{"nrhp_refnum":"85002685","name":"Prentiss, William, House","other_names":["#274"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"252 Gray St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Arlington","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.41647092100004,"lon":-71.17208988599998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1985-09-27","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A simple one-and-a-half-story Greek Revival dwelling at 252 Gray Street in Arlington Heights, Arlington, Massachusetts, built about 1850-1860 by an unknown architect.","why_significant":"The nomination calls it one of the oldest buildings in Arlington Heights. Its rectangular plan, corner boards and fascia resemble Greek Revival cottages in eastern Arlington but are unusual for this part of Arlington Heights. It is also tied to William Prentiss, one of the few farmers in the surrounding streets section. It is listed under Criterion C.","narrative":"This one-and-a-half-story clapboard house at 252 Gray Street sits on the side of a hill in a residential neighborhood of Arlington Heights. Built around 1850 to 1860 in the Greek Revival style, it is regarded as one of the oldest buildings in the Heights. Its rectangular plan, corner boards and fascia echo Greek Revival cottages in the eastern part of Arlington, though the form is unusual for this section of town. A raised front dormer, a side porch and a front porch were added in the 20th century. The 1869 owner was William Prentiss, one of the few farmers living in the area around Walnut, Mount Vernon and Gray Streets. In the 1870s the western part of Gray Street was called Prentiss Street and ended in a dead end just east of the house. Early in the 20th century the Hobbs family and later the Higgins family lived here. The property retains integrity of location, setting, materials and workmanship, and was listed for its architecture.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Greek Revival","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Present use is residential; alterations include a front raised roof dormer, side porch and front porch from the 20th century.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:56.861426-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/80/7908/63790880/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/85002685.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85002685/b24583ea67-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85002685/b24583ea67-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"User:Magicpiano","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:William_Prentiss_House,_Arlington,_MA.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:William_Prentiss_House,_Arlington,_MA.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63790880","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Prentiss_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q8017057"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/prentiss-william-house-85002685/"}