OUR HISTORIC PAST

In 1816, the U.S. Army purchased forty acres on the northern banks of the Charles River for a new arsenal. The Army chose Watertown for its proximity to Boston and its easy accessibility by land and water.

Over the following decades, the Watertown Arsenal grew from military storage to a major manufacturing facility. In 1894, a new machine shop—our Building 312—was constructed to assemble larger modern weapons. Built at a cost of $35,000, and recalling earlier Federal architecture, the structure was a tall, single story with a large open floorplan and floor-to-ceiling windows to illuminate the interior for intricate assembly work.

In 1995, decades after research and testing had replaced manufacturing at the Arsenal, the Army closed the facility. Original windows and doors had been covered over and several other buildings had been demolished. Building 312, however, still stood when the Arsenal was finally designated a National Historic District.

In a redevelopment plan for commercial use, the Town of Watertown purchased the Arsenal and resold it to a developer. An architectural restoration returned windows and doorways to their original designs, and tree-lined green spaces became reminiscent of early Arsenal parade grounds.