{"nrhp_refnum":"82001988","name":"Wyeth, John, House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"56 Aberdeen Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Cambridge","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.376601374000074,"lon":-71.14690843099999,"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 Greek Revival wood-frame house built in 1841 for John Wyeth, now at 56 Aberdeen Avenue in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It was originally at 609 Mount Auburn Street and was moved in 1922-23.","why_significant":"It is described as the earliest documented example of domestic Greek Revival architecture in Northwest Cambridge. Its colonnaded portico with fluted columns and Ionic capitals, and its pedimented end gables, convey the style. Despite the move, it is largely intact apart from artificial siding, and the move saved it from demolition.","narrative":"Built in 1841 for John Wyeth, a merchant engaged in the West India and other foreign trade, this wood-frame house is the earliest documented example of domestic Greek Revival architecture in Northwest Cambridge. It originally stood at 609 Mount Auburn Street, opposite the Mount Auburn Cemetery gate, and was considered large and commodious for its time. Its most prominent feature is a colonnaded portico with fluted columns and Ionic capitals that had been mass-produced, while the end gables are treated as classical pediments with heavy moulding. In 1922-23 development pressure on Mount Auburn Street forced the house to be moved around the corner to Aberdeen Avenue, where it still serves as a residence. Without the move it would likely have been demolished. Apart from the addition of artificial siding, the building remains wholly intact, and its architectural quality and historical associations outweigh the effect of relocation.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Greek Revival","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Residential use; moved in 1922-23 and altered only by the addition of artificial siding.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:53.378999-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/50/7904/63790450/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/82001988.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82001988/7724f72bad-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82001988/7724f72bad-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Daderot","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:John_Wyeth_House,_Cambridge,_MA_-_IMG_4750.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Daderot</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:John_Wyeth_House,_Cambridge,_MA_-_IMG_4750.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63790450","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wyeth_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6265017"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/wyeth-john-house-82001988/"}