{"nrhp_refnum":"84002667","name":"House at 199 Summer Avenue","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"199 Summer Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Reading","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.52146769400008,"lon":-71.10487507799996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1984-07-19","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Community Planning and Development","Commerce","Architecture","Performing Arts"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A Tudor Revival house at 199 Summer Avenue in Reading, Massachusetts, originally built in 1878 as a Second Empire cottage for Robert Kemp and extensively remodeled after 1900.","why_significant":"The nomination cites its role in developing Reading's west side as a desirable residential neighborhood. It is also tied to three notable local figures: Robert \"Father\" Kemp, architect Horace G. Wadlin, and businessman Charles A. Loring. Its transformation from a Second Empire cottage to a Tudor Revival mansion is described as architecturally unique.","narrative":"Set back from Summer Avenue behind a granite wall, this Reading house began in 1878 as a Second Empire cottage with a mansard roof, built for shoe manufacturer and singing-group founder Robert \"Father\" Kemp. Who designed it is disputed: architect-historian Horace G. Wadlin claimed he supplied the plans, while a period newspaper credited local builder William Phillips. Early in the twentieth century, an extensive remodeling gave it its present Tudor Revival look, with strong vertical lines, exterior timbering, dark walls and diamond-pane windows. The original mansard-roofed carriage house still stands. Later owners included Seth Rich, a Boston pawnbroker who landscaped the grounds, and Charles A. Loring, active in the local agricultural association and antiquarian society. The house was listed for its part in the growth of Reading's west side, its links to Kemp, Wadlin and Loring, and its unusual change of architectural style.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Horace G. Wadlin (architect, per the form; disputed, since a contemporary newspaper credited local builder William Phillips)","architectural_style":"Tudor Revival (originally Second Empire)","criteria":["A","B","C"],"status_note":"Retains integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship and feeling; a Second Empire carriage house survives on the property.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:57.697699-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/85/7919/63791985/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/84002667.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/84002667/1840bb7041-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/84002667/1840bb7041-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 3.0","author":"John Phelan","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:House_at_199_Summer_Avenue,_Reading_MA.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">John Phelan</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:House_at_199_Summer_Avenue,_Reading_MA.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63791985","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_at_199_Summer_Avenue","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14715571"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/house-at-199-summer-avenue-84002667/"}