Old Colony Railroad Station (North Easton, Massachusetts)

Easton Village
The historic Old Colony Railroad Station building. The new MBTA platform would be built just across the track.
Owned by Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
Line(s) Dighton and Somerset Railroad
Platforms 1 side platform (proposed)
Tracks 1
Construction
Bicycle facilities 8 spaces (proposed)
Disabled access Yes
History
Opened May 16, 1855[1]
Opening 2030 (proposed)
Closed September 5, 1958[1]
Rebuilt 1881
Previous names North Easton
Services
Preceding station   MBTA   Following station
South Coast Rail
Phase 2 (2030)
Former services
Preceding station   New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad   Following station
toward Taunton
Stoughton Branch
North Easton Railroad Station
Old Colony Railroad Station, North Easton as it appeared in 1890
Location 80 Mechanic Street
North Easton, Massachusetts
Coordinates 42°4′9.37″N 71°6′11.95″W / 42.0692694°N 71.1033194°W / 42.0692694; -71.1033194Coordinates: 42°4′9.37″N 71°6′11.95″W / 42.0692694°N 71.1033194°W / 42.0692694; -71.1033194
Built 1881
Architect H. H. Richardson
Part of H. H. Richardson Historic District of North Easton (#87002598)
Significant dates
Designated NHLDCP December 23, 1987
Designated CP November 3, 1972

The Old Colony Railroad Station, also known as the North Easton Railroad Station, is a historic railroad station designed by noted American architect H. H. Richardson. It is located just off Oliver Street in North Easton, Massachusetts, and currently houses the Easton Historical Society.

The station was built in 1881 and served commuter trains until 1958. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. In 1987, it also became part of the H. H. Richardson Historic District of North Easton, a National Historic Landmark District. The proposed Phase 2 of South Coast Rail would return commuter rail service to North Easton in 2030.

History

Richardson frequently included Asian stylistic elements, like this carved dragon on a support beam, in his designs

The Easton Branch Railroad opened from Stoughton to North Easton on May 16, 1855.[1] Originally part of the Boston and Providence Railroad, it became part of the Dighton and Somerset Railroad in 1866.

A new station was commissioned in 1881 by Frederick Lothrop Ames, director of the Old Colony Railroad, during the same year that Richardson designed the Ames Gate Lodge for his nearby estate. Frederick Law Olmsted landscaped its grounds. It is a relatively small station, a single story in height with Richardson's characteristic heavy masonry and outsized roof. Its long axis runs north-south with the tracks, now disused, along its west side. The building is laid out symmetrically within, with a large passenger room at each end (one for women, the other for men).

The station's facade is constructed of rough-faced, random ashlar of gray granite with a brownstone belt course and trim. Two large, semicircular arches punctuate each of the long facades, inset with windows and doorways, and ornamented with carvings of a beast's snarling head; a further semicircular arch projects to form the east facade's porte-cochere. Eaves project deeply over all sides, supported by plain wooden brackets.[2]

Commuter rail service past Stoughton was cut on September 5, 1958. In 1969, the Ames family purchased the property from the Penn Central Railroad and gave it to the historical society. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. In 1987, it also became part of the H. H. Richardson Historic District of North Easton, a National Historic Landmark District.

A new MBTA Commuter Rail station, Easton Village, is proposed to be built at the site as part of the South Coast Rail project. An 800-foot-long (240 m) high-level platform will be constructed across the track from the historic building.[3]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Roy, John H. Jr. (2007). A Field Guide to Southern New England Railroad Depots and Freight Houses. Branch Line Press. pp. 204–205. ISBN 9780942147087.
  2. ↑ Cummings, Abbott L. (January 1960). "Old Colony Railroad Station" (PDF). Historic American Buildings Survey. Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress. p. 2. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
  3. ↑ "Figure 3.2-23 Easton Village Station Proposed Reconstruction" (PDF). Volume II: FEIS/FEIR Figures Final Environmental Impact Statement/Final Environmental Impact Report on the South Coast Rail Project proposed by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers New England District. August 2013. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
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