bank blocks are also reminiscent of the economic growth
of the late 1800s and early 19005. The buildings represent popular building styles from the Federal
Period through the Revivals of the tum of the twentieth century.
Contributing to such a district are the following properties: Thayer Tavern, Loring House, Union
Common, Central Fire Station, City Hall, the second People's National Bank, Marlborough High
School, the Baptist Church, the Old Common Cemetery, the McDonald and Campbell Houses, and
the old Post Office (all eligible individually, as well;) and, eligible as part of a district: the
Washington St. School, three monuments-the Soldiers' Monument, the Doughboy and the
Volunteer, the John Brown Bell, three other churches and related buildings-the Union
Congregational, Immaculate Conception and Sts. Anargyroi--the Immaculate Conception rectory,
school, and convent, and several commercial buildings, including 121, 126-136, 195-205 Main, both
People's National Banks, the First National Bank, and the Marlborough Savings Bank, the Corey
Building, the Addison and Middleton Blocks, the Rice Building, 7/9 Mechanic Street, and the
White City Diner. A few residences on the associated side streets would also be eligible as part
of this district, including 28, 36, 70 and 73 Bolton Street, 41 and 47 Mechanic, and 105-116
Washington Street.
,
FORM B - BUILDING ' Assessor's number USGS Quad Arca(s) Form Number
Massachusetts Historical Commission I 69·239 II Marlborough I C [_155 _

80 Boylston Street
Boston. Massachusetts 02] 16
Town Marlborough
West Vi1Iage
Address 32 Mechanic Street
Historic Name Marlborough Savings Bank

1
Uses: Present Assembly of God CbllTcb
Original Banklcommerciallresidential
Date of Construction 1890-1895
Source maps; style
Style/Form Colonial RevivaJ,lQueen Anne
, . Architect/Builder unknown
. Exterior Material:
Sketch Map Foundation granite block

it. Number each property for which individual WaIlffrim brick
inventory [orms have been completed. Label streets,
including route numbers, if any. Attach a separate Roof not visible
sheet if space is 1101 sufficient here. Indicate north.
{;;5 Outbuildings/Secondary Structures _
Done
Major Alterations (With dates) Door replaced
and marqnee added; jron fire escape, N side'

late 20th; 3rd story, roof balustrade, S. oriel
bay window, SF corner tllrret and rounded hay
N removed: early 20th century.
Condition fair/good
Moved [ X] no [ ] yes Date N/A

,
Acreage Jess than one acre
Recorded by Anne Forbes Setting At edge of downtown commercial
Organization for Marlboro His! Comm district, on corner lot Cbmcb to $; vacant Jot
Date 3/31/94 to N; fast-food restaurant opposite

BUILDING FORM

Utlhough the Marlborough Savings Bank building has undergone some radical alterations, including
the removal of its entire top story and the loss of some of its lingering Queen Anne features, it is still
a good example of an 1890's hybrid Colonial Revival/Queen Anne brick business block. It is a long
two-story rectangular building with a flat roof. The foundation is granite block. The Mechanic and
Witherbee Street facades are clad in a variegated orange-yellow brick veneer, while both the west end
and north side are natural, unveneered red brick The southeast corner at the juncture of the two main
facades, where a curved, turreted bay window once occupied the second and third floors, is a built on
a slant, facing toward Monument Square. Classically-detailed pressed- or cast-metal cornices mark the
transition between stories and the rootline on the west and south; a solid brick parapet finishes the ,,
upper edge. (Photos indicate that the original roof had an open balustrade with urn-topped posts.)
Presently painted the same color as the metalwork are stone sills, lintels, and pilaster caps at the upper
windows, and four narrow courses of stone at intervals between the bricks at first floor level on the
Mechanic Street facade.
The main entry, which was originally arched, and probably once held a double-leaf door with transom,
has been replaced, and a deep metal marquee installed above it. Most of the molded and bracketed
door surround, however, is still intact. The large plate glass first floor windows are divided horizontally
2/3 of the way up the glass. Below each window is a wide wooden panel embellished with a pair of X's.
The upper windows are wide J-over-Lsash: a paired I-over-I appears in the corner bay. On the south
side, two vertical brick panels fill the wall spaces between the windows of the first story. r

