{"nrhp_refnum":"03000682","name":"Robbins, John, House","other_names":["Robbins \"Lottery\" House"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"144 Great Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Acton","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.48290312300003,"lon":-71.41613220199997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2003-07-25","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Community Planning and Development"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story, four-square late Georgian/Federal farmhouse at 144 Great Road in Acton, Massachusetts, completed in 1800 for John Robbins, with a ca. 1800 chaise house/woodshed and other farm features.","why_significant":"The house is described as the grandest and least altered of four houses built by Acton men who shared a winning Harvard College lottery ticket in 1795. Its interior woodwork draws on William Pain's Practical Builder, and the stair hall retains 1830s stenciling attributed to Moses Eaton, Jr. It is also tied to Captain John Robbins, a prominent town officer and magistrate.","narrative":"Completed in 1800 on Great Road in Acton, this two-story, four-square house was built for John Robbins, a farmer, militia captain and local magistrate. Its hipped roof, giant Tuscan corner pilasters and symmetrical five-bay front mark it as late Georgian and early Federal in style. The money came from a share in a winning Harvard College lottery ticket held by four Acton men in 1795; each built a house with his prize, and the Robbins house is described as the grandest and best preserved of them. Inside, carved mantels and stair details were adapted from William Pain's Practical Builder, and the stair hall keeps green and red stenciling probably done in the 1830s by Moses Eaton, Jr. A long chaise house and woodshed, built partly from timbers of an earlier ca. 1745 house, adjoins the rear. Alterations have been modest: a rebuilt rear leanto, a restored front balustrade and an asphalt roof replacing slate. The property still serves as a single-family home.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Carpenter unknown; possibly Daniel Davies or Calvin Heywood (speculation in the form)","architectural_style":"Early Republic: Federal (late Georgian/early Federal)","criteria":[],"status_note":"Currently a single-dwelling residence; exterior and interior largely unchanged from original construction, with a rear leanto rebuilt in 1967 and the front balustrade rebuilt in 1973.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:03.809411-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/62/7957/63795762/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/03000682.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/03000682/5a9fa4e708-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/03000682/5a9fa4e708-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"User:Magicpiano","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ActonMA_JohnRobbinsHouse.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">User:Magicpiano</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ActonMA_JohnRobbinsHouse.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63795762","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Robbins_House_(Acton,_Massachusetts)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6255079"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/robbins-john-house-03000682/"}