Historic American Buildings Survey,
Engineering Record, Landscapes Survey
View photos from this survey. (Some may not be online).
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Lexington & West Cambridge Railroad, Lexington Depot, Depot Square, Lexington, Middlesex County, MA
- Title: Lexington & West Cambridge Railroad, Lexington Depot, Depot Square, Lexington, Middlesex County, MA
- Creator(s): Historic American Engineering Record, creator
- Related Names:
Lexington & West Cambridge Railroad
Depositers Trust Company
Boston & Lowell Railroad
Kilham, Hopkins, & Greeley
Yearby, Jean P , transmitter
Stott, Peter , photographer
Stott, Peter , historian - Date Created/Published: Documentation compiled after 1968
- Medium:
Photo(s): 3
Data Page(s): 3
Photo Caption Page(s): 1 - Reproduction Number: ---
- Rights Advisory:
No known restrictions on images made by the U.S. Government; images copied from other sources may be restricted. (http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/res/114_habs.html)
- Call Number: HAER MASS,9-LEX,16-
- Repository: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print
- Notes:
- Significance: The Lexington & West Cambridge Railroad, incorporated by the legislature in 1845, was built to link Lexington and Arlington (then called West Cambridge) with the new line of the Fitchburg Railroad in North Cambridge. The line was completed in 1846, and the first train to use the line, on August 24th, chanced also to be the first train to enter the Fitchburg's depot on Causeway Street in Boston. But as an independent line without right to haul its own traffic on the main line, it could attract little freight, and the company soon petitioned the Fitchburg to purchase the road outright. This the Fitchburg declined to do. Instead, the Boston & Lowell Railroad, reaching after suburban traffic, discovered in the branch a possible feeder and bought control of the road, building a short strip of track from its line at Somerville Junction to Lake Street in Arlington. Renamed the Middlesex Central Branch, the line was extended to Concord in 1874. The Lexington station, probably built about 1846, is the only known survivor of a railroad station form that in the 1840s and 50s was very common, incorporating beneath the station roof, track space for the engine and cars. Although damaged by fire in 1918, the station retains the original elliptical trainshed opening. Along the outer rail, the roof is supported by a row of eleven boxed columns. In the early 1920s, the Boston architectural firm of Kilham, Hopkins & Greeley gave the building its present Colonial Revival details including cupola, roof balustrade, and colonnade along the front of the station. The interior has recently been renovated for use as a bank.
- Survey number: HAER MA-21
- Building/structure dates: ca. 1846 Initial Construction
- Building/structure dates: 1874 Subsequent Work
- Building/structure dates: 1918 Subsequent Work
- Building/structure dates: ca. 1920 Subsequent Work
- Building/structure dates: c. 1970- c. 1979 Subsequent Work
- Subjects:
- Place:
- Latitude/Longitude: 42.44853, -71.22854
- Collections:
- Part of: Historic American Engineering Record (Library of Congress)
- Bookmark This Record:
https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/ma1193/
The Library of Congress generally does not own rights to material in its collections and, therefore, cannot grant or deny permission to publish or otherwise distribute the material. For further rights information, see "Rights Information" below and the Rights and Restrictions Information page ( https://www.loc.gov/rr/print/res/rights.html ).
- Rights Advisory: No known restrictions on images made by the U.S. Government; images copied from other sources may be restricted. http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/res/114_habs.html
- Reproduction Number: ---
- Call Number: HAER MASS,9-LEX,16-
- Medium:
Photo(s): 3
Data Page(s): 3
Photo Caption Page(s): 1
If Digital Images Are Displaying
You can download online images yourself. Alternatively, you can purchase copies of various types through Library of Congress Duplication Services.
HABS/HAER/HALS materials have generally been scanned at high resolution that is suitable for most publication purposes (see Digitizing the Collection for further details about the digital images).
- Photographs--All photographs are printed from digital files to preserve the fragile originals.
- Make note of the Call Number and Item Number that appear under the photograph in the multiple-image display (e.g., HAER, NY,52-BRIG,4-2).
- If possible, include a printout of the photograph.
- Drawings--All drawings are printed from digital files to preserve the fragile originals.
- Make note of the Survey Number (e.g., HAER NY - 143) and Sheet Number (e.g., "Sheet 1 of 4"), which appear on the edge of the drawing. (NOTE: These numbers are visible in the Tiff "Reference Image" display.)
- If possible, include a printout of the drawing.
- Data Pages
- Make note of the Call Number in the catalog record.
If Digital Images Are Not Displaying
In the rare case that a digital image for HABS/HAER/HALS documentation is not displaying online, select images for reproduction through one of these methods:
- Visit the Prints & Photographs Reading Room and request to view the group (general information about service in the reading room is available at: http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/info/001_ref.html). It is best to contact reference staff in advance (see: http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/address.html) to make sure the material is on site. OR
- P&P reading room staff can provide up to 15 quick copies of items per calendar year (many original items in the holdings are too old or fragile to make such copies, but generally HABS/HAER/HALS materials are in good enough condition to be placed on photocopy machines). For assistance, see our Ask a Librarian page OR
- Hire a freelance researcher to do further selection for you (a list of researchers in available at: http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/resource/013_pic.html).
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- Make note of the Call Number listed above.
- Look at the Medium field above. If it lists more than one item:
- The entire group can be ordered as photocopies or high-quality copies.
- All the items in a particular medium (e.g., all drawings, all photographs) can be ordered as photocopies or high-quality copies.
- Call Number: HAER MASS,9-LEX,16-
- Medium:
Photo(s): 3
Data Page(s): 3
Photo Caption Page(s): 1
Please use the following steps to determine whether you need to fill out a call slip in the Prints and Photographs Reading Room to view the original item(s). In some cases, a surrogate (substitute image) is available, often in the form of a digital image, a copy print, or microfilm.
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Is the item digitized? (A thumbnail (small) image will
be visible on the left.)
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Yes, the item is digitized. Please use the digital image in preference to requesting the original. All images can be viewed at a large size when you are in any reading room at the Library of Congress. In some cases, only thumbnail (small) images are available when you are outside the Library of Congress because the item is rights restricted or has not been evaluated for rights restrictions.
As a preservation measure, we generally do not serve an original item when a digital image is available. If you have a compelling reason to see the original, consult with a reference librarian. (Sometimes, the original is simply too fragile to serve. For example, glass and film photographic negatives are particularly subject to damage. They are also easier to see online where they are presented as positive images.)
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No, the item is not digitized. Please go to #2.
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Do the Access Advisory or Call Number fields above indicate that
a non-digital surrogate exists, such as microfilm or copy prints?
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Yes, another surrogate exists. Reference staff can direct you to this surrogate.
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No, another surrogate does not exist. Please go to #3.
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If you do not see a thumbnail image or a reference to another surrogate, please fill out a call slip in the Prints and Photographs Reading Room. In many cases, the originals can be served in a few minutes. Other materials require appointments for later the same day or in the future. Reference staff can advise you in both how to fill out a call slip and when the item can be served.
To contact Reference staff in the Prints and Photographs Reading Room, please use our Ask A Librarian service or call the reading room between 8:30 and 5:00 at 202-707-6394, and Press 3.
