Winchester Savings Bank
Also known as: state survey no.:131
Why it's listed
Built in 1892 at the corner of Mount Vernon Street and Winchester Place, this small bank building sits in Winchester's central business district. It is a one-story red brick structure on a rough-faced sandstone foundation, with sandstone trim, a multi-gabled slate roof, a tall corbeled chimney, and a round sandstone tower with a conical roof. The entrance is recessed within a barrel vault carried on paired columns. Architects William E. and Edwin K. Blaikie, brothers with a Boston office who did most of their work in the suburbs, designed it. The bank was founded in 1871 as the first in Winchester, serving a growing population of factory workers and commuters to Boston. After outgrowing a rented room and later rented space in the Brown and Stanton Block, it bought this site around 1890. The building was the first in town used only for banking. A rear vault ell was added in 1936, and side pavilions in 1964-65. It is valued as a good small-scale example of Richardsonian Romanesque design.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it an excellent example of the Richardsonian Romanesque style adapted to a small-scale structure. It was also the first building in Winchester used only for banking. The bank itself, founded in 1871, was the town's first.
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 79000361, listed June 19, 1979. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 26 Mt. Vernon St., Winchester |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | June 19, 1979 |
| Reference number | 79000361 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1892 |
| Architect / builder | W.E. and E.K. Blaikie |
| Architectural style | Richardsonian Romanesque / Romanesque Revival |
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied, in good condition and altered; additions made in 1936 and 1964-65 are described as sympathetic to the original character. |
| Acreage | 0.1 |
| Coordinates | 42.45337, -71.13494 (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 79000361.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q8023855
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.