{"nrhp_refnum":"75000268","name":"Bigelow Block","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"NE Corner of Forest and Salem Sts.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Medford","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.418542399000046,"lon":-71.10944749299995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1975-02-24","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A four-story, triangular red brick and sandstone commercial and residential building at the northeast corner of Forest and Salem Streets in Medford Square, Medford, Massachusetts, built in 1886 by the Dunahue Brothers for Edward T. Bigelow.","why_significant":"The nomination calls it a prominent Victorian landmark and the focal point for any southern approach into Medford Square. It is described as Medford's best example of a Victorian commercial and multi-residential building. Its abundant, well-preserved ornamentation is presented as a valuable resource for studying the eclectic architectural taste of the 1880s.","narrative":"Rising above Medford Square's mostly 20th-century business center, this four-story triangular building stands at the corner of Forest and Salem Streets. Completed in 1886 for Edward T. Bigelow, a Medford resident and Boston clerk, it was constructed by the local Dunahue Brothers from plans by an unknown architect. Red pressed brick and banded sandstone cover the walls, with rows of ornamental brickwork in bead and reel, sawtooth and rope patterns. The curved apex is marked by a three-story copper bowed bay topped with a conical copper turret and finial, flanked by sandstone pilasters with Corinthian capitals. Shops occupy the ground floor, with nine apartments above. Pasquale Volpe and Sons, a fruit and vegetable grocer, leased the corner store in 1887 and bought the building in 1925. The building was recognized as Medford's finest Victorian commercial and residential block, and as a landmark whose well-preserved decoration reflects the eclectic tastes of the 1880s.","period_of_significance":"1886","architect_builder":"Dunahue Brothers (builders); architect unknown","architectural_style":"Eclectic (Victorian commercial block)","criteria":[],"status_note":"Rated in good condition. Commercial enterprises occupy the first floor and the upper floors are residential. The upper exterior survives unaltered, while the ground-floor storefronts were remodelled in the 20th century.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:54.216976-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/18/7956/63795618/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/75000268.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/75000268/f200742356-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/75000268/f200742356-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"User:Magicpiano","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MedfordMA_BigelowBlock.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:MedfordMA_BigelowBlock.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63795618","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bigelow_Block","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4906804"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/bigelow-block-75000268/"}