Framingham Reservoir No. 1 Dam and Gatehouse

Framingham Reservoir No. 1 Dam and Gatehouse
Location Framingham, Massachusetts
Coordinates 42°17′30″N 71°26′34″W / 42.29167°N 71.44278°WCoordinates: 42°17′30″N 71°26′34″W / 42.29167°N 71.44278°W
Built 1876
Architect Clough,George A.
Architectural style No Style Listed
Governing body Local
MPS Water Supply System of Metropolitan Boston MPS
NRHP Reference #

89002291

[1]
Added to NRHP January 18, 1990

The Framingham Reservoir No. 1 Dam and Gatehouse are a historic water works facility in Framingham, Massachusetts. They are located at the end of Framingham Reservoir No. 1, off Winter Street and north of Long Avenue. They were constructed 1876-78 as part of an expansion of the water supply of the city of Boston. The historical purpose of the reservoir, which was located at the confluence of two branches of the Sudbury River, was to control the river's water level, and to provide reserve supply capacity. It is no longer in service as part of the water supply system, although it is still owned by the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, successor to the Boston Water Board which oversaw its construction.[2]

The dam measures 793 feet (242 m) in length, with an overfall area that is 169 feet (52 m) long. The embankments are 20 feet (6.1 m) wide, with a core of granite rubble laid in cement. The overfall area is topped with cut granite, and originally had wooden flashboards held in by pins. The gatehouse is a 1-1/2 story granite structure, designed by Boston city architect George Clough. Located at the southern end of the overfall, it houses the end of a conduit from Farm Pond, a 4-foot (1.2 m) pipe connecting this reservoir to numbers 2 and 3, and gates for channeling water either into the Farm Pond conduit or into the river. There are also flood gates and equipment for moving the dam's flashboards.[2]

The dam and gatehouse were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.[1]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2008-04-15.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "NRHP nomination for Framingham Reservoir No. 1 Dam and Gatehouse". Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved 2014-05-10.