Hydrant No. 3 House
Why it's listed
Built about 1871 on Washington Street in Holliston, this small wood-frame engine house sheltered Hydrant No. 3, a hand-pumped fire engine bought by the town in 1867. Carpenter Samuel A. Sanger was paid $903.90 to build it. The one-story, gable-front building covers 576 square feet and rests on fieldstone piles, so dripping water could drain through the floorboards. A square hose tower with a concave mansard roof and cornice brackets carries the Italianate ornament. The tower was used to hang and dry leather hoses. The town phased out use of the building by about 1900, and it was reportedly mothballed in 1899. It is the oldest surviving firehouse in Holliston and typical of the engine houses built there in the third quarter of the 19th century. It is also one of only two 19th-century municipal buildings identified in town. It now stands vacant, with boarded windows and a deteriorated tower, but still shows how the town organized fire protection as its industry and population grew.
Significance in brief: It is the oldest surviving firehouse in Holliston and one of only two identified 19th-century municipal buildings in the town. It is typical of the town's third-quarter 19th-century engine houses, with a rear hose-drying tower, and it records the growth of municipal fire protection tied to Holliston's industrial expansion. It retains integrity and is significant at the local level.
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 00000113, listed March 6, 2000. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Washington St., Holliston |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | March 6, 2000 |
| Reference number | 00000113 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | ca. 1871-1949 |
| Architect / builder | Samuel A. Sanger |
| Architectural style | Italianate |
| Criteria |
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| Areas of significance | Architecture, Politics/Government |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The building is vacant, with its windows boarded over for security. The town re-acquired it in 1995 and stained it red, except for the hose tower, which is deteriorated. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.18342, -71.44428 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
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 00000113.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5954310
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.