{"nrhp_refnum":"05000456","name":"Rotch, William Jr., House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"396 County Street","address_restricted":false,"city":"New Bedford","county":"Bristol County","state":"MA","lat":41.630258818000044,"lon":-70.9283265701674,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2005-04-05","is_nhl":true,"nhl_designated_date":"2005-04-05","areas_of_significance":[],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A Greek Revival mansion at 396 County Street in New Bedford, Massachusetts, built in 1834 for William Rotch Jr. on a full city block of about one acre, with a garden, outbuildings and grounds. It is now a museum.","why_significant":"The house survives with its interior, exterior, outbuildings and grounds intact in a neighborhood where most comparable mansions lost their gardens and had their interiors converted. It reflects the restrained taste of William Rotch Jr. and the later occupancy of the Jones and Duff families, who preserved its character. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2005.","narrative":"Occupying an entire block at 396 County Street in New Bedford, this Greek Revival mansion was built in 1834 for William Rotch Jr. on land passed down from his father. A full-width portico with ten fluted Doric columns marks the west front, and an Italianate-style cupola caps the roof. Rotch asked for a house plainer in materials and appearance than its more ornate neighbors on a fashionable street away from the waterfront. Inside, a center-hall plan places parlors, a dining room, a kitchen and bedrooms around a curving mahogany-railed stair. Three families lived here, and each kept the exterior, room arrangement and character-defining details while adding bathrooms, heating and lighting. Many nearby mansions have lost their gardens to parking lots and had interiors turned into offices or apartments. This property still has its interior, exterior, outbuildings and grounds. It now operates as a museum with rooms furnished to show each family's period of occupancy, and it was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2005.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Greek Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"Currently used as a museum, with a gift shop in the former kitchen; some rooms show minor water damage.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:53.949479-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/55/7936/63793655/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/05000456_NHL.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/05000456/2948f6697c-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/05000456/2948f6697c-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Daniel Case","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:William_Rotch_House,_New_Bedford,_MA.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Daniel Case</a>, <a href=\"http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:William_Rotch_House,_New_Bedford,_MA.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"76000229","name":"County Street Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/massachusetts/county-street-historic-district-76000229/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63793655","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotch%E2%80%93Jones%E2%80%93Duff_House_and_Garden_Museum","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1394603"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/bristol-county/rotch-william-jr-house-05000456/"}