Methuen Water Works facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Methuen Water Works
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 Location in Massachusetts
Location in the United States
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| Location | Cross St., Methuen, Massachusetts |
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| Built | 1893 |
| Built by | Worthington, E., Jr., & Co. |
| Architect | Ernest N. Boyden |
| Architectural style | Romanesque |
| MPS | Methuen MRA |
| NRHP reference No. | 84002403 |
| Added to NRHP | January 20, 1984 |
The Methuen Water Works is an old and important building in Methuen, Massachusetts. It's located on Cross Street. This building was finished around 1893. It was one of the very first big projects for the city's public services. The famous architect Ernest N. Boyden designed it. The building shows a special style called Romanesque architecture. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. Today, it's used as offices for the city's water department.
About the Methuen Water Works Building
The old Methuen Water Works building is in the northwest part of Methuen. You can find it on the west side of Cross Street. It's close to where Cross Street crosses Harris Brook.
What the Building Looks Like
This building is made of red bricks. It has a single story and a hip roof covered with slate. In the middle of the roof, there's a round wooden tower called a cupola. This cupola is covered with wooden shingles and has a pointy, cone-shaped roof.
The front of the building has three sections. There are two large, round-arched openings on either side of the main entrance. A line of rough-cut stone runs between the windows. This stone also acts as a top piece for the entrance.
To the right of the main part of the building, there's a connecting section. This section leads to a small, round brick structure. This smaller part also has a cone-shaped roof. Inside the building, there used to be a boiler in one room. Another room held a steam-powered pump engine.
History of the Water Works
The town of Methuen created a water board in 1893. In September of that year, they decided to build this water works facility. Ernest N. Boyden designed the building. He also designed water facilities in many other towns in Massachusetts.
The building was mostly finished later in 1893. Peabody and Pike, a company from Lawrence, built it. The pump inside the facility was used to move water. It pumped water from Harris Brook up to a reservoir on Foster's Hill. The pump could move 2,000 US gallons (about 7,570 liters) of water every minute!
Building these water facilities cost a lot of money. Some of the money came from town taxes. Local business people and generous donors also gave money to help fund the project.
