Whittenton Fire and Police Station
Why it's listed
Built in 1888, this brick fire and police station on Bay Street in Taunton, Massachusetts, shows how a growing city housed its public services in the Queen Anne style. It was designed by Abner Coleman, the city's second fire chief, and built by James T. Bassett. The square main block rises two and a half stories under a hipped roof, with three large segmental-arched engine bays across the front. A central wall dormer has shingled walls and a three-part round-arched window. A smaller two-story dependency with a hipped roof housed the police station, and a hose-drying tower is attached at the rear. Apart from replaced doors, the building has changed little and is still used as it was originally. It is one of two Coleman-designed Queen Anne firehouses in Taunton, and it resembles the Weir and East Taunton stations. It was listed for its role in serving dense neighborhoods during the city's late nineteenth-century municipal growth, and for its architecture.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it a fine, minimally altered example of a Queen Anne municipal building. It is one of two fire stations in Taunton designed by the city's second fire chief, Abner Coleman. It was built to serve dense residential and commercial neighborhoods during a period of municipal advancement in the late 19th century. It meets criteria A and C.
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 84002271, listed July 5, 1984. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Bay St., Taunton |
|---|---|
| County | Bristol County |
| Listed | July 5, 1984 |
| Reference number | 84002271 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Abner Coleman (architect); James T. Bassett (builder) |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Present use is the same as the original: fire station. The form reports that the doors were replaced in the 20th century and that the building is otherwise minimally changed. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 41.92067, -71.09645 (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 84002271.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7996855
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.