District 13 Police Station: National Register of Historic Places Materials

The District 13 Police Station, at 28 Seaverns Avenue in Jamaica Plain, is an unusual example of a High Victorian Gothic Style building. It is the only Gothic style municipal building in JP and is one of just a few high Victorian style buildings in the City of Boston. The building was constructed in 1873 in response to the needs of a growing and increasingly urban community. It was originally intended to serve the town of West Roxbury (which was its own separate municipality from 1851 to 1873).

The selectmen voted to spend $45,000 in 1872 to purchase land and construct this new police station in 1872. The land at Seaverns Street and Starr Lane was duly purchased from Joseph Stedman for $7043.75 and the services of George Ropes, architect were contracted for $1,655. It ended up being the last major project undertaken by the town since by 1874 it had been annexed by Boston. The building is included in the Boston Police Department’s Annual Report of 1874. It is noted there that the building is in good condition and well-suited to its purpose.

The building continued to serve as the neighborhood’s Police Station until being converted to condominiums in the early 1980s.
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