{"nrhp_refnum":"76000239","name":"Hyde House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"144 W. Park St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Lee","county":"Berkshire County","state":"MA","lat":42.30369678300008,"lon":-73.25277787999994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1976-11-21","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Education","Architecture","Religion"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A large, vernacular Georgian style dwelling at 144 West Park Street in Lee, Berkshire County, Massachusetts, built in 1792 by Reverend Alvan Hyde, the town's first settled minister.","why_significant":"The house served as a church rectory, a nineteenth-century boys' boarding school and a private residence, and so figures in Lee's educational and religious life. It is also one of the best preserved buildings in Lee and illustrates Georgian characteristics such as a symmetrical five bay facade and a classical pedimented doorway. Both Alvan and Alexander Hyde played significant roles in the town's early history.","narrative":"Built in 1792 at 144 West Park Street in Lee, this two-and-a-half-story wood frame house was the home of Reverend Alvan Hyde, the town's first settled minister, whose ministry lasted forty-one years. The original block has a symmetrical five-bay facade, clapboard siding, and a doorway with fluted pilasters and a triangular pediment. After Alvan's death his son Alexander inherited the house and in 1837 opened the Hyde Park Family Boarding School for Boys there, adding a large rear wing for classrooms and student bedrooms. The school closed in 1867, and the Hyde family kept the property until 1967, when it was given to the newly founded Lee YMCA. Alexander Hyde helped found Lee Academy, and his pupils included James Roosevelt. The interior of the main house has been considerably altered, but the rear school rooms remain almost unchanged. The house is valued for its educational and religious associations and for its well-preserved Georgian character.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":"Built by Rev. Alvan Hyde","architectural_style":"Georgian (vernacular Georgian)","criteria":[],"status_note":"Owned by the Lee YMCA, which received it as a gift in 1967 from the Hyde family; the form lists it as occupied and in good condition. The gift stipulated that no exterior changes be made.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:54.279717-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/64/7942/63794264/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/76000239.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/76000239/7441d03617-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/76000239/7441d03617-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Roger Pierson","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HydeHouse_120904_Lee_RP_006.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Roger Pierson</a>, <a href=\"https://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:HydeHouse_120904_Lee_RP_006.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63794264","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyde_House_(Lee,_Massachusetts)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5953547"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/berkshire-county/hyde-house-76000239/"}