{"nrhp_refnum":"01000651","name":"Crocker Field Historic District","other_names":[],"category":"district","location":{"address":"River St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Fitchburg","county":"Worcester County","state":"MA","lat":42.59577555200008,"lon":-71.80892315399996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2001-06-14","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Education","Landscape Architecture","Entertainment/Recreation"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Crocker Field is a municipally owned athletic complex of about 5.5 acres on the west bank of the Nashua River near downtown Fitchburg, Massachusetts. It has playing fields, two stadiums, a field house, ticket booths and fences, and was completed in 1918 as a gift to the city from Alvah Crocker.","why_significant":"The nomination argues that the complex is significant as an early 20th century athletic landscape designed by the Olmsted Brothers landscape architecture firm. Its Classical Revival stadiums, field house and enclosures form a unified design with plantings and a non-axial, asymmetrical layout. It also has long-standing local importance as the city's school athletic grounds.","narrative":"Crocker Field is a municipally owned athletic complex of roughly 5.5 acres beside the Nashua River, just north of Main Street in downtown Fitchburg. Completed in 1918 as a gift from Alvah Crocker to the city's citizens, it includes football and baseball fields, a running oval, a tennis court, a covered and an uncovered stadium seating about 2,800, a field house, ticket booths and a concession stand. The stadiums and original buildings are Classical Revival in style, built of concrete and terracotta block finished in stucco. Wrought iron fencing with concrete gateposts encloses the grounds. The Olmsted Brothers firm designed the layout, which favors an asymmetrical, naturalistic arrangement and plantings that soften the concrete and stucco. The field house has a slate hip roof and a carved entrance reading Fitchburg Public Schools Athletic Grounds. Its assembly room keeps its original ceiling, oak wainscoting and a collection of school sports memorabilia. Several monuments and plaques stand on the grounds.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Olmsted Brothers (landscape architects)","architectural_style":"Classical Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"Still in use as an athletic complex; the field house and gates are described as well maintained, though marred by graffiti.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:03.669466-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/88/7973/63797388/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/01000651.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/01000651/fda3dce604-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/01000651/fda3dce604-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"User:Magicpiano","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:FitchburgMA_CrockerPark.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">User:Magicpiano</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:FitchburgMA_CrockerPark.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63797388","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crocker_Field","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5187318"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/worcester-county/crocker-field-historic-district-01000651/"}