Middlesex Fells Reservoirs Historic District

Three separate reservoir complexes in the Middlesex Fells Reservation of Stoneham and Medford make up this water supply district north of Boston. Spot Pond, the largest, was first developed by the City of Boston around 1869-1870, then enlarged by the Metropolitan Water Board from 1898. It includes a Classical Revival pumping station of gray Roman brick, two gatehouses, a superintendent's house and a stone barn. Middlesex Fells Reservoir, begun in 1898, and Bear Hill Reservoir, finished in 1902-1903, extended the supply to growing communities, including Stoneham after 1901. The gatehouses and pumping station were designed by Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge, and the Olmsted firm shaped the surrounding landscape so the works would suit the park. The reservoirs remain much as first built, apart from a 1975 fire at the pumping station and a third basin added in the 1940s. The district was listed for its role in the metropolitan water system and for its architecture.