\
,
building; and the role(s) the owners/occupants played within the community.
This building is one of several that were built in the center of Marlborough near the turn of the
century for combined commercial and residential use. It was constructed between 1890 and 1895 as
the new home of the Marlborough Savings Bank, which since 1868, along with the First National Bank,
had occupied part of a small Greek Revival brick building just to the north on the northwest corner
of Mechanic and Gay Streets (demolished). The First National Bank subsequently built a larger
building on Main Street, and in 1907, the 1868 building was purchased by the Marlborough Society of
Natural History.
The Marlborough Savings Bank, the first bank in Marlborough, was incorporated in 1860. Its first
office was in the home of its principal founder, Mark Fay, but it soon moved to the office of Boyd &
Corey, where it was open one day a week. The original officers included: President, Samuel Boyd;
Vice-president, Jabez Witherbee; Secretary, John Farwell; and Treasurer, Mark Fay. In January of
1864 Edmund C. Whitney, cashier of the First National Bank, became Treasurer, remaining until 1878.
The bank occupied the first floor of this building. The basement housed commercial space (for many
years a milliner was located there,) and the upper stories was divided into apartments.
BIBLIOGRAPHY and/or REFERENCES I ] see continuation sheet

Bigelow, Ella. Historical Reminiscnces of the Early Times in Marlborough. 1910.
Maps and Atlases: Sanborns from 1896.
Pictorial Marlborough. 1879.
Centennial '90: Marlborough the City. 1990.
Hurd, D. Hamilton. History of Middlesex County, Mass. 1890.
[Xl Recommended for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. If checked. a completed
80 Boylston Street
Area(s) Form No(s).
C 155

Criteria: [xl A ll B [xl C [] D
Criteria Considerations: [] A [] B [] C [] D [] E Il F [] G
Statement of Significance by _~F~o~rb~e~s~/_S~c~h~u~le~l_' _

The Marlborough Savings Bank meets Criterion A of the National Register for its representation
of the development of commercial/residential properties at the city center, and for its relationship
to the local banking industry. In spite of substantial alterations with the removal of the third story,
the property meets Criterion C for its retained scale and Colonial Revival design details. The
property retains integrity of location, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association.
FORM B - BUI\-DING Assessor's number USGS Quad Area(s) Form Number
Massachusetis Historical Commission I 69-357 I Marlborough I I_C__ I 156
80 Boylston Street
Boston. Massachusetts 02116
Town Marlborough
r \. West Village
k·,
, ;
~ Address 57 Mechanic Street
ue the Historic Name

'hOIO.
gative here Uses: Present Commercial
Original Commercial
Date of Construction __ c_a_18_7_0 _
Source maps; style
Style/Form Italianate
Architect/Builder __ J_lD_k_n_Q_WD _
Exterior Material:
Foundation _n_o_t_v_is_i_b_le _
Wall/Trim wood clapboard (facade); vjnyl

siding (sides)
Roof Dot visible
sr. none
Major Alterations (with dates) _

1 Altered storefront wjth new door and windows;
~\
1/1 replacement windows at 2nd and 3rd (20th C)
Condition fair/good
Moved [ X] no [ ] yes Date _N_I_A _
Recorded by Anne Forbes Setting In small late.19th·early 20th.C com·

Jrganization for Marlboro HiS! Camm mercial area; 1892 brick Frye Building oppo-
Date 3/31/Q4
r 4
site
BUILDING FORM

#57 Mechanic Street is one of few examples left in Marlborough of what was once a common type
of building here-vthe wood-frame, flat-roofed, three-story Italianate commercial block with store front
at the first story and living- or lodging space above. It is almost identical in proportion and detail to
the Childs (Marlborough) Bakery building that stood nearby just around the northwest corner of
Mechanic and Lincoln Streets.
,]
The high "false-front" facade is four bays wide above the first floor, with double-hung replacement
windows (formerly 2-over-2-sash), with heavy, molded and bracketed window canopies that are typical
of the Italianate period. Also typical is the high, projecting cornice with a shallow gable in the center,
paired brackets, and a paneled frieze. The cornerboards are also paneled. One 2-over-2-sash display
window remains at the south corner of the facade.

building, and the rolets) the owners/occupants played within the community.
Apparently standing by 1871, this building appears to have been erected on part of the lot then
belonging to members of the Albee family, who ran a combination of commercial entreprises on it.
The old Albee house (see Form #70) at the corner of Central Street had by that time acquired one-
and 2 112-story additions for the grocery and furniture store of Charles Albee and Charles Nourse
along its north side, and Milton Albee had been operating his photo studio in a house just soutb on
Central Street for some time. At the back of the combined lot, between this building and the
photography studio, were several wagon sheds. Charles Albee was also an auctioneer, and may have
had an auction room in this building for a while.
The building apparently changed hands more than once before 1900, and had a series of occupants.
The store on the first floor of this building for many years boused the paint and wallpaper business
of James McAuslan, who also lived here. The second and third floor housed a hotel, the Melrose
HoteL
In about 1900 the Oxford House restaurant, which still exists after many changes of location, was
located here.
BIBLIOGRAPHY and/or REFERENCES { ] see continuation sheet
Maps and Atlases: 1871?; 1875; 1889; Sanborns from 1896..

