Central Fire Station
Why it's listed
Central Fire Station, at the corner of Leonard and School Streets in Taunton, is a brick firehouse completed in 1869 for the city. It is the oldest surviving fire station in Taunton and still serves as one. Architect A.E. Swasey, Jr., an early work of the later well-known Boston designer, planned the building, and Z. Sherman carried out the construction. The square-plan, cross-gabled structure has four large engine bays on the Leonard Street front, framed by granite posts and lintels and fitted with their original double doors. Windows have peaked granite lintels and sills, the slate roof has a modillioned box cornice, and a hose-drying tower with a wooden balustrade rises at the rear. The building was valued as the city's first permanent firehouse for central Taunton, built during the municipal growth that followed incorporation in 1864, and for the quality of its Italianate design and its remarkably intact condition.
Significance in brief: It is the earliest surviving fire station in Taunton and is considered perhaps the most stylistically well-designed, with fully developed Italianate details. It survives in virtually unaltered condition, retaining its original engine doors. It was the city's first permanent firehouse serving central Taunton, built during a wave of municipal improvement after the city's incorporation in 1864.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 84002101, listed July 5, 1984. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Leonard and School Sts., Taunton |
|---|---|
| County | Bristol County |
| Listed | July 5, 1984 |
| Reference number | 84002101 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Architect A.E. Swasey, Jr.; builder Z. Sherman |
| Architectural style | Italianate |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Present use is a fire station, owned by the City of Taunton; described as virtually unaltered and not moved. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 41.90400, -71.09180 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 84002101.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5061086
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.