Framingham Reservoir No. 2 Dam and Gatehouse facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Framingham Reservoir No. 2 Dam and Gatehouse
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 Location in Massachusetts
Location in the United States
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| Location | Framingham, Massachusetts |
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| Built | 1877 |
| Architect | George A. Clough |
| MPS | Water Supply System of Metropolitan Boston MPS |
| NRHP reference No. | 89002290 |
| Added to NRHP | January 18, 1990 |
The Framingham Reservoir No. 2 Dam and Gatehouse is a historic water works facility in Framingham, Massachusetts. The dam and gatehouse are located west of the junction of Winter and Fountain Streets, and impound a branch of the Sudbury River. The reservoir, which is also known as the Brackett Reservoir, was built 1877-79 as part of an expansion of the water supply of the city of Boston. The dam is 1,376 feet (419 m) in length, with a centered overfall area. The core of the dam is granite rubble laid in cement, with earthen embankments. The overfall area is faced on the downstream side with cut granite, and earthen embankment on the upstream side. It is topped with granite and originally had iron mounts for flashboards. The gatehouse is a rectangular granite structure with a steep hip roof, a brick chimney and an eyebrow dormer. The door and windows are in round-arch openings. It contains gate controls for regulating water flow from the reservoir and from a 4-foot (1.2 m) pipe connected to Reservoir No. 1, and a 2-foot (0.61 m) pipe connected to the Ashland Reservoir.
The dam was built by contractors from upstate New York, and the gatehouse was built by James Fagin of Boston to a design by the Boston city architect, George Clough. The Metropolitan Water Board, established in 1895 to oversee the city's water supply, took the reservoir out of service soon afterward due to its poor water quality.
The dam and gatehouse were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.
