{"nrhp_refnum":"74000372","name":"Thayer, Gen. Sylvanus, House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"786 Washington St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Braintree","county":"Norfolk County","state":"MA","lat":42.20627951700004,"lon":-71.00412647299999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1974-12-03","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Military","Engineering","Education","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A c.1720 two-story center-chimney house in Braintree, Massachusetts, begun by Nathaniel Thayer and birthplace of Gen. Sylvanus Thayer. It was moved in 1958 from 1505 Washington Street to its present site at 786 Washington Street.","why_significant":"The house is the birthplace and boyhood home of Sylvanus Thayer, known as the \"Father of West Point\" and an originator of technological education in the United States. As Superintendent-style head of the Military Academy from 1817 to 1833 he introduced the honor system and an engineering course. The house is also described as an excellent example of its period.","narrative":"This Braintree, Massachusetts house began in 1720 as a two-story, eight-room, center-chimney dwelling five bays wide, built by Nathaniel Thayer. Sylvanus Thayer was born there in 1785. Later changes included a rear lean-to around 1760, a hip-roofed entrance porch with sidelights and Doric pilasters around 1800, and a salt box shed added about 1846. Inside, the original sheathing, paneling and fireplaces survive, along with an unusual sunken buttery with a brick floor and cooling tank. The house was given to the Braintree Historical Society in 1957 and moved the next year to 786 Washington Street, where it now serves as a museum and community historical center with a period herb garden. Its importance rests on Sylvanus Thayer, who led West Point from 1817 to 1833, introduced the honor system and a college-level engineering course, designed fortifications, and founded Thayer Academy and the Thayer Public Library in Braintree.","period_of_significance":"18th Century (specific date 1720)","architect_builder":"Nathaniel Thayer (began the house in 1720)","architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Restored to the period of Thayer's boyhood, in excellent condition, moved in 1958, and used as a museum and community historical center owned by the Braintree Historical Society.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:55.013775-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/32/7963/63796332/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/74000372.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/74000372/411956234d-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/74000372/411956234d-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 3.0","author":"John Phelan","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gen._Sylvanus_Thayer_House,_Braintree_MA.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">John Phelan</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gen._Sylvanus_Thayer_House,_Braintree_MA.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63796332","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gen._Sylvanus_Thayer_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5530824"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/norfolk-county/thayer-gen-sylvanus-house-74000372/"}