{"nrhp_refnum":"75000274","name":"Fletcher, Jonathan, House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"283 High St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Medford","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.42171994900008,"lon":-71.12268096299994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1975-06-23","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A privately owned residence at 283 High Street in Medford, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, built in 1834-35 for Jonathan Fletcher on a half-acre lot behind a granite retaining wall.","why_significant":"The house is presented as a significant Medford example of the transition between Federal and Greek Revival styles. Its entrance and many interior details were adapted from designs by Asher Benjamin. It is also one of only four buildings in its area to keep its original large, rocky lot, and its granite wall and gateposts contribute to the early nineteenth-century streetscape.","narrative":"Built in 1834-35 for Jonathan Fletcher, this shingled house at 283 High Street in Medford sits on a deep half-acre lot behind a retaining wall of rock-faced granite with pyramid-topped gateposts. It is a three-bay by four-bay side-hall house whose gable-end entrance faces the street at a right angle, giving a pedimented effect. Federal features such as narrow cornerboards and second-floor windows close to the cornice mix with Greek Revival form. The main entrance, window surrounds, shutters and interior doors were adapted from plates in books by Asher Benjamin. The land once belonged to an industrial area that included a tannery, leather shop and slaughterhouse; Fletcher's purchase turned it residential, and part of an earlier dwelling may survive as the rear ell. One of only four buildings nearby to keep its original large lot, the property also retains its early granite wall and steps. A two-story addition dates from 1925.","period_of_significance":"c. 1835","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Greek Revival with Federal transitional elements","criteria":[],"status_note":"Listed in excellent or good condition as a private residence; a two-story addition was made in 1925 and dormers and a porch were added later.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:53.534651-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/25/7959/63795925/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/75000274.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/75000274/4b340513a6-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/75000274/4b340513a6-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"User:Magicpiano","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MedfordMA_JonathanFletcherHouse.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_JonathanFletcherHouse.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63795925","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Fletcher_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6273118"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/fletcher-jonathan-house-75000274/"}