Benjamin Beard House

Last updated
Benjamin Beard House
ReadingMA BenjaminBeardHouse.jpg
USA Massachusetts location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location251 Ash St.,
Reading, Massachusetts
Coordinates 42°31′0.4″N71°6′3.01″W / 42.516778°N 71.1008361°W / 42.516778; -71.1008361 Coordinates: 42°31′0.4″N71°6′3.01″W / 42.516778°N 71.1008361°W / 42.516778; -71.1008361
Built1854 (1854)
Architectural styleGreek Revival
MPS Reading MRA
NRHP reference No. 84002505 [1]
Added to NRHPJuly 19, 1984

The Benjamin Beard House is a historic house in Reading, Massachusetts. Built in the early 1850s, it is a well-preserved example of a distinctive local variant of Greek Revival architecture. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. [1]

Contents

Description and history

The Benjamin Beard House stands south of downtown Reading, at the southwest corner of Ash Street and Avon Street. The house is a 1+12-story wood-frame structure, with a side-gable roof, single off-center interior chimney, and clapboarded exterior. It is laid out in what was a fairly common local variant, with the long spine of the house parallel to the street, and set on a slightly raised mound. There are pilasters on the corners, and the front entry has a somewhat tall Federal style high entablature, with sidelight windows and plain side molding supporting a corniced entablature. A single-story ell extends to the rear of the main block. [2]

The house was probably built in the early 1850s. Benjamin Beard, its first owner, was the town's first jeweler, opening a store in 1847 after having previously worked for a local clock- and watchmaker. Beard's son William also continued the profession. [2]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zadock Taft House</span> Historic house in Massachusetts, United States

The Zadock Taft House is a historic house at 115 South Main Street in Uxbridge, Massachusetts. Probably built in the 18th century, it received its present Greek Revival styling in the 1840s or 1850s. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Bigelow House</span> Historic house in Massachusetts, United States

The Henry Bigelow House is a historic house in the Newton Corner village of Newton, Massachusetts. Built about 1830, it is a good local example of Greek Revival architecture, important as home to Henry Bigelow, a prominent local educator and philanthropist. On September 4, 1986, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hodges House (Taunton, Massachusetts)</span> Historic house in Massachusetts, United States

The Hodges House is a historic house at 41 Worcester Street in Taunton, Massachusetts. Built about 1850, it is a well-preserved example of a Greek Revival Cape style house. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Capt. Oliver Bearse House</span> Historic house in Massachusetts, United States

The Captain Oliver Bearse House was a historic house in the Hyannis village of Barnstable, Massachusetts. Built c. 1841, it was a fine example of Greek Revival architecture, built for a prominent local ship's captain. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987. It was extensively damaged by fire in 2011, and has since been demolished.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Cook House (Somerville, Massachusetts)</span> Historic house in Massachusetts, United States

The Thomas Cook House is a historic house in Somerville, Massachusetts. Built c. 1850, it is the only surviving Greek Revival farmhouse on the west side of the city, and a reminder of the area's agrarian past. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alden Batchelder House</span> Historic house in Massachusetts, United States

The Alden Batchelder House is a historic house in Reading, Massachusetts. Built in the early 1850s, it is an excellent example of an early Italianate design. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Batchelder House (Reading, Massachusetts)</span> Historic house in Massachusetts, United States

The Batchelder House is a historic house at 607 Pearl Street in Reading, Massachusetts. Built about 1783, it is a good local example of Federal period architecture. It is also significant for its association with the locally prominent Batchelder family, and as an early shoemaking site. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Manning House</span> Historic house in Massachusetts, United States

The Charles Manning House is a historic house in Reading, Massachusetts. It is a 2+12-story wood-frame house, three bays wide, with a front-facing gable roof, clapboard siding, and a granite foundation. Built c. 1850, it has well-preserved Greek Revival details. It has a typical three-bay side-hall plan, with corner pilasters and a main entry surround consisting of long sidelight windows framed by pilasters and topped by an entablature. The windows are topped by shallow pedimented lintels. Charles Manning was a longtime Reading resident and part of its woodworking community, building parlor desks. Reading's Manning Street is named for him.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edwin Bassett House</span> Historic house in Massachusetts, United States