Marlborough Directories.
Marlborough Historical Society: Moineau Photo Collection.
[Xl Recommended for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. If checked, a completed
80 Boylston Street
Boston, Massachusetts 02116 Marlborough 57 .Mechanic Street
Area(s) Form No(s).
C __ 15_6__

[xl Contributing to a potential historic district [] Potential historic district
Criteria: [xl A [J B [xJ C [] D
Criteria Considerations: [] A [] B [] C [] D [] E [] F [J G
Statement of Significance by __ F_o_r_b_e_s~/_S~c_hu_l_e_r _

The commercial building at 57 Mechanic Street is eligible for the National Register as part of a
district meeting Criteria A and C of the National Register. The property is representative of the
development of commercial properties with storefront on the first story and residential space above.
The building is the last survivor of the many wood frame, three-story Italianate commercial blocks
in Marlborough. The property retains integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship,
feeling, and association.
FORM B - BUILDING Assessor's number USGS Quad Area(s) Form Number
Massachusetts Historical Commission I 56-100 II Marlborough I c 157

80 Boylston Street
Town Marlborollob ~,
West Village
Address 153 Mechanic Street
Historic Name Howe/Arnold HOllse
Uses: Present DwelIjn::
Original Dwelljng
Date of Construction ca 18] 5-1830
.~;Source Maps; style; Bigelow

;,~
. ~~(
':,~;.;;Style!Form Federal
,~'i
'\'Architect/Builder __ m•.•.
l.•.•. k n....•
••..•o....
w..•..
uu..- _
Exterior Material:
Sketch Map Foundation granite; brick at rear

it. Number each property for which individual Wall/Trim synthetic siding
including route numbers, if any. Attach a separate Roof asphalt shingle
ss: Outbuildings/Secondary Structures _
~:;;o-2 none
~\)
~ Major Alterations (with dates) most wind-
0. ~\5'1
O~ I ows removed 1993 Ca 1900 side porch and
o '0 ~\...~,::>-f. N
\). vO vestibule on S : similar porch removed aD N
Most trim removed or covered, late-20th C.
'*
\J~v.~
.';;..
Condition deteriorated (fire damage)
? Moved [X] no [ ] yes Date N...•.

_ ..... I""'-A~__
1?
r Acreage less than one acre
Recorded by Anne Forbes Setting Early 20th-C stone retajnjn~ wall at
Organization for Marlboro Hist Comm front". larcre

e beech tree at N [0 mjxed 19th-
Date ____ In]/9J crnt1lIj! re<::.irlf'Tltial Dfj~hborb()od

BUILDING FORM
ARCHITEcrURAL DESCRIPTION [ ] see continuation sheet

In spite of alteratiions over the years, and the devastating fire damage that occurred here in 1993, #153
Mechanic Street still retains the characteristics of a typical vernacular farmhouse of the federal period.
Given the extensive alterations to the Rice House across the street at #140-142 (see Form #71), it
remains the only true representative of the federal style in this section of the West Village. It is a 2-
l/2-story, five-bay, one-room-deep house with a pair of rear chimneys, and two two-story wings, one
extending east from each rear corner. Most of the architectural trim has been lost or covered with
synthetic siding, but evidence of a boxed, molded cornice at the roofline remains. The center entry, )
/
now boarded over, has a shallow, projecting lobby entrance.

