{"nrhp_refnum":"86000498","name":"Cleale, Joseph, House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"147 Western Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Sherborn","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.23943224900006,"lon":-71.40596518299998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1986-01-03","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A farmhouse at 147 Western Avenue in rural west Sherborn, Massachusetts, built about 1820-1825 for Joseph Cleale on a two-acre lot. It is still used as a residence.","why_significant":"The nomination calls it one of Sherborn's most stylish farmhouses, combining Federal and Greek Revival elements with Gothic Revival window details. Its two-bay plan with recessed corner entry porches and a long rear ell is typical of southeastern Massachusetts, and it is the oldest house of this type in town. It retains integrity and meets Criterion C.","narrative":"Set in a rural part of west Sherborn at 147 Western Avenue, this farmhouse was built around 1820-1825 by Joseph Cleale, a farmer who moved from Ipswich in 1816. The 2 1/2-story main block faces west and has recessed entrance porches at the corners of its gable end, a layout common in southeastern Massachusetts but not elsewhere in Sherborn, where this is the oldest example. Federal and Greek Revival features appear together. The most unusual details are the window caps, which are large Gothicized fans ending in pointed arches over 12/12 windows. A long hip-roofed ell extends behind, once a carriage house and later converted to living space, with a late 19th century porch and an early 20th century shed. Originally clapboard, the house has recently been given a shingle surface. It stayed in the Cleale family into the 1930s and was listed for its well-preserved architecture and its integrity of location, design, setting, workmanship and feeling.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Joseph Cleale (builder, per the historical section); architect listed as N/A","architectural_style":"Greek Revival (with Federal elements and Gothic Revival details)","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Present use is residence; the former carriage house ell has been converted to residential use. The form reports no major alterations.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:58.037913-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/84/7908/63790884/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/86000498.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86000498/d4001ea898-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86000498/d4001ea898-1600.webp","licence":"CC0","author":"Daderot","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Joseph_Cleale_House_-_Sherborn,_Massachusetts_-_DSC02994.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Daderot</a>, <a href=\"http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Joseph_Cleale_House_-_Sherborn,_Massachusetts_-_DSC02994.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63790884","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Cleale_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6282158"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/cleale-joseph-house-86000498/"}