{"nrhp_refnum":"83000788","name":"Building at 1715-1717 Cambridge Street","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1715-1717 Cambridge St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Cambridge","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.37544682300006,"lon":-71.11213275899996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1983-06-30","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story, gabled, wood-frame Greek Revival double house at 1715-1717 Cambridge Street in Cambridge, Massachusetts, built in 1845 for Royal Richardson by builders Zenas Crowell and John Pickering.","why_significant":"The house is one of two nearly identical surviving Greek Revival double houses from a row of four built by speculator Royal Richardson. It is argued to represent the high point of vernacular Greek Revival in Cambridge. The surviving building contracts show how houses were built from existing models rather than working drawings.","narrative":"Built in 1845 on Cambridge Street in Cambridge, Massachusetts, this two-story, gable-roofed wood house is a Greek Revival double house with a full-width Doric porch. Royal Richardson, a real estate speculator, had it built as a rental property, and builders Zenas Crowell and John Pickering carried out the work. It once belonged to a row of four similar houses, each turning its gable flank to the street, with a Doric portico and four pedimented dormers; two of the four have been demolished. Its closest survivor is the neighboring house at 1707-1709. The original building contracts still exist and say that each house was to copy an existing house for appearance and quality of materials, which points to a lack of working drawings and the use of pattern book ornament. Costs ranged from $2,500 to $4,000. Gothic sash and panelled Gothic doors show mixed stylistic detail. The property was listed for its architectural importance in Cambridge.","period_of_significance":"1845","architect_builder":"Zenas Crowell & John Pickering, builders","architectural_style":"Greek Revival","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Present use is residential; the form states it has not been altered or moved.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:57.506644-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/38/7905/63790538/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/83000788.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83000788/341d6160c2-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83000788/341d6160c2-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Tim Pierce","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1715-1717_Cambridge_St.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Tim Pierce</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1715-1717_Cambridge_St.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63790538","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Building_at_1715%E2%80%931717_Cambridge_Street","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4986546"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/building-at-1715-1717-cambridge-street-83000788/"}