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Highlands Historic District (Fall River, Massachusetts)
Encyclopedia
Fall River, Massachusetts
Fall River is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It is located about south of Boston, southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, and west of New Bedford and south of Taunton. The city's population was 88,857 during the 2010 census, making it the tenth largest city in...
. The district lies just north of the Lower Highlands Historic District
Lower Highlands Historic District
Lower Highlands Historic District is a historic district roughly bounded by Cherry, Main, Winter, and Bank Streets in Fall River, Massachusetts. The area is located just east of the Downtown Fall River Historic District and directly south of the Highlands Historic District.The district contains...
(Ref #84002171).
The Highlands Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1983. It encompasses over 1400 acres (5.7 km²) and contains over 300 structures.
History
The area known today as the "highlands" in Fall River was originally known as the Rodman Farm. The area is located along a high ridge with views of the Taunton RiverTaunton River
The Taunton River , is a river in southeastern Massachusetts in the United States. It arises from the confluence of the Town River and Matfield River, in the town of Bridgewater...
and Mount Hope Bay
Mount Hope Bay
Mount Hope Bay is a tidal estuary located at the mouth of the Taunton River on the Massachusetts and Rhode Island border. It is an arm of Narragansett Bay. The bay is named after Mount Hope, a small hill located on its western shore in what is now Bristol, Rhode Island. It flows into the East...
. After the original downtown area of the city suffered a devastating fire in 1843, the wealthy mill owners and their families gradually sought to distance themselves from the central business district.
The Highlands Historic District contains a wide variety of mostly residential homes largely built between 1840 and 1925. Just one home, the Church-Tory house (c.1750) at 96 French Street predates the major development of the area.
The district also includes North Park, designed by the Olmsted Brothers in the mid-1880s.
Contributing properties (partial listing)
Residential- Church-Tory House (c.1750), 96 French Street, Colonial
- Jefferson Borden House (c.1840), 386 High Street, Greek Revival
- Remington-Borden House (c.1858), 511 Rock Street, Carpenter Gothic
- Edmund Chase House (c.1874), 388 Rock Street, Second Empire
- Philip Borden House (c.1884), 669 Rock Street, Queen Anne
- Simeon Borden House (1876), 484 Highland Street, Ruskinian Gothic
- Charles Buffington House (1882), 216 Prospect Street, Queen Anne
- Maplecroft (Allen-Borden House) (1889), 306 French Street, Queen Anne
Educational/public
- Westall School (1907), 276 Maple Street
- Fall River Technical School (1929), 290 Rock Street
- Quequechan Firehouse (1873), 330 Prospect Street
Religious
- First Congregational Church (1913), 282 Rock Street
- United Presbyterian Church (1924), 414 Rock Street
- Temple Beth-El (1928), 385 High Street
Properties with separate NRHP listings
- B.M.C. Durfee High SchoolB.M.C. Durfee High SchoolB.M.C. Durfee High School is an historic former high school building at 289 Rock Street in Fall River, Massachusetts.The school was built in 1886 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1981...
(1886), 289 Rock Street, added in 1981 - Osborn HouseOsborn HouseOsborn House is a historic house at 456 Rock Street in Fall River, Massachusetts, built in the Greek Revival style.The house was designed by Rhode Island architect Russell Warren for Joseph Durfee in 1843....
(1843), 456 Rock Street, added in 1980
See also
- Lower Highlands Historic DistrictLower Highlands Historic DistrictLower Highlands Historic District is a historic district roughly bounded by Cherry, Main, Winter, and Bank Streets in Fall River, Massachusetts. The area is located just east of the Downtown Fall River Historic District and directly south of the Highlands Historic District.The district contains...
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Fall River, Massachusetts
- History of Fall River, MassachusettsHistory of Fall River, MassachusettsFor much of its history, the city of Fall River, Massachusetts has been defined by the rise and fall of its cotton textile industry. From its beginnings as a rural outpost of the Plymouth Colony, the city grew to become the largest textile producing center in the United States during the 19th...
