{"nrhp_refnum":"86001313","name":"Stanstead, The","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"19 Ware St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Cambridge","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.37388324900007,"lon":-71.11390210899998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1986-05-19","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Community Planning and Development","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story brick apartment building at 19 Ware Street in Cambridge, Massachusetts, built in 1887 to designs by architects J.R. & W.P. Richards for John H. Hubbard, a Harvard Square apothecary.","why_significant":"It is argued to be an early example of the apartment house type, with a single entrance modeled on wood-frame triple deckers. Unlike contemporary multi-family buildings with several entrances or those disguised as single-family houses, it presents itself openly as an apartment house. It illustrates the emergence of multi-unit dwellings as an accepted living alternative in Cambridge.","narrative":"Built in 1887 at 19 Ware Street in Cambridge, The Stanstead is a three-story brick apartment building designed by the architects J.R. & W.P. Richards for John H. Hubbard, a Harvard Square apothecary. It has a center entrance flanked by projecting three-story bays, with more projecting bays on the side elevations. Its Romanesque Revival character shows in a Richardsonian arched doorway, patterned horizontal brick courses, a parapet with recessed panels, irregular window placement, and freestone window trim. The building matters as an early single-entrance apartment house, modeled on the wood-frame triple deckers then becoming popular in Cambridge. Other multi-family buildings of the period, such as 23-29 Ware Street, had several entrances and were divided vertically like rowhouses, while some were disguised as single-family homes. The Stanstead presents itself openly as an apartment house, which helps explain how multi-unit living became an accepted option in the city. It remains in residential use with no major alterations recorded.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"J.R. & W.P. Richards","architectural_style":"Romanesque Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Present use is residential, the same as its original use; no major alterations are recorded.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:01.650294-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/75/7918/63791875/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/86001313.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86001313/2457e9b16f-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86001313/2457e9b16f-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Daderot","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Stanstead_-_19_Ware_Street,_Cambridge,_MA_-_IMG_4070.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Daderot</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Stanstead_-_19_Ware_Street,_Cambridge,_MA_-_IMG_4070.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63791875","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Stanstead","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7766242"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/stanstead-the-86001313/"}