{"nrhp_refnum":"80000652","name":"Chickatawbut Observation Tower","other_names":[],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"Chickatawbut Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Quincy","county":"Norfolk County","state":"MA","lat":42.22499683500007,"lon":-71.06081973599998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1980-09-25","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Entertainment/Recreation"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A granite observation tower with a slate roof near the summit of Chickatawbut Hill on Chickatawbut Road in Quincy, Massachusetts, within the Blue Hills Reservation. It was built around 1930-1940 for the Metropolitan District Commission.","why_significant":"The tower offers a 180 degree panoramic view toward Boston and repeats the materials and design of the Great Blue Hill Observation Tower. With the Observatory and the Blue Hills Headquarters Building it forms a special group of structures in the Reservation. The buildings blend into the landscape and add to its educational and recreational value.","narrative":"Chickatawbut Observation Tower is a square lookout of native granite near the summit of Chickatawbut Hill in Quincy, Massachusetts. Built around 1930 to 1940 for the Metropolitan District Commission, it measures roughly 20 by 20 feet and rises about 60 feet. Its walls are uncoursed, cut-face rubble, and it has a slate roof. Visitors using the Blue Hills Reservation can enjoy a 180 degree panoramic view toward Boston. The tower was listed because it repeats the materials and design of the Great Blue Hill Observation Tower. Together with that observatory and the Commission's Blue Hills Headquarters Building, it forms a distinctive group of structures in the Reservation. These buildings blend into their surroundings and strengthen the educational and recreational character of the Blue Hills. The tower was part of a larger multiple resource area covering the Blue Hills and Neponset River reservations. Records describe its condition as good and its use as recreation, unchanged since it was built.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Condition is described as good; present use is recreation.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:54.888957-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/58/7926/63792658/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/80000652.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80000652/9d2b45deb8-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80000652/9d2b45deb8-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Jameslwoodward","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chickatawbut_Observation_Tower_Quincy_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:Chickatawbut_Observation_Tower_Quincy_MA_02.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63792658","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chickatawbut_Observation_Tower","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5096211"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/norfolk-county/chickatawbut-observation-tower-80000652/"}