{"nrhp_refnum":"84002815","name":"Roberts House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"59 Prospect St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Reading","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.51906957500006,"lon":-71.10795956499999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1984-07-19","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two and one-half story, three-bay single-family dwelling at 59 Prospect Street in Reading, Massachusetts, built in 1911 by an unknown architect. It was originally owned by James W. and Martha Roberts, Jr.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the house is significant as a product of the 19th-century real estate boom on Reading's West Side and as an excellent example of the Craftsman style in Reading. It retains integrity of location, design, setting, materials and workmanship.","narrative":"Built in 1911 at 59 Prospect Street in Reading, this two and one-half story, three-bay house combines a boxy, hipped-roof Colonial Revival form with Craftsman details. Wide eaves with exposed rafter ends, stucco wall covering, a chunky entrance portico and a side sun porch mark the Craftsman influence. The sun porch reflects the period's concern with health and naturalness. A horizontal band of three windows at the center of the second floor is a Shingle-style element, echoed by the shingles on the lower front facade. Prospect Street was laid out by members of the Temple family in 1848, and the area grew with railroad commuters and other professionals. Nearby land was held by C. D. Thomas, whose firm with Daniel Creesy probably built speculative houses. James and Martha Roberts, the original owners, held several properties in the area. The house was listed as a product of the West Side real estate boom and as an excellent local example of the Craftsman style. No major alterations are recorded.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Colonial Revival/Craftsman","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Used as a dwelling; the form reports no major alterations and a garage outbuilding.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:56.814827-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/8/7914/63791408/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/84002815.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/84002815/0b48affb8a-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/84002815/0b48affb8a-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"User:Magicpiano","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ReadingMA_RobertsHouse.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_RobertsHouse.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63791408","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roberts_House_(Reading,_Massachusetts)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7352021"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/roberts-house-84002815/"}