{"nrhp_refnum":"84002217","name":"Staples, Sylvanus N., House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"21 Second St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Taunton","county":"Bristol County","state":"MA","lat":41.88650673600006,"lon":-71.09304095699997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1984-07-05","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Industry","Commerce","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A Greek Revival side hall house at 21 Second Street in Taunton, Massachusetts, built in 1837 for Sylvanus Nelson Staples. The architect is unknown.","why_significant":"The house is tied to Sylvanus N. Staples, a prosperous merchant who made his fortune in ocean freighting and the sea trade, and to his coal, iron and lime freighting business. It is also considered one of Taunton's best preserved examples of a large but restrained transitional Greek Revival/Italianate house. It retains integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship and association.","narrative":"Built in 1837 at 21 Second Street in Taunton, this clapboard house is a 2½-story Greek Revival side hall residence with a recessed, 2½-story wing with bay windows set at right angles. A one-story porch on fluted columns covers the facade and part of the side elevation. Corner pilasters and a full roof entablature create a pedimented gable. It is regarded as one of the city's best preserved examples of a large but restrained transitional Greek Revival/Italianate house. Sylvanus N. Staples, born in 1811, had it built as his home. He rose from cabin boy to sloop master by 18, traded along the coast of the West Indies and Gulf of Mexico, and started a flour and grocery shipping business in 1836. Later he formed a large iron, coal and lime freighting firm. The house was once part of an estate with workers' housing, barns, a greenhouse and landscaped grounds. He lived there until his death in 1893.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Greek Revival (transitional Greek Revival/Italianate)","criteria":["B","C"],"status_note":"Listed as a residence; the form gives its present use as a residence.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:56.793096-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/49/7893/63789349/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/84002217.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/84002217/0fb9cdc17a-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/84002217/0fb9cdc17a-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"User:Magicpiano","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:TauntonMA_SylvanusNStaplesHouse.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:TauntonMA_SylvanusNStaplesHouse.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63789349","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sylvanus_N._Staples_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7660724"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/bristol-county/staples-sylvanus-n-house-84002217/"}