{"nrhp_refnum":"79000372","name":"First Minister's House","other_names":["Kuniholm House"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"186 Elm St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Gardner","county":"Worcester County","state":"MA","lat":42.57408684100005,"lon":-71.98278071299995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1979-11-14","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A late Georgian, two-story timber-frame house of square plan at 186 Elm Street in the center of Gardner, Worcester County, Massachusetts, built in 1792 by the Rev. Jonathan Osgood.","why_significant":"The nomination calls it Gardner's most sophisticated and finest example of late Georgian architecture, worthy of statewide interpretation of the style. It is also associated with Osgood, the town's first minister, physician and later state legislator. Its side-elevation window caps and low hipped roof are noted as distinctive features.","narrative":"Built in 1792 on a rise set back from Elm Street in the center of Gardner, this two-story timber-frame house has a square plan, granite foundation, white clapboards and a low hipped roof with two interior end chimneys. The five-bay facade centers on an entrance with Ionic pilasters, a triangular modillioned pediment and a semi-circular arched transom. Quoined corners, a deep modillion cornice and richly capped windows add classical detail, and the window caps continue along the side elevations, which were usually left plain. Inside are wideboard floors, exposed beams, original mantels and hand-hewn pegged beams in the attic. The Reverend Jonathan Osgood, the town's first minister, had it built; he also served as the town's physician and later sat in the state legislature. A later owner, Deacon Lawrence, is said to have used the house as a stop on the underground railroad. It is regarded as Gardner's finest late Georgian building.","period_of_significance":"1792","architect_builder":"Rev. Dr. Jonathan Osgood","architectural_style":"Late Georgian","criteria":[],"status_note":"Used as a private residence, occupied, with 20th-century office and garage additions at the rear; described as having well-kept grounds.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:54.251898-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/80/7974/63797480/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/79000372.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79000372/8c68cd4b3b-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79000372/8c68cd4b3b-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"John Phelan","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:First_Ministers_House,_Gardner_MA.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">John Phelan</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:First_Ministers_House,_Gardner_MA.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"99000660","name":"Gardner Uptown Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/massachusetts/gardner-uptown-historic-district-99000660/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63797480","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Minister%27s_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5453340"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/worcester-county/first-ministers-house-79000372/"}