{"nrhp_refnum":"04001257","name":"Pillsbury Summer House","other_names":["Helen Pillsbury House"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"45 Old Cove Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Duxbury","county":"Plymouth County","state":"MA","lat":42.051143567000054,"lon":-70.67019769799998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2004-11-27","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story, early modern summer house at 45 Old Cove Road in Duxbury, Massachusetts, built in 1938 and designed by Eleanor Raymond with Sarah Pillsbury as associate architect, with an attached garage connected by a breezeway.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the house is a rare, pioneering example of modern architecture and the only documented modern building in Duxbury, a town defined by Colonial, Federal and Colonial Revival styles. It was the first building designed by Sarah Pillsbury Harkness, later a founder of The Architects Collaborative, working with noted modern architect Eleanor Raymond. It is described as well preserved and significant at the statewide level.","narrative":"Built in 1938 on a secluded three-acre lot reaching the Duck Hill River in Duxbury, this summer house is an early example of modern residential design in Massachusetts. It is a long, one-room-deep, two-story rectangle clad in redwood, with horizontal shiplap on the first floor and board and batten above. A breezeway and trellis link it to the garage. Large grouped windows, strip and corner windows, and folding glazed doors open the living room to a terrace, while a gable roof and center chimney nod to New England tradition. Eleanor Raymond was architect of record, working with Sarah Pillsbury, then a student, who later helped found The Architects Collaborative. Her parents commissioned it as a family retreat. It is listed as a rare and pioneering modern house in a town known for Colonial, Federal and Colonial Revival buildings. Original furniture, including pieces tied to the modern aesthetic of the period, remains in place, and alterations have been minor.","period_of_significance":"1938 to 1954","architect_builder":"Eleanor Raymond and Sarah P. Harkness (architects); James W. Douglas & Son (building contractor)","architectural_style":"Modern Movement: Early Modern","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Described as well preserved, in mint condition inside and out, with few alterations; still used as a single dwelling.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:04.949748-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/1/7965/63796501/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/04001257.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/04001257/f44f4c7226-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/04001257/f44f4c7226-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"User:Magicpiano","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:DuxburyMA_PillsburySummerHouse.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:DuxburyMA_PillsburySummerHouse.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63796501","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pillsbury_Summer_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7194229"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/plymouth-county/pillsbury-summer-house-04001257/"}