Metropolitan District Commission Pumping House
Why it's listed
Beside Spot Pond on Woodland Road in Stoneham, this pumping station was built around 1906 for the Metropolitan water supply and enlarged with a side ell in 1923. Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge, the Boston firm that succeeded H. H. Richardson, designed it in the Renaissance Revival style. Yellow brick walls are trimmed with limestone quoins, large rusticated arched windows and an arched central entry flanked by paired columns. A fire around 1978 destroyed the original tile roof and upper half story, and a red hipped roof now replaces them. A small period gatehouse stands to the rear. The station occupies the site of the Charles Copeland House, one of the early mansions on the pond shore. Its monumental design reflects urban Boston traditions rather than the modest scale of Stoneham's local buildings. It is valued as a key part of the Metropolitan Water Works system and as a notable example of the architects' work in both architecture and engineering.
Significance in brief: The building is significant as a major component of the Metropolitan Water Works system. It is also a notable example, in both architecture and engineering, of the work of the Boston firm Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge, successor to H. H. Richardson. Its monumental Revival design reflects urban Boston traditions rather than the scale of local Stoneham buildings of the period.
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 84002747, listed April 13, 1984. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Woodland Rd., Stoneham |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | April 13, 1984 |
| Reference number | 84002747 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge |
| Architectural style | Renaissance Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Industry, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | A fire around 1978 destroyed the original tile hipped roof and upper half story; they were replaced with a modified red hipped roof. Still in use as part of the Metropolitan water supply. |
| Acreage | 1 |
| Within district | Middlesex Fells Reservoirs Historic District |
| Coordinates | 42.45582, -71.09027 (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.
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 84002747.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6825075
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.