Milton Centre Historic District

For the historic district in Milton, Connecticut, see Milton Center Historic District.

Milton Centre Historic District
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district
Location	Canton Ave. between Readsdale Rd. and Thacher and Highland Sts., Milton, Massachusetts
Coordinates	42°15′12″N 71°4′47″W
Area	23 acres (9.3 ha)
Built	1907
Architect	Shepley, Rutan & Coolidge; Et al.
Architectural style	Late 19th And 20th Century Revivals, Late Victorian, Federal
NRHP reference No.	88000428
Added to NRHP	April 28, 1988

The Milton Centre Historic District encompasses the traditional civic heart of Milton, Massachusetts. The district is located on Canton Avenue between Readsdale Road and Thacher and Highland Streets, and includes municipal buildings, churches, and residences, most built in the 18th or 19th century. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.

Description and history

Milton Centre is located on a prominence known local as Academy Hill. The town was settled in 1633 as part of Dorchester, and was separately incorporated in 1662. Its first meetinghouse was built on Milton Hill, but Academy Hill was selected in 1727 (after many years of controversy) as the site of the town's third meetinghouse. The fourth meetinghouse, built in 1788, is now the First Parish Church, and is the oldest surviving building in the center. The town's economic activity was focused along the Neponset River, and the town center remained relatively rural until the 19th century, when Milton Academy was founded and located on land to its east. This was joined by the First Congregational Church in 1834, and a new town hall in 1837. The site of that town hall is where the present town hall (built 1970) is located.

The historic district consists of eleven historically significant buildings, set on about 23 acres (9.3 ha) of land bisected by Canton Avenue, between Readsdale Road and Thacher and Highland Streets. The district's civic buildings also include the town library, and two of its oldest surviving fire station buildings, including a rare example of an early chemical fire engine house. It also includes an 1811 powder house, which stored munitions during the War of 1812, and monuments commemorating the town's contributors to national efforts in the American Civil War and World War I.

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Milton, Massachusetts