West Nurses Home


Building #: 25
Campus: West
Architect: Preston
Built: 1905
Square Footage: 6,912ft²
Architectual Style: Queen Anne

Location

42.39076, -71.21061

History

Built in 1905, the West Nurses Home emerged alongside the East Nurses building, with both structures being identical in design and layout. Its construction was in response to the expanding staff needs at Fernald, offering dedicated residential space during a period of significant growth.

Architectural Description

Located on opposite sides of the campus, these three-by-seven-bay rectangular-plan, red brick structures are typical of turn-of-the-century buildings at Fernald. They rise two stories from fieldstone foundations to slate hip roofs with central and facade chimneys. Their nearly symmetrical facades are centered on transomed entries recessed within large round-arched openings whose spandrels are picked out with burnt headers surmounted by triple-arched windows. Windows with 8/8 sash display sandstone sills and splayed brick lintels. A burnt header beltcourse forms the sill for the second-story windows. Preston was the architect.

Much like East Nurses, the interior of West Nurses is a strikingly intact example of Fernald's Queene Anne architecture. Inside are cathedral ceilings with exposed beams, fine trim and woodwork, and a brick fireplace in the communal living room.


Historic Images


Photo Gallery


Related Documents

West Nurses Entrance

Entrance to the West Nurses Home, viewed from a lawn that was later used as a playground. West Nurses was built in 1905 for the women working in the western campus, mainly used for female residents during Fernald's early years.

Type: comparison Dates: 1933