{"nrhp_refnum":"84002769","name":"Old Hose House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1249 Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Reading","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.55011802300004,"lon":-71.10413347699995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1984-07-19","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Community Planning and Development","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A small Colonial Revival fire-hose house at 1249 Main Street in Reading, Massachusetts, built in 1902 by the Town of Reading for its northern fire protection branch.","why_significant":"The building is significant for its role in the development of Reading's fire-fighting capabilities and as an example of a small public building given domestic-style architectural treatment. It retains integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship and feeling.","narrative":"Built in 1902 at 1249 Main Street, this small fire-hose house served Reading's northern fire protection branch. The town bought the site for $10 and erected the building for $1,180.50. A tower with a bell from the John Street School and an alarm striker was added in 1904. The design follows the Colonial Revival style, then popular for houses in Reading, giving the public building a domestic scale. Features include a flared gambrel roof, a lunette gable window, and a triple window with wide surrounds. A bracketed gable overhang may be a Queen Anne remnant or an allusion to colonial garrison overhangs. The building reflects the town's volunteer fire system, which began in 1815 with its first hand engine. In 1930 it was sold to the Northern Residents' Association, which used it for inexpensive entertainment during the Depression. Since 1972 a local chorus has owned it as a meeting and rehearsal space. It was listed for its role in local fire protection and its architecture.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Colonial Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Now used as a meeting and rehearsal space by a local chorus, which has owned it since 1972.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:56.658371-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/68/7915/63791568/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/84002769.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/84002769/69889f129e-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/84002769/69889f129e-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"User:Magicpiano","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ReadingMA_OldHoseHouse.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_OldHoseHouse.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63791568","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Hose_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7084243"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/old-hose-house-84002769/"}