{"nrhp_refnum":"84002681","name":"House at 242 Summer Avenue","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"242 Summer Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Reading","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.519479423000064,"lon":-71.11503394599998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1984-07-19","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A Shingle-style house at 242 Summer Avenue in Reading, Massachusetts, built in 1912 for George Ives on a corner lot facing west.","why_significant":"The house is significant for its role in the development of Reading's west side as a well-to-do residential area for commuters and local businessmen. It is also a good example of Shingle-style domestic architecture. It retains integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship and feeling.","narrative":"Built in 1912 for George Ives, this wood-shingled house at 242 Summer Avenue in Reading sits on a corner lot in a residential neighborhood, facing west toward an important street. Twin cross gables dominate the front facade, and the wall plane advances and recedes to form bays and shaded porches. A Palladian window marks the south side, while an open screened porch with a rounded roof and arched windows occupies the north. Windows are grouped horizontally, perhaps influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright's Prairie-style houses, and the first-floor windows are leaded. A two-story porch extension was added at the southeast. Summer Avenue and its side streets were a prime area for well-to-do building in Reading, where many residents commuted to Boston by train. George Ives managed restaurants in Cambridge and Boston, including his father-in-law's Georgian Restaurant chain. The house is valued as a good example of Shingle-style architecture and as evidence of Reading's commuter suburb development.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Shingle","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":null,"vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:56.627741-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/72/7912/63791272/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/84002681.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/84002681/5c29f8f478-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/84002681/5c29f8f478-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"User:Magicpiano","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ReadingMA_242SummerAvenue.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_242SummerAvenue.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63791272","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_at_242_Summer_Avenue","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14715577"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/house-at-242-summer-avenue-84002681/"}