{"nrhp_refnum":"82004802","name":"Rogers-Downing House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"269 Highland Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Andover","county":"Essex County","state":"MA","lat":42.65979786400004,"lon":-71.11893481399994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1982-06-10","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A Gothic Revival house at 269 Highland Road in Andover, Massachusetts, built between 1848 and 1852 as the country home of Boston businessman Benjamin Rogers.","why_significant":"The nomination cites its original role as a country home for a Boston businessman and its later use as a well-known dairy and orchard farm. It also points to the unusual H-shaped plan and elaborate Gothic Revival detailing. The property is said to retain integrity of design, materials, workmanship and setting.","narrative":"Built between 1848 and 1852 at 269 Highland Road in Andover, this clapboard house began as the country home of Boston businessman Benjamin Rogers. It follows an unusual H-shaped plan, with a 1½-story cross piece joining two 2½-story end wings. The wings are linked by a long open porch topped with a rhythmic roof balustrade, and the cross wings and two small cross gables carry scroll-sawn bargeboards. Six-over-six windows and an offset doorway with sidelights complete the plain but distinctive design. Rogers sold the estate in 1870, and after several speculative owners it was bought by John J. Downing of Boston, who turned it into a well-known dairy and orchard. The Downing family held it until 1968, selling off some land for modern subdivisions. Its hilltop setting and spacious plan give the house a distinguished presence. It was listed for its history as a country estate and farm and for its Gothic Revival design.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Gothic Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Present use is residential; the form records the building as altered.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:56.491374-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/27/7899/63789927/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/82004802.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82004802/d95f452af2-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82004802/d95f452af2-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"User:Magicpiano","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:AndoverMA_RogersDowningHouse.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_RogersDowningHouse.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63789927","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rogers%E2%80%93Downing_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7359250"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/essex-county/rogers-downing-house-82004802/"}