{"nrhp_refnum":"66000049","name":"Longfellow House-Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site (Additional Documentation)","other_names":["Vassall House","Castle Craigie","Vassall-Craigie-Longfellow House","Henry W. Longfellow Place","Longfellow National Historic Site"],"category":"district","location":{"address":null,"address_restricted":true,"city":"Cambridge","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.37700896100003,"lon":-71.12638117648179,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1966-10-15","is_nhl":true,"nhl_designated_date":"1962-12-19","areas_of_significance":["Military","Literature","Architecture","Conservation","Social History","Landscape Architecture","Archeology-Prehistoric","Archeology-Historic Non-Aboriginal"],"significance_levels":["national","state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 1.98-acre historic site at 105 Brattle Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts, centered on a Georgian house built about 1759 by John Vassall Jr., a carriage house and barn built in 1844, and landscaped grounds including a formal garden.","why_significant":"The nomination argues that the site is significant for both architecture and associations. The house is a leading New England example of High Georgian design combining Palladian and Baroque elements. It served as George Washington's headquarters in 1775-1776 and was the long-time home of poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.","narrative":"At 105 Brattle Street in Cambridge, Massachusetts, a Georgian house built about 1759 for John Vassall Jr. sits on 1.98 acres with a carriage house, barn and formal garden. The two-story wood-frame house has a pedimented central pavilion with giant Ionic pilasters, a balustraded roof and a staircase with Baroque detailing. Andrew Craigie added piazzas and a rear ell after 1791. The carriage house and barn, built in 1844 for Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, mixes Greek Revival, Italianate and early Victorian features. The house served as a hospital for colonial wounded and as George Washington's headquarters from July 1775 to April 1776. Longfellow lived there from 1837 until his death in 1882, and his daughter Alice remained until 1928. The garden he designed, the original furnishings, and the study where he wrote are preserved. The National Park Service acquired the property in 1973, together with a large collection of art, books and manuscripts.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"John Vassall, Jr. (house, 1759); Andrew Craigie (1790s additions); carriage house and barn designed for Longfellow (1844)","architectural_style":"New England High Georgian (English Palladian and Baroque elements); carriage house with Greek Revival, Italianate and early Victorian features","criteria":[],"status_note":"Federally owned and occupied; condition marked fair and unaltered. The National Park Service acquired the house in 1973 along with a large collection of furnishings, art and manuscripts.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 01:58:21.66581-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/83/7959/63795983/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/66000049.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/66000049/f50bcbd22e-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/66000049/f50bcbd22e-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Daderot at en.wikipedia","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Longfellow_National_Historic_Site,_Cambridge,_Massachusetts.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Daderot at en.wikipedia</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:Longfellow_National_Historic_Site,_Cambridge,_Massachusetts.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63795983","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longfellow_House%E2%80%93Washington%27s_Headquarters_National_Historic_Site","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q474665"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/longfellow-house-washington-s-headquarters-national-historic-site-additional-doc-66000049/"}