{"nrhp_refnum":"84002509","name":"Boston and Maine Railroad Depot","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Lincoln St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Reading","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.52159844800008,"lon":-71.10755771799995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1984-07-19","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Transportation","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A railroad depot on Lincoln Street (294 Washington Street) in Reading, Massachusetts, built in 1870 by the Boston and Maine Railroad. It is a long wood-clapboard building in the Stick and Queen Anne style, sited parallel to the tracks.","why_significant":"The depot is presented as the most visible reminder of the railroad's role in turning Reading from an agricultural town into an industrial and then commuter community. It is the only remaining railroad-related building in Reading still intact on its original site. It is also an example of Stick style-Queen Anne architecture, meeting Criteria A and C.","narrative":"Built in 1870 by the Boston and Maine Railroad, this wood-clapboard depot on Lincoln Street in Reading replaced an earlier 1845 station that spanned the tracks. The long, seven-bay building has paneled pilasters topped by chamfered knee braces that support a deeply overhanging roof, creating a sheltered waiting area. A bay-window composition with five tall windows was added to the track side in 1891, probably along with the colored-glass upper sash. Some decorative roof trim has since been removed. The depot reflects the railroad's influence on the town, which moved from farming to manufacturing and then to commuter living. A necktie factory shipped goods to Boston by rail, the building housed a telegraph station in 1883, and excursion trains drew crowds. It is described as the only surviving railroad-related building in Reading still intact on its original site, and an example of Stick style-Queen Anne design.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Stick style - Queen Anne","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"The inventory form lists the present use as vacant (Boston and Maine waiting room), while the criteria statement says it is still in use as a railroad station. Alterations include a 1891 remodeling, trim removed in 1955 and aluminum gutters added in 1975.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:56.424094-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/25/7923/63792325/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/84002509.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/84002509/43702447e8-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/84002509/43702447e8-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Pi.1415926535","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Reading_MBTA_station_from_outbound_platform.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Pi.1415926535</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:Reading_MBTA_station_from_outbound_platform.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63792325","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reading_station_(MBTA)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7300454"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/boston-and-maine-railroad-depot-84002509/"}