building, and the rolets) the owners/occupants played within the community.
According to Ella Bigelow, #153 Mechanic Street is the second house on this site. As late as 1815, the
late-eighteenth-century home of Zachariah Maynard stood here. He was the major benefactor who,
upon his death in 1775, left the town $1,700 to benefit "the industrious pOOL" The fund was always
1
known as the "Zachary," or "Zachariah Fund", and the house was affectionately called the "Zachary" or /
"Zachariah" House. The roof blew off the building in the hurricane of 1815. It is not entirely clear
whether the house was repaired, or if it was subsequently torn down and this house built shortly
afterward, as its form, proportions, and style would imply.
By the 1830's all the property southeast of the intersection of Mechanic and Elm Street belonged to
the Howe family, whose large homestead stood a short distance to the north, at what until at least the
late 1850's was the end of Mechanic Street. C. Howe is shown as the owner of this house in 1830, "E.
Howell in 1835, and in 1853 and 1857, both this property and the Howe farmstead were the property
of the estate of John Howe.
Sometime in the third quarter of the nineteenth century the land on the east side of the intersection
was acquired by members of the Arnold family. Anna Howe, daughter of Charles, married William J.
Arnold, and they lived at, and probably built, #159 Mechanic Street. #153 became the home of Loren
(Lorren) Arnold, who had lived for a time in Southborough before coming here. Loren Arnold was
a butcher, and ran a slaughterhouse, possibly in conjunction with William J., on the land behind the two
houses for many years. Late in life he also had a grain and flour business on the property.
Loren Arnold married first Morgiana Sawyer, and later Clara Hastings. Both Loren and Morgiana's
daughters married shoe manufacturers--Cora married Charles W. Curtis, and India married Louis P.
Howe. The magnificent beech tree in the side yard here may be related to those at India and Louis's
house at 235 Pleasant Street. (See Form#122.)
BIBLIOGRAPHY and/or REFERENCES [] see continuation sheet

Bigelow, Ella. Historical Reminiscences of Marlborough. 1910.
Hudson, Charles. History of the Town of Marlborough. 1862.
Maps and Atlases: Wood, 1830; Hudson, 1835; Walling: 1853, 1857, 1871; Beers: 1875; Bailey &
Hazen: 1878; Walker: 1889; Sanborns.
Marlborough Directories.
Recommended for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. If checked, a completed
National Register Criteria Statement [orm is attached.

Mechanic Street

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FORM B - BUILDING In Area no. Form no.

M.ASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COM1\'1ISSIO:\

1. Town . _:)--:"l. "h!)~·_"'O;". ~t~:.

Name 0. :: • ..::~lbee ~::.ouse

Present use :..<.esidence

Present owner Hr. .L~ichar·d J. ,1hite

3. Description: 2} Story Brick

Source_~ub. LocBl Bistor_i_e_s ~

4. Map. Draw sketch of building location Architect Hone.

Outbuildi ngs (describe)_I,_lo_n_c _

Other features Gable. end. f a ce s

q~D 5. Lot size:

On8 acre or less x Ove r one acre

r;.AY n- 16) D Approximate frontage_~Q_l<_·'_e_.e_.

6. Recorded by Erne.st Ginne.tti

WfrlieRB~E sr \ o Organization Marlborough

Subsequent uses (if any) and dates_._·~_(~_s_j

8. Themes (check as many as applicable)

Aboriginal Conservation Recreation

9. Historical significance (include explanation of themes checked above)

Historical Re.miniscences of Marlborough, Ella Bigelow, Marl. 1910.

1803 and 1835 Maps of Marlborough.

Boston, Massachusetts 02116

Place (neighborhood or village) _

Historic Name 0W Albee House

Uses: Present Dwe!Jjng

Date of Construction ca 1835

. Source Maps; style

. Style/Form Greek Revival

Architect!Builder __ .•. k.•..

Sketch Map Foundation dressed granite

Major Alterations (with dates) Wood fire es-

cape added at rear; small shed dormer on N ;

new sash in gable' 20th centm)' See also P 2

Moved [X] no [ ] yes Date N/A

Acreage less than one acre

Recorded by Anne Forbes Setting On sma]1 comer Jot in 19th.C resi-

ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION [ ] see continuation sheet

HISTORICAL NARRATIVE .[X] see continuation sheet

BIBLIOGRAPHY and/or REFERENCES [X] see continuation sheet

Marlborough O,W. Albee House

Massachusetts Historical Commission

HISTORICAL NARRATIVE, cont.

Area(s) Form No(s).

National Register of Historic Places Criteria Statement Form

aleck all that apply:

[x] Individually eligible [ ] Eligible only in a historic district

Criteria: [x] A [].B [x] C [J D

Statement of Significance by __ F_o_r_be_s_I_S_c_h_u_le_r _

Address 1L:~ nechanic Street

Name Martin ~ice Homestead

Present use .i.{esidence

r- Present owner I-·Js. 1'1a:i:'ieL. Cormier

Source Pub. Local Histories

.1. Map. Draw sketch of building location Architect None

Outbui ldings (describe) ~_lo_n_e _

Other features 2+ Story t 2 room

o o plan added for Abel Rice son

r:::J a !J 5. Lot size:

One acre or less X Over one acre

o Approximate distance of building from street

o 6. Hecorded by Ernest Ginnet_t_i _

Organization Marlborough Historical