{"nrhp_refnum":"89002251","name":"Bellevue Standpipe","other_names":[],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"On Bellevue Hill at Washington St. and Roxbury Pkwy.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Boston","county":"Suffolk County","state":"MA","lat":42.27552674800006,"lon":-71.14383506299998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1990-01-18","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Engineering"],"significance_levels":["state","local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A masonry standpipe (water tower) on Bellevue Hill in the West Roxbury section of Boston, within Stony Brook Reservation. It was built in 1914-1915 for the Metropolitan Water Board, with Dexter Brackett as engineer in charge.","why_significant":"It is one of three vertical reservoirs built by the Metropolitan Water Board as suburban populations grew and needed more water. Its design shows the board's commitment to good design and sensitivity to the surrounding community. It is also an important part of the board's in-town distribution system. The form finds it meets Criterion C and retains integrity of location, setting, materials, workmanship and associations.","narrative":"Bellevue Standpipe is a water tower on Bellevue Hill in West Roxbury, Boston, set in the parklike Stony Brook Reservation. Built in 1914-1915, it consists of a steel tank enclosed in a concrete tower faced with rough-cut granite. The enclosure was meant to keep ice from forming on the tank, and the tower also served as an observation point. It replaced a smaller shingle-style standpipe from 1888 and formed part of the southern extra high service system. Water was pumped from Fisher Hill Reservoir to the Hyde Park Pumping Station, then up the hill and distributed by gravity to surrounding communities. Dexter Brackett was the engineer in charge, and Walsh's Holyoke Steam Boiler Works made the tank. It is one of three vertical reservoirs built by the Metropolitan Water Board, and its design reflects the board's attention to appearance and community. A larger steel tower was added beside it in 1955-56. The older tower is now out of service.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Dexter Brackett, Water Board engineer in charge; steel tank made by Walsh's Holyoke Steam Boiler Works, Holyoke, MA","architectural_style":null,"criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Out of service today; condition described as fair. The adjacent 1955 steel tower is excluded from the nomination.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:01.438386-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/79/7927/63792779/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/89002251.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/89002251/b9660482d0-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/89002251/b9660482d0-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Biruitorul (talk)","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BellevueStandpipe.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Biruitorul (talk)</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BellevueStandpipe.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63792779","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bellevue_Standpipe","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4883962"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/suffolk-county/bellevue-standpipe-89002251/"}