Wollaston Fire Station
Approximate location: the National Park Service places this pin arbitrarily within the property, not at a surveyed point (stated accuracy ±12 m).
Why it's listed
Wollaston Fire Station, at 111 Beale Street in Quincy, Massachusetts, was built in 1900 and remains an active fire station. It sits at the base of Wollaston Hill, and its tall square tower is a local landmark. The brick building rests on a granite foundation and basement and has a slate hip roof, arched ground-floor windows, and a granite string course between the floors. The tower carries a low pyramidal tile roof, an arched arcade and corbelled brick panels. In 1957 the original arched entry doors on the Beale Street front were replaced with rectangular openings to fit new fire trucks, a change that did not harm the building's character. Quincy's rapid growth in the late 19th century led to several large neighborhood fire stations replacing older wooden ones. This is the only one from that period to survive, and it is the city's oldest extant fire station. It was listed for its link to those municipal improvements and for its Italianate design.
Significance in brief: The station is tied to late-19th-century municipal improvements made as Quincy's residential neighborhoods expanded. It is the oldest extant fire station in Quincy and the only one of its period to survive. It is a well-preserved example of Italianate design applied to a public building, with its tall tower serving as a local landmark.
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 89001317, listed September 20, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 111 Beale St., Quincy |
|---|---|
| County | Norfolk County |
| Listed | September 20, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89001317 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Italianate |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still in active use as a fire station; condition described as good. Central doors were replaced in 1957. |
| Acreage | 0.4 |
| Coordinates | 42.25954, -71.01212 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
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 89001317.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q8030316
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.