Watertown Arsenal Historic District

Occupying 45 acres along Arsenal Street in Watertown, this district is the surviving core of the Watertown Arsenal, an Army ordnance depot founded in 1816 and later home to the Army Materials Technology Laboratory. Its red brick buildings, with spare classically inspired designs from different periods, include 15 contributing buildings, three structures, a site and an object. A cluster of four long gable-roofed buildings formed the gun carriage manufacturing complex, dating from 1851 to 1894. Research laboratories occupy the western part, including a converted 1922 piano factory. Near the entrance drive, the Italianate Commanding Officer's Quarters and the Colonial Revival Administration Building sit within a landscape designed by the Olmsted firm. The district is surrounded by brick posts and wrought iron fencing. Land to the east, once part of the arsenal, was turned over to the town in 1968 and is outside the district. Contributing resources relate to the Arsenal's activities between 1816 and 1947, which marks its period of significance.