{"nrhp_refnum":"81000116","name":"Beebe Estate","other_names":["Foster-Bigelow House"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"235 W. Foster St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Melrose","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.45573712100003,"lon":-71.06983526699997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1981-05-20","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Industry","Commerce","Transportation","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story Greek Revival house, also known as the Foster-Bigelow House, at 235 West Foster Street in Melrose, Massachusetts, built in 1828 on about 1.75 acres. William Foster of Boston built it as a summer home.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the house is an early achievement in the Greek Revival style, notable for its roofline and an elaborate cupola based on the Choragic Monument of Lysicrates. It was built by a prominent merchant and later occupied by influential businessmen in commerce, industry and transportation. The form also notes archaeological potential on the grounds.","narrative":"Set well back on about an acre and three-quarters at a major downtown intersection in Melrose, this nearly cubical, clapboarded house dates to 1828. It has two stories, a high hip roof, paired end chimneys, a five-bay facade, and a portico with fluted Doric columns. Its most striking feature is the roofline, with an X-pattern balustrade and a cupola of six fluted Ionic columns modeled on the Choragic Monument of Lysicrates. The form says it is unclear whether the cupola is original. William Foster, a Boston merchant who had smuggled Merino sheep into the United States in 1793, built it as a summer home. Later occupants included William Harlow, a railroad man, and Liberty Bigelow, an express and railway executive. The Melrose Hospital Association was organized in the house in 1893. The Beebe family held it until 1963, when the city took it and made it a school administration building. The grounds may also hold archaeological remains.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Greek Revival","criteria":["B","C"],"status_note":"Owned by the City of Melrose, in excellent condition and occupied; used as a School Department administration building.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:54.954723-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/24/7957/63795724/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/81000116.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/81000116/232a4f0bf5-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/81000116/232a4f0bf5-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Grk1011/Stephen (talk)","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Beebe_Estate.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Grk1011/Stephen (talk)</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:Beebe_Estate.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63795724","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beebe_Estate","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4879537"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/beebe-estate-81000116/"}