{"nrhp_refnum":"83000827","name":"Second Waterhouse House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"9 Follen St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Cambridge","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.37886054900008,"lon":-71.12232863899999,"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 wooden Greek Revival house at 9 Follen Street in Old Cambridge, Cambridge, Massachusetts, built in 1844 by Charles Saunders for Mrs. Benjamin Waterhouse. It is still used as a residence.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the house is significant under Criterion A for helping explain Cambridge's development during the 1840s, when building activity in Old Cambridge was picking up. It is significant under Criterion C as an exceptional example of Greek Revival design. Architectural historian Bainbridge Bunting considered it the best example of the side-hall or center-entrance Greek Revival type in Cambridge.","narrative":"Built in 1844 at 9 Follen Street, a block from Cambridge Common, this wooden Greek Revival house was constructed by Charles Saunders for Mrs. Benjamin Waterhouse. It went up as building activity in Old Cambridge was picking up, during the decade when Greek Revival style reached its height in the city. Few temple-fronted houses were built in Cambridge, and the side-hall or center-entrance type was far more common. Bainbridge Bunting judged this house the best example of that type. Its character comes from a full projecting entablature, heavy window frames with crossettes, corner pilaster strips, large dormers, and an entrance porch with Doric columns. Inside, heavy moldings, marble mantels, and a modified four-room plan survive, along with traces of an early hot-air furnace and a ground-floor privy. The Bowen family bought the house in 1853, and it later passed to the Cambridge Historical Society, which sold it with provisions for preservation. It is still a residence.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Charles Saunders (builder); architect unknown","architectural_style":"Greek Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Present use is residential; the form records no alterations and no move, and describes the house as beautifully preserved.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:57.388268-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/42/7905/63790542/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/83000827.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83000827/10fb891614-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83000827/10fb891614-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Daderot","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Second_Waterhouse_House_-_9_Follen_Street,_Cambridge,_MA_-_IMG_4058.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Daderot</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Second_Waterhouse_House_-_9_Follen_Street,_Cambridge,_MA_-_IMG_4058.JPG"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"86001681","name":"Follen Street Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/massachusetts/follen-street-historic-district-86001681/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63790542","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Waterhouse_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7443643"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/second-waterhouse-house-83000827/"}