{"nrhp_refnum":"85001023","name":"Baptist Society Meeting House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"3--5 Brattle St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Arlington","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.41235417300004,"lon":-71.17073243699997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1985-04-18","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Religion"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A Federal-style former Baptist meetinghouse at 3-5 Brattle Street in Arlington (formerly Menotomy), Massachusetts, built in 1790 and now used as a two-family residence.","why_significant":"It was the first Baptist church in Arlington and the only one of four meetinghouses along Battle Road still standing from the end of the 18th century. Its design closely copied older Lexington, Concord and First Parish meetinghouses, perhaps to lend the new sect an air of orthodoxy. It is also considered a good example of Federal architecture.","narrative":"Built in 1790 at 3-5 Brattle Street, this Federal-style building served as the first Baptist church in Arlington, then known as Menotomy. It is a three-and-a-half-story, five-bay, gable-end structure with a double entry. Its form was modeled on the First Parish's 1734 meetinghouse, and ultimately on the meetinghouses of Lexington and Concord seen in depictions of the 1775 battles. The old-fashioned design may have been chosen to give the newly separated Baptists an appearance of established orthodoxy. Of four meetinghouses standing along Battle Road at the end of the 18th century, this is the only survivor. The Baptists sold it in 1828 after completing a new church, and it became a private residence before 1880. It was moved to the rear of its lot and turned to face Brattle Street in the early twentieth century. Apart from chimneys, a porch and modern siding, the exterior remains close to original, and the building is listed for its architecture and its link to Arlington's early religious history.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Federal","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Presently used as a two-family residence; converted to a private residence before 1880 and moved ca. 1913-1915 to the back of its original lot. Exterior is largely original apart from added chimneys, a porch and modern siding.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:57.700941-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/98/7913/63791398/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/85001023.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85001023/ae9566e259-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85001023/ae9566e259-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Daderot","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Baptist_Society_Meeting_House,_ArlingtonMA_-_IMG_2712.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Daderot</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Baptist_Society_Meeting_House,_ArlingtonMA_-_IMG_2712.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63791398","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baptist_Society_Meeting_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4857679"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/baptist-society-meeting-house-85001023/"}