{"nrhp_refnum":"82001923","name":"Billings, Frederick, House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"45 Orchard St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Cambridge","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.391770809000036,"lon":-71.12057717599998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1982-04-13","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A wood-frame residential house at 45 Orchard Street in northwest Cambridge, Massachusetts, built in 1846 by local housewright Joshua Fernald for Frederick Billings.","why_significant":"The house is described as one of the earliest Bracketed Italianate designs in northwest Cambridge, built only a year after Henry Greenough introduced the style to the city. It retains Italianate features such as bracketed eaves, bracketed window lintels and double doors with arched glass panels. It also reflects early development near the Fitchburg Railroad Depot for Boston commuters.","narrative":"Built in 1846 at 45 Orchard Street in northwest Cambridge, this wood-clapboard house is an early local example of the Bracketed Italianate style. Joshua Fernald, a local housewright, constructed it for Frederick Billings shortly after Orchard Street was platted for development. It was built only a year after Henry Greenough introduced the style to Cambridge. Its Italianate features include wide, deeply overhanging eaves with thin brackets, windows with bracketed lintels, and double doors with arched upper glass panels. The Greek Revival influence is also noted in its style classification. The location near the Fitchburg Railroad Depot suited Boston commuters. Fernald also built the neighboring house at 41 Orchard Street. After these houses were completed, development on the street largely stopped until the late 1880s. A porch was added in the 1890s, and a barn remains on the lot. The house is described as an accomplished though modest example of its style, which is the basis for its listing under architectural criteria.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Joshua Fernald, housewright","architectural_style":"Greek Revival/Bracketed Italianate","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Present use is residential; a porch was added in the 1890s and a barn stands on the lot.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:55.063303-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/77/7903/63790377/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/82001923.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82001923/938933d52d-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82001923/938933d52d-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Daderot","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Frederick_Billings_House,_45_Orchard_Street,_Cambridge,_MA_-_IMG_4648.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Daderot</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Frederick_Billings_House,_45_Orchard_Street,_Cambridge,_MA_-_IMG_4648.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63790377","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Billings_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14715480"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/billings-frederick-house-82001923/"}