{"nrhp_refnum":"80000446","name":"Hayden Building","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"681-683 Washington St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Boston","county":"Suffolk County","state":"MA","lat":42.351482506000025,"lon":-71.06325118399997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1980-12-09","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Performing Arts"],"significance_levels":["national","state","local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A narrow five-story Romanesque commercial building at 681-683 Washington Street, at the corner of LaGrange Street in Boston, built in 1875 to designs by H.H. Richardson with Norcross Brothers as builder.","why_significant":"It is the last extant commercial building in Boston designed by H.H. Richardson, one of fewer than ten commercial buildings he ever designed. Its massing and facade articulation are said to foreshadow Richardson's 1886 Marshall Field Wholesale Store in Chicago. It is therefore regarded as an early, long unrecognized prototype for the modern skyscraper.","narrative":"Built in 1875 at the corner of Washington and LaGrange Streets in Boston, this five-story commercial building was designed by Henry Hobson Richardson and constructed by Norcross Brothers. It is narrow, with a 22-foot facade on Washington Street and 62 feet along LaGrange, and fills its entire lot. Brick and Longmeadow brownstone were used, and the design shows Richardsonian features: strong massing, simple outlines and large-scale stone detailing. The ground-floor facades have since been altered. The building matters because it is the last surviving commercial building in Boston by Richardson, who designed fewer than ten commercial buildings in his career. Its massing and facade treatment are said to anticipate his 1886 Marshall Field Wholesale Store in Chicago, which influenced the design of later Chicago skyscrapers. In 1978 the upper three floors stood vacant within the Boston Adult Entertainment District, and the Boston Landmarks Commission designated it a landmark in 1977.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Architect H.H. Richardson; builder Norcross Brothers","architectural_style":"Romanesque (Richardsonian Romanesque)","criteria":[],"status_note":"As of 1978 the upper three floors were vacant; the first-floor facades on both streets have been altered, and the building is designated a Boston Landmark (1977).","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:53.667188-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/43/7927/63792743/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/80000446.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80000446/08c72704d7-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80000446/08c72704d7-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Biruitorul","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HaydenBldgBos.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Biruitorul</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HaydenBldgBos.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63792743","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hayden_Building_(Boston)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1591848"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/suffolk-county/hayden-building-80000446/"}