LOVELL — The Fives Court recreation building has been entered in the National Register of Historic Places, according to Kirk F. Mahoney, director of the Maine Historic Preservation Commission.

The designation indicated that the property has been documented, evaluated and considered worthy of preservation and protection as part of the nation’s cultural heritage.

The Fives Court is a specialized recreation building originally constructed in 1924 as part of Westways Kezar, a vacation and corporate retreat built by William Armstrong Fairburn. The complex was built on Kezar Lake near the White Mountains and a few miles from New Hampshire.

Built in the Craftsman style with limited decorative details on the exterior, the one-story, one-room Fives Court interior reveals distinct characteristics common to this rare type of sporting court.

The building is significant for the distinct form, proportions, plan, materials and structure which are characteristics of rugby style courts and reflect its origins in English preparatory schools.

The building is eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places at the local level with a period of significance that reflects its construction date.

The Fives Court retains integrity of design, workmanship, materials, location, setting, feeling and association. The building is being nominated individually based on its distinct building type. This area of significance is not shared by other buildings or the group of buildings which made up Fairburn’s Westways camp.

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