{"nrhp_refnum":"84002526","name":"Bryant, William, Octagon House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Spring and Washington Sts.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Stoneham","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.48186483100005,"lon":-71.09393443899995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1984-04-13","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story octagonal house at Spring and Washington Streets in Stoneham, Massachusetts, built around 1851 for William Bryant and reportedly constructed by Worcester Brothers.","why_significant":"The house is a simply detailed but well preserved example of the mid-nineteenth century octagonal residential form. It is one of three octagon houses built in Stoneham between 1850 and 1855 and retains most of its original surfaces and details. It also shows an alternative to the Greek Revival cottage in which most shoe workers of the period lived.","narrative":"Built around 1851 at the busy corner of Spring and Washington Streets in Stoneham, this octagonal house was home to William Bryant, a shoecutter. It has eight equal sides, two stories, clapboard siding, a granite foundation and a low-pitched bracketed roof topped by a central cupola. The entry is framed by full-length sidelights and a transom, shelters under an open porch and is reached by three granite steps. Windows hold six-over-six sash, and an ell extends from the rear. Octagonal houses were popularized at mid-century by Orson Fowler as an inexpensive way to house a growing population. This was one of three octagons raised in Stoneham between 1850 and 1855, and it keeps most of its original surfaces and details. Worcester Brothers reportedly built it, apparently using interlocking timber construction. Its listing rests on its integrity and its value as a well preserved example of the octagon form, an uncommon alternative to the Greek Revival cottages favored by contemporary shoe workers.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Worcester Brothers (reportedly)","architectural_style":"Octagon","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Still used as a residence; the form reports no major alterations, no move and no outbuildings.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:56.988066-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/28/7911/63791128/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/84002526.pdf"},"photo":null,"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63791128","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Bryant_Octagon_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q8006074"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/bryant-william-octagon-house-84002526/"}