{"nrhp_refnum":"84002762","name":"Octagon House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"97 Pleasant St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Reading","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.52389475900003,"lon":-71.10020867099996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1984-07-19","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Health/Medicine","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A Gothic Revival octagonal dwelling at 97 Pleasant Street, Reading, Massachusetts, built in 1860 for Dr. Horace P. Wakefield. The architect is unknown.","why_significant":"The house is significant for its connection with Dr. Horace Wakefield and for its architectural design. It is an unusual variation on the octagon house ideal promoted by Orson Fowler, built of heavy timbers laid up in crib fashion. It is the only octagonal house in Reading.","narrative":"Built in 1860 at 97 Pleasant Street in Reading, this octagonal house reflects a mid-nineteenth-century belief that eight-sided homes were healthier to live in. Dr. Horace P. Wakefield, a physician, school committee member, town clerk from 1862 to 1864 and secretary of the Massachusetts Anti Slavery Society, had it built. The design follows the ideas of Orson Fowler but varies them, grouping small octagons around a central cupola and giving even the side porch an octagonal shape. Long first-floor windows and a small balcony were meant to improve air circulation. Gothic Revival details include heavy zig-zag trim, brackets carved like the faces of old men, and board-and-batten siding. The structure is unusual because heavy timbers are laid up in crib fashion, much like a log cabin. It is the only octagonal house in Reading, and it was listed for its link to Wakefield and its distinctive architecture.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Architect unknown; built by Dr. Horace P. Wakefield","architectural_style":"Gothic Revival","criteria":["B","C"],"status_note":"Has an extension on the south side; the form says it was not moved and retains integrity of location, design, setting and workmanship.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:57.718325-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/92/7920/63792092/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/84002762.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/84002762/e82e3915e7-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/84002762/e82e3915e7-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"User:Magicpiano","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ReadingMA_OctagonHouse.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_OctagonHouse.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63792092","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octagon_House_(Reading,_Massachusetts)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7076713"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/octagon-house-84002762/"}