The Edwin Bassett House is a historic house in Reading, Massachusetts. It is a well-preserved Greek Revival house, built in 1850 by Edwin Bassett, the first Reading shoemaker to install a McKay stitching machine, a device that revolutionized and led to the industrialization of what was before that a cottage industry. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph Bancroft House</span> Historic house in Massachusetts, United States

The Joseph Bancroft House is a historic house in Reading, Massachusetts. Built in the early 1830s, it is a prominent local example of Federal period architecture. It was built for a member of the locally prominent Bancroft family, who inherited a large tract of land in the area. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luther Elliott House</span> Historic house in Massachusetts, United States

The Luther Elliott House is a historic house in Reading, Massachusetts. The modestly sized 1.5-story wood-frame house was built in 1850 by Luther Elliott, a local cabinetmaker who developed an innovative method of sawing wood veneers. The house has numerous well preserved Greek Revival features, including corner pilasters, and a front door surrounded with sidelight windows and pilasters supporting a tall entablature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tilley Raymond House</span> Historic house in Massachusetts, United States

The Tilley Raymond House is a historic house in Worcester, Massachusetts. Built about 1847 by a prominent local builder, it is a well-preserved local example of a once popular Greek Revival side hall style house. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Padilla Beard House</span> Historic house in Massachusetts, United States

The Padilla Beard House is a historic house at 18 Maple Street in Stoneham, Massachusetts. Built about 1850, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984 for its association with Padilla Beard, the first operator the stagecoach line on the route between Boston and Reading. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">C.H. Brown Cottage</span> Historic house in Massachusetts, United States

The C.H. Brown Cottage is a historic house at 34 Wright Street in Stoneham, Massachusetts. Probably built in the 1830s, it is a well-preserved example of worker housing built for employees of local shoe factories. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josiah Beard House</span> Historic house in Massachusetts, United States

The Josiah Beard House is a historic house at 70 School Street in Waltham, Massachusetts. Built about 1844, it is a well-preserved local example of a side-hall Greek Revival house. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jonas Cowdry House</span> Historic house in Massachusetts, United States

The Jonas Cowdry House is a historic house at 61 Prospect Street in Wakefield, Massachusetts. Built c. 1833, the Federal style wood-frame house is three bays wide and four deep, a significant local variant to conventional Federal style architecture. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nathaniel Cowdry House</span> Historic house in Massachusetts, United States

The Nathaniel Cowdry House is a historic house at 71 Prospect Street in Wakefield, Massachusetts. Built about 1764, it is one of Wakefield's oldest buildings, built by a member of the locally prominent Cowdry family, who were early settlers. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Comins-Wall House</span> Historic house in Massachusetts, United States

The Comins-Wall House is a historic house located at 42 Hamilton Street in Southbridge, Massachusetts. Built about 1850, it is a distinctive local example of a Greek Revival cottage with later Victorian embellishments. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 22, 1989.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hardwick House (Quincy, Massachusetts)</span> Historic house in Massachusetts, United States

The Hardwick House is a historic house at 59–61 Spear Street in Quincy, Massachusetts. The 2+12-story wood-frame house was built in 1850s, and is one of the city's largest Greek Revival houses. Its massing, with side-gable roof, is more typical of the Federal period, but it has corner pilasters, a full entablature, and pedimented gables. The main entry has full-length side lights and is topped by an entablature. The house was built by Franklin Hardwick, owner of a local granite business.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samuel Paddock Strong House</span> Historic house in Vermont, United States

The Samuel Paddock Strong House is a historic house at 94 West Main Street in Vergennes, Vermont. Built in the 1830s for a prominent local businessman, it is a well-preserved example of Greek Revival architecture. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. It now houses the Strong House Inn.

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
  2. 1 2 "NRHP nomination for Benjamin Beard House". Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved 2014-02-19.