{"nrhp_refnum":"82001995","name":"Washington Square Historic District","other_names":[],"category":"district","location":{"address":"Roughly bounded by Merrimack, Park, Andover, Oak, Harrison, and Willow Sts.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Lowell","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.64241610500005,"lon":-71.29744340787335,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1982-08-11","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Community Planning and Development","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A residential historic district of 67 buildings on the west slope of Belvidere Hill in Lowell, Massachusetts, less than a mile from Lowell Center. It follows an 1832 subdivision plan, and most houses date from the 1840s and 1850s.","why_significant":"The district retains integrity of location, design, setting, materials and workmanship. It was laid out by Alexander Wadsworth as one of Lowell's first subdivisions, and it became the city's earliest fashionable neighborhood, home to many prominent citizens. It also preserves a collection of mid-to-late nineteenth century residential styles, including Lowell's earliest Italianate houses.","narrative":"Washington Square Historic District is a neighborhood of 67 buildings on the west slope of Belvidere Hill, less than a mile from central Lowell, Massachusetts. Its boundaries follow an 1832 subdivision plan commissioned by brothers John and Thomas Nesmith and designed by landscape architect Alexander Wadsworth, who laid out tree-lined perpendicular streets and a small trapezoidal park. Nesmith Street, 60 feet wide, was the city's first boulevard. Most houses were built in the 1840s and 1850s. The majority are Italianate, the earliest examples of that style in Lowell, alongside Federal, Greek Revival, Second Empire, Stick and Queen Anne buildings. The John Nesmith House, built between 1841 and 1843, is a Greek Revival and Regency mansion. The neighborhood drew mill owners, agents, merchants and other prominent residents, making it the city's earliest fashionable address. The park was privately held until the city bought it in 1860. Many houses have been subdivided, but exteriors remain largely intact.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899 (specific dates 1831-32)","architect_builder":"Alexander Wadsworth (park)","architectural_style":"Federal, Greek Revival, Italianate, Regency, Second Empire, Stick and Queen Anne","criteria":["A","B","C"],"status_note":"Described as largely intact; many homes have been divided into smaller units but exteriors retain original siding and detail. Only one intrusion, a church, is noted.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:57.880734-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/40/7958/63795840/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/82001995.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82001995/04f065dd05-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82001995/04f065dd05-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"User:Magicpiano","credit_html":"User:Magicpiano, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:LowellMA_WashingtonSquareHD.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"99001307","name":"Washington Square Historic District (Boundary Increase)","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/massachusetts/washington-square-historic-district-boundary-increase-99001307/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63795840","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Square_Historic_District_(Lowell,_Massachusetts)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7972210"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/washington-square-historic-district-82001995/"}