{"nrhp_refnum":"89001227","name":"Mystic Water Works","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Alewife Brook Pkwy. and Capen St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Somerville","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.41500126400007,"lon":-71.13047526599996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1989-09-18","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Community Planning and Development","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A long, low brick waterworks building with a Mansard roof at Alewife Brook Parkway and Capen Court in Somerville, Massachusetts, built in 1863-1864 in the Romanesque Revival style. The architect is unknown.","why_significant":"It was Somerville's first water supply, part of a system authorized in 1861 for Charlestown and later connected to Somerville's lines. The water supply contributed to the city's rapid growth in the late 19th century. It also keeps its original massing, materials and windows, so it is argued to be significant for both local history and architectural integrity.","narrative":"Built in 1863-1864 at Alewife Brook Parkway and Capen Court, the Mystic Water Works is a long, low brick building with a Mansard roof, set on a granite block foundation. It keeps its original massing, scale and materials, including early double-hung windows with round-headed glazed fans and paneled double doors with a fan-like transom on the south facade. The slate roof has been replaced with asphalt shingles. The building was Somerville's first water supply. The system was authorized in 1861, when Charlestown gained the right to build a dam at Mystic Lake, an engine house and a reservoir. At first only a small part of Somerville was served, but in 1868 the State Legislature allowed Somerville to connect its lines to Charlestown's. A high service plant added in 1889-1890, since demolished, helped fuel the city's growth. Boston took over the system in the 1880s, and in 1898 Somerville's supply was unified with Boston's under the Metropolitan Water Board. The building is still used for water and sewer purposes.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Romanesque Revival/Mansard roof","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Condition described as good; present use is utilitarian (water and sewer). A brick warehouse/offices outbuilding is noted as non-contributing.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:01.520939-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/77/7918/63791877/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/89001227.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/89001227/075059fab5-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/89001227/075059fab5-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"User:Magicpiano","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SomervilleMA_MysticWaterWorks.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:SomervilleMA_MysticWaterWorks.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63791877","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mystic_Water_Works","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14715737"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/mystic-water-works-89001227/"}