Mystic Pumping Station
Why it's listed
Built between 1862 and 1865 by the City of Charlestown, this brick pumping station on Alewife Brook Parkway in Somerville supplied water as part of the Mystic Water Works. The one and one-half story, mansard-roofed building has a symmetrical nine-bay main block with load-bearing brick walls. A two-bay wing was added in 1870 and a four-bay wing in 1895, both to house additional steam engines and both matching the original Second Empire design. The station was built smaller than first designed because of construction costs and originally held two Worthington steam engines. Boston took it over when it annexed Charlestown in 1874, and the Metropolitan Water Board later operated it. The engines were removed in 1912, and the building was later used for offices and research, then renovated in 1921 when its chimney was demolished. It is now a maintenance shop and office. It was listed as a well-preserved example of a small nineteenth-century municipal water supply facility, even though the wider system is no longer in service.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is significant for its association with the Mystic Water Works and as a representative of a mid-nineteenth century small, integrated municipal water supply system. It retains integrity of location, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling and design. It is one of three components of the otherwise out-of-service system that still retains integrity.
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 89002255, listed January 18, 1990. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Alewife Brook Pkwy., Somerville |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | January 18, 1990 |
| Reference number | 89002255 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | George N. Baldwin; Charles I. Stevenson |
| Architectural style | Second Empire |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition good; used today by the MDC as a maintenance office and shop. |
| Acreage | 2 |
| Coordinates | 42.41509, -71.13048 (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 89002255.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14715737
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.