{"nrhp_refnum":"09000144","name":"Chelsea Square Historic District","other_names":["Broay Square","Winnisimmet Square"],"category":"district","location":{"address":"Roughly area around Broadway, Medford. Tremont, Park, Cross and Winnisimmet Sts.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Chelsea","county":"Suffolk County","state":"MA","lat":42.38885650000006,"lon":-71.04003539495793,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1982-04-08","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Commerce","Performing Arts"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-part historic district in northwestern Chelsea, Massachusetts, centered on Chelsea Square, the site of the original Winnisimmet village settled in 1624. It combines a mid-19th and early-20th century commercial core with surrounding brick rowhouse neighborhoods and the former ferry landing.","why_significant":"The nomination presents Area I as the finest and most intact grouping of mid-19th and early-20th century commercial architecture in Chelsea, including buildings that survived the 1908 fire. The district also holds the original settlement site, the Winnisimmet Ferry landing, and rowhouse streets showing the span of 19th century residential styles. The text states no criteria or period of significance in the portion provided.","narrative":"Chelsea Square Historic District covers the original site of Winnisimmet village, settled in 1624 and later incorporated as the town and then city of Chelsea. It has three sections. Area I is the commercial heart around Chelsea Square, with Stebbins Fountain of 1898, the 1906 Old Post Office, the 1844 Gerrish Block, Tremont Hall and the 1897 Police/Court Building. Thirteen of its buildings predate the 1908 fire that destroyed more than 3,000 Chelsea structures. Area II, the most altered part, includes the former Winnisimmet Ferry landing, which operated until 1917, and former rubber works buildings, along with intact rowhouse streets. Area III is mainly residential, with mid to late 19th century brick rowhouses, early apartment buildings such as The Imperial, and the ca. 1805 Gardner House, described as the finest Federal style residence in Chelsea. Together these resources show the city's commercial, industrial and residential growth through the 19th century.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Wilson and Weber (Police/Court Building); James Hubley (The Imperial); George Gerrish (builder/owner of several buildings)","architectural_style":"Greek Revival, Italianate, Second Renaissance Revival, High Victorian Gothic, Georgian Revival, Federal, Panelled Brick","criteria":[],"status_note":"Marked as occupied; Area II has eleven vacant lots and six modern structures, and Stebbins Fountain is again in operation after forty years out of service.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:54.22081-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/10/7968/63796810/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/09000144.pdf"},"photo":null,"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63796810","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":null},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/suffolk-county/chelsea-square-historic-district-09000144/"}