{"nrhp_refnum":"84002842","name":"Wells, Charles, House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"99 Prescott St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Reading","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.51914639700004,"lon":-71.11356189799994,"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 two-story Queen Anne house with its original barn at 99 Prescott Street, Reading, Massachusetts, built in 1894 for blacksmith Charles D. Wells. The architect is unknown.","why_significant":"It is considered one of the best preserved examples in Reading of a modest Queen Anne house with its barn, set on a corner lot where few such complete settings remain. It is also significant for its connection with Charles D. Wells, a local blacksmith. The property retains integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship and feeling.","narrative":"Built in 1894 at 99 Prescott Street in Reading, this two-story Queen Anne house was constructed for Charles D. Wells and his wife, Mabel Flint Wells. Wells, who came from Richibucto, New Brunswick, bought the land in 1893 and worked as a blacksmith, with his shop facing Elm Park. The house has clapboard and shingle walls, a corner tower with its original ornamental copper finial, a small triangular dormer, a high decorative fieldstone foundation and a porch with a turned balustrade. Its barn survives intact, reflecting the era when horse and carriage were the main means of transportation. The property sits on a corner lot facing south, and complete settings of this kind are now uncommon in the town. It was recognized for its link to Wells and as a well-preserved, modest example of Queen Anne design, with no major alterations recorded.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Queen Anne","criteria":["B","C"],"status_note":"The house retains its original barn intact and has had no major alterations.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:56.379607-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/42/7911/63791142/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/84002842.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/84002842/5f3719580e-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/84002842/5f3719580e-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"User:Magicpiano","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ReadingMA_CharlesWellsHouse.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_CharlesWellsHouse.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63791142","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Wells_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5083435"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/wells-charles-house-84002842/"}