{"nrhp_refnum":"84002746","name":"Masonic Block","other_names":["M.F. Charles Building"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"600-622 Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Reading","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.52365892700004,"lon":-71.10324432499993,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1984-09-19","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Community Planning and Development","Commerce","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story brick commercial block at 600-622 Main Street, at the corner of Haven Street in downtown Reading, Massachusetts, built in 1894 by the Reading Masonic Temple Corporation. A one-story north extension was added in 1929.","why_significant":"The nomination cites it as an example of business replacing residences along Main Street in the late 19th century, and for its long connection with Reading businesses and professional men, particularly Millard F. Charles. It is also valued for its prominent corner location in Reading Square and as an example of Second Renaissance Revival style with unusual ornamental brickwork.","narrative":"Built in 1894 at the corner of Main and Haven Streets, this three-story brick commercial block occupies a prominent hilltop spot in downtown Reading. It replaced the 1820 home of furniture manufacturer Henry Kingman, which was split in two and moved to other streets. A group of private investors, the Reading Masonic Temple Corporation, financed the building. Stores occupied the first floor, banks and the Reading Chronicle printing office the second, and the Masonic Lodge the third. Jeweler and stationer Millard F. Charles, who was also town clerk, bought many shares and moved into a north addition built in 1929; the building later took his name. Architecturally it follows the Second Renaissance Revival style, with brick pilasters dividing the facades into bays, decorative brick floor divisions, a limestone belt course, blind arches over the third-floor windows and a patterned brick cornice. The first floor has been heavily altered, but the upper floors retain their ornamental brickwork.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Architect unknown; built by the Reading Masonic Temple Corporation","architectural_style":"Second Renaissance Revival","criteria":["A","B","C"],"status_note":"Present use is commercial; the first floor has been altered with colonial-style entrances and fenestration.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:56.354248-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/75/7919/63791975/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/84002746.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/84002746/1c707bd42e-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/84002746/1c707bd42e-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Terageorge","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Masonic_Block_-_Reading_MA.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Terageorge</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:Masonic_Block_-_Reading_MA.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63791975","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masonic_Block_(Reading,_Massachusetts)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6783662"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/masonic-block-84002746/"}