North Easton Railroad Station
Also known as: Old Colony Railroad Station; See Also:North Easton Historic D
Why it's listed
Built in 1881 off Oliver Street in North Easton, this small railroad station was designed by architect H. H. Richardson for the Old Colony Railroad. It is a rectangular building of rock-faced granite on a low red sandstone foundation, with a bellcast hip roof, deep bracketed overhangs, a carriage porch and wide arched windows. Carved boar and lion heads decorate beams, lintels and bench armrests. F. L. Ames, a friend and patron of Richardson, commissioned the station and gave it to the railroad, in which the Ames family held substantial stock. It was the fourth of five Richardson buildings for the family, whose wealth came from the Easton shovel works. Historian Henry Russell Hitchcock compared it in quality to Richardson's Auburndale station, which no longer exists. This makes North Easton the best surviving example of his small stations. The building remains in good condition and is used as a museum.
Significance in brief: It is described as the best remaining example of the small stations Richardson designed in his Richardsonian Romanesque style. It was one of five Richardson buildings commissioned by the Ames family in North Easton. Architectural historian Henry Russell Hitchcock rated it, with the now-demolished Auburndale station, as the finest of Richardson's small stations.
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 72000125, listed April 11, 1972. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 80 Mechanic St. (off Oliver St. on railroad right-of-way), North Easton |
|---|---|
| County | Bristol County |
| Listed | April 11, 1972 |
| Reference number | 72000125 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1881 |
| Architect / builder | H. H. Richardson (architect); commissioned by F. L. Ames |
| Architectural style | Richardsonian Romanesque |
| Areas of significance | Transportation, Architecture |
| Level of significance | National, State, Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed in good condition, unaltered, on its original site, and owned by the Easton Historical Society. Present use is marked as museum, and the form notes that restoration work was under way. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.06982, -71.10339 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
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 72000125.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7055286
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.