{"nrhp_refnum":"86001845","name":"Smith, James, House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"706 Great Plain Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Needham","county":"Norfolk County","state":"MA","lat":42.28034952500008,"lon":-71.22622141399995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1986-08-21","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A wood-frame private house at 706 Great Plain Avenue in Needham, Massachusetts, consisting of a 1 1/2-story rear ell built ca. 1730 and a 2 1/2-story, five-bay Federal-style main block added ca. 1810-1835.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the house shows how building practices and styles changed from the colonial to the early national periods, as it was altered to suit changing needs. It keeps a modest ca. 1730 dwelling, one of the few early 18th-century houses still standing in Needham. It also has a Federal main block and mid-19th-century Greek Revival ornamentation. Its significance is rated local under Criterion C.","narrative":"Set on Great Plain Avenue, one of Needham's earliest transportation routes, this wood-frame house grew in stages over roughly two centuries. The oldest part is a story-and-a-half frame from about 1730, probably the farmhouse of James Smith, who arrived from Ireland and owned the land by 1727. Around 1810 to 1835 it was moved back to serve as a rear ell, and a two-and-a-half-story, five-bay Federal-style block was built in front. Greek Revival details followed around 1840 to 1860 under the Stevens family, including a new roof, trim and mantels. Twentieth-century changes added a rear bay window and dormers and removed the front porch. Heavy posts, chamfered girts and a summer beam survive in the early section. The property is recognized for showing how a simple colonial farmhouse was absorbed into a fashionable later home, and it also has potential archaeological value. Captain Robert Smith, a later owner, led the East Needham militia company in 1775.","period_of_significance":"1700-1899 (specific dates ca. 1730, ca. 1810-1835, ca. 1840-1860)","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Federal main block with Greek Revival alterations over an early 18th-century frame ell","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Occupied private residence; condition listed as altered and on its original site, and described as carefully preserved by successive owners.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:02.116267-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/56/7962/63796256/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/86001845.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86001845/93595251a8-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86001845/93595251a8-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"User:Magicpiano","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NeedhamMA_JamesSmithHouse.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:NeedhamMA_JamesSmithHouse.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63796256","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Smith_House_(Needham,_Massachusetts)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6143361"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/norfolk-county/smith-james-house-86001845/"}