Kilmer Street Fire Station
Why it's listed
Built in 1915 at the corner of Oak and Kilmer Streets in Taunton, this small brick fire station was one of the city's most recently constructed. It replaced an older facility on Olney Street, which was then converted to a storage house. The rectangular building rises two stories to a pyramidal hipped roof. Its facade holds a central engine bay, with a group of four six-over-six sash windows above, and an engaged hose tower stands out on the Oak Street side. The design blends Queen Anne and Colonial Revival elements, and the walls are common bond brick. Few small neighborhood fire stations were built in southeast Massachusetts between 1915 and 1940, when suburban residential construction slowed. That scarcity gives the station some regional interest beyond its local importance as a one-bay firehouse completed at the close of Taunton's most prosperous period. It retains integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship and association, and the city still owns it.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the station meets criteria A and C. It is a one-bay neighborhood firehouse built at the end of Taunton's most prosperous era, and few such stations were built in southeast Massachusetts in the Early Modern Period (1915-1940). Its Queen Anne/Colonial Revival design reflects historical architectural precedents.
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 84002138, listed July 5, 1984. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Oak and Kilmer Sts., Taunton |
|---|---|
| County | Bristol County |
| Listed | July 5, 1984 |
| Reference number | 84002138 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne/Colonial Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as a fire station in present use; doors were replaced in the 20th century. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 41.89950, -71.10636 (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 84002138.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6408019
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.