{"nrhp_refnum":"82004801","name":"Punchard, Benjamin House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"8 High St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Andover","county":"Essex County","state":"MA","lat":42.65740840400008,"lon":-71.14087515799997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1982-06-10","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Industry","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-and-a-half-story Italianate house at 8 High Street (also numbered 6-8 High Street) in Andover, Massachusetts, built in 1846 for Benjamin H. Punchard to his own design.","why_significant":"The house is tied to the physical development of downtown Andover and to two leading local businessmen, Benjamin Punchard and later owner Jacob Barnard. It is also an early and interesting example of the Italianate style in Andover. The form says it keeps integrity of design, materials, workmanship and setting.","narrative":"Built in 1846 at 8 High Street in Andover, this Italianate house was designed by its owner, Benjamin Punchard, a businessman, manufacturer and philanthropist. Punchard had earlier lived in a Federal-style mansion on the site, which he moved to what is now 33 High Street before building the new house. The T-shaped building has gabled roofs, paired eaves brackets, a central gabled pavilion with a pilastered bay window, and a pedimented tripartite window above. One-story porches with sawn posts flank the pavilion. Its design is described as more fanciful than forceful, unlike many architect-designed homes of the period. When Punchard died in 1850, he left $50,000 to the town to found its first free high school, which carried his name. The Barnard family, led by shoe manufacturer Jacob Barnard, bought the house in 1891 and owned it for over fifty years. It is valued for its role in downtown Andover's development, its link to two prominent businessmen, and its early Italianate style.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"B. H. Punchard (Benjamin H. Punchard, who designed it himself)","architectural_style":"Italianate","criteria":["A","B","C"],"status_note":"Present use is residential; the exterior has aluminum siding added in the 20th century.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:56.196694-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/55/7899/63789955/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/82004801.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82004801/3307d513e9-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82004801/3307d513e9-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"User:Magicpiano","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:AndoverMA_BenjaminPunchardHouse.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">User:Magicpiano</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:AndoverMA_BenjaminPunchardHouse.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63789955","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Punchard_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4889146"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/essex-county/punchard-benjamin-house-82004801/"}