{"nrhp_refnum":"07000511","name":"Elm Park and Isaac Sprague Memorial Tower","other_names":["Clocktower Park"],"category":"site","location":{"address":"305 Washington St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Wellesley","county":"Norfolk County","state":"MA","lat":42.31294644400003,"lon":-71.27419173169244,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2007-06-05","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Community Planning and Development","Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Elm Park is a 1.24-acre triangular public park at 305 Washington Street in Wellesley Hills Square, Wellesley, Massachusetts, established in 1908. Its centerpiece is the Isaac Sprague Memorial Tower, a Georgian Revival clock tower built in 1928 and designed by Benjamin Proctor, Jr.","why_significant":"The park was created through the combined efforts of business leaders, residents and the town, rather than through a gift of land from a prominent citizen. The tower is a unique structure in Wellesley and houses the first recorded gifts to the town, a clock and bell given in 1874 by John W. Shaw. Together they illustrate village improvement through civic involvement and long-term recognition of community history.","narrative":"Elm Park is a small triangular public park of 1.24 acres at Wellesley Hills Square in Wellesley, Massachusetts. It was laid out in 1908 on land where a hotel and stable had been demolished after the town bought the site. The park gave open space to a congested commercial and institutional center. At its heart stands the Isaac Sprague Memorial Tower, built in 1928 to a Georgian Revival design by local architect Benjamin Proctor, Jr. Rising about 75 feet, it is made of rough-cut fieldstone with an octagonal base, limestone door surround and a copper-roofed cupola. Inside are a bell and clock given to the town in 1874 by John W. Shaw, which were moved from a demolished school. Bronze plaques added in the 1940s honor Shaw, Proctor and Sprague. Elm Park and the tower were listed for showing how civic involvement shaped village improvement, and for the tower's architecture. Brick paths, plantings and a 2004 entrance have been added without harming its historic character.","period_of_significance":"1908-1957","architect_builder":"Proctor, Benjamin, Jr. (architect); John W. Duff, Inc. of Boston (builder); Howard, Edward (clock); Blake, William, and Company (bell)","architectural_style":"Colonial Revival/Georgian Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Currently used as a public park and monument; the form says it retains integrity and has been maintained with recent improvements to paths, lighting, fencing and plantings.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:04.073063-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/2/7963/63796302/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/07000511.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/07000511/59b800cb68-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/07000511/59b800cb68-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Jameslwoodward","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Isaac_Sprague_Memorial_Tower_Wellesley_MA_02.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Jameslwoodward</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Isaac_Sprague_Memorial_Tower_Wellesley_MA_02.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63796302","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elm_Park_and_Isaac_Sprague_Memorial_Tower","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5366304"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/norfolk-county/elm-park-and-isaac-sprague-memorial-tower-07000511/"}