Chelsea Naval Magazine
Encyclopedia
Chelsea Naval Magazine, a set of three buildings (Building 2, Building 3, and the Middle Building) at the foot of Admiral's Hill in Chelsea, Massachusetts
, was built in the early 19th century to handle ordnance for the United States Navy
. These buildings are on the grounds of what was once the U.S. Naval Hospital for Boston
and is now a National Register
historic district. The land on which the Chelsea Naval Magazine sits was conveyed to the Bureau of Ordnance
by the Hospital in 1835 and transferred back to the Hospital in 1931.
hammer dressed granite blocks. The roof is hipped
, made of iron and timber, boarded over and covered with slate tiles. The windows are small as they were originally used for ventilation rather than light.
Building 2 is actually a building within a building - an 1830s structure, without its original roof, encased within an 1860s structure which added the current exterior walls and a new roof. The architect and engineer Alexander Parris
designed the inside structure. The floor is concrete and the interior is raw masonry, unpainted and unfinished. The ceilings are made of brick and include vaults
which were designed to contain fire and force explosions upward rather than outward.
In 2000, major interior renovations were performed on Building 2 so it could be used as office space. Additional renovations were made in 2009 to facilitate managed office suites leased to a variety of companies. Current tenants of Building 2 include Admiral's Hill Office Suites, the company which manages Building 2, and Arsenal Consulting, a high-technology litigation consulting firm specializing in computer forensics.
Building 3 is currently occupied by Elite Protective Services.
Chelsea, Massachusetts
Chelsea is a city in Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States directly across the Mystic River from the city of Boston. It is the smallest city in Massachusetts in land area, and the 26th most densely populated incorporated place in the country.-History:...
, was built in the early 19th century to handle ordnance for the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
. These buildings are on the grounds of what was once the U.S. Naval Hospital for Boston
Chelsea Naval Hospital
Chelsea Naval Hospital was a hospital in Chelsea, Massachusetts. With the closure of the nearby Boston Navy Yard, the hospital closed in 1974.-History:...
and is now a National Register
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
historic district. The land on which the Chelsea Naval Magazine sits was conveyed to the Bureau of Ordnance
Bureau of Ordnance
The Bureau of Ordnance was the U.S. Navy's organization responsible for the procurement, storage, and deployment of all naval ordnance, between the years 1862 and 1959.-History:...
by the Hospital in 1835 and transferred back to the Hospital in 1931.
Building 2
The largest building, officially known as Building 2, was designed to securely store explosives and ordnance and was not intended for human occupancy. Building 2 is a rectangular one-story structure, measuring 73 x 142 feet, with exterior walls made of monolithicMonolithic architecture
Monolithic architecture is a style of construction in which a building is carved, cast or excavated from a single piece of material. The most basic form of monolithic architecture is the monolith, such as the monolithic churches of Lalibela, Ethiopia or the Pancha Rathas in India.Buildings with a...
hammer dressed granite blocks. The roof is hipped
Hip roof
A hip roof, or hipped roof, is a type of roof where all sides slope downwards to the walls, usually with a fairly gentle slope. Thus it is a house with no gables or other vertical sides to the roof. A square hip roof is shaped like a pyramid. Hip roofs on the houses could have two triangular side...
, made of iron and timber, boarded over and covered with slate tiles. The windows are small as they were originally used for ventilation rather than light.
Building 2 is actually a building within a building - an 1830s structure, without its original roof, encased within an 1860s structure which added the current exterior walls and a new roof. The architect and engineer Alexander Parris
Alexander Parris
Alexander Parris was a prominent American architect-engineer. Beginning as a housewright, he evolved into an architect whose work transitioned from Federal style architecture to the later Greek Revival. Parris taught Ammi B. Young, and was among the group of architects influential in founding what...
designed the inside structure. The floor is concrete and the interior is raw masonry, unpainted and unfinished. The ceilings are made of brick and include vaults
Vault (architecture)
A Vault is an architectural term for an arched form used to provide a space with a ceiling or roof. The parts of a vault exert lateral thrust that require a counter resistance. When vaults are built underground, the ground gives all the resistance required...
which were designed to contain fire and force explosions upward rather than outward.
In 2000, major interior renovations were performed on Building 2 so it could be used as office space. Additional renovations were made in 2009 to facilitate managed office suites leased to a variety of companies. Current tenants of Building 2 include Admiral's Hill Office Suites, the company which manages Building 2, and Arsenal Consulting, a high-technology litigation consulting firm specializing in computer forensics.
Building 3
Information regarding Building 3 is scarce. Similar to Building 2, it was built in the 1830s with brick walls and a brick vaulted ceiling. Building 3 is also similar to Building 2 in style, construction, and materials.Building 3 is currently occupied by Elite Protective Services.