{"nrhp_refnum":"84002514","name":"Bowser Gazebo","other_names":[],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"25 Linden St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Reading","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.52419891100004,"lon":-71.10326245899995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1984-07-19","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Commerce","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A small wooden gazebo, 10 by 10 feet, in the side yard of the house at 25 Linden Street in Reading, Massachusetts. It was built before 1894 as a summer house.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the gazebo reflects the Victorian love of domestic leisure and is linked to local dry goods merchant R. L. Bowser. It is also one of the few remaining gazebos in Reading and retains good integrity.","narrative":"A wooden gazebo measuring 10 by 10 feet sits in the side yard of 25 Linden Street in Reading, Massachusetts. Built before 1894 as a summer house, it served as a focal point in an outdoor setting and a shady place to rest on hot days. The house on the property was designed by Horace G. Wadlin and owned by R. L. Bowser, a partner in the Copeland-Bowser dry goods store. Later the property belonged to E. A. Chandler, when it was photographed for a memorial volume. The gazebo is considered significant as an example of the Victorian love of domestic leisure, since such a structure suggests owners with time and money for quiet pleasures at home. It is also valued for its connection to Bowser and as one of the few gazebos remaining in Reading. It retains its location, design, setting, materials, workmanship and feeling. The listed area covers the gazebo and ten feet of land around its foundation. Its condition is described as fair.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"House designed by Horace G. Wadlin (gazebo designer not stated)","architectural_style":null,"criteria":["A","B","C"],"status_note":"Condition listed as fair; present use is gazebo.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:56.247678-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/30/7915/63791530/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/84002514.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/84002514/4e63dcaa6b-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/84002514/4e63dcaa6b-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"User:Magicpiano","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ReadingMA_BowserGazebo.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:ReadingMA_BowserGazebo.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63791530","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowser_Gazebo","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4951419"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/bowser-gazebo-84002514/"}