The Attleborough Falls Gasholder Building is a historic industrial building at 380 Elm Street in
North Attleborough, Massachusetts
North Attleborough, alternatively spelled North Attleboro, is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 30,834 at the 2020 United States Census.
The villages of Attleboro Falls and ...
. It is a rare surviving example (of which not more than three were identified in the state in 1987) of a mid-19th century
gasholder house. The brick structure originally housed a tank in which
coal gas
Coal gas is a flammable gaseous fuel made from coal and supplied to the user via a piped distribution system. It is produced when coal is heated strongly in the absence of air. Town gas is a more general term referring to manufactured gaseous ...
was stored. It was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
in 1996.
Description and history
The gasholder building is located at the northwest corner of Elm and Mount Hope Streets, in central eastern North Attleborough. It is a round building about in diameter and in height, including its conical slate roof and cupola-like top. A hip-roofed entry section projects from the structure facing the intersection. The structure is built out of brick laid in common bond, with finely detailed corbelling and pilasters. The structure originally housed a tank in which gas created by a coal gasification process was stored.
The North Attleborough Gas Company was established in 1855. Its Attleboro Falls plant was expanded in 1874, and this structure was built in 1882 as the third in town to store gas in order to meet increased demand. Adjacent to it was a coal-processing facility at which the fuel was produced. After a series of acquisitions, the assets of the company became part of the Vermont Light Company in 1940. Roy Underhill, a gas company employee, purchased the building in that year, and was responsible for saving it from destruction by developers. It remains in private hands, with preservation restrictions.
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See also
*
*Concord Gas Light Company Gasholder House
The Concord Gas Light Company Gasholder House is a historic gasholder house at Gas Street in Concord, New Hampshire. Built in 1888, it is believed to be the only such structure in the United States in which the enclosed gas containment unit is es ...
, a similar structure in Concord, New Hampshire
*Saratoga Gas, Electric Light and Power Company Complex
The former Saratoga Gas, Electric Light and Power Company Complex is located near the northern boundary of Saratoga Springs, New York, United States. It is a seven-acre (2.8 ha) parcel with two brick buildings on it. In the 1880s it became the t ...
, a similar structure in Saratoga Springs, New York
*Troy Gas Light Company
The Troy Gas Light Company was a gas lighting company in Troy, New York, Troy, New York (state), New York, United States. The Troy Gasholder Building is one of only ten or so remaining examples of a type of building that was common in Northeaster ...
, a similar structure in Troy, New York
References
{{National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts
Industrial buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts
Infrastructure completed in 1874
Buildings and structures in Bristol County, Massachusetts
National Register of Historic Places in Bristol County, Massachusetts
Gas holders