{"nrhp_refnum":"87001997","name":"Nichols-Sterner House","other_names":["William Nichols House"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Swamp Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Richmond","county":"Berkshire County","state":"MA","lat":42.40746178100005,"lon":-73.31915463299998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1987-09-17","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A brick house built about 1820 by farmer William Nichols on a 2.2-acre lot on Pittsfield (Swamp) Road in Richmond, a rural hill town in the Berkshires of Massachusetts.","why_significant":"The final nomination argues the house is a well-preserved, stylish example of the transition from Federal to Greek Revival style and is one of only two period brick houses in Richmond. It also retains integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship and feeling, and is tied to the Nichols family, who lived there from about 1820 to 1925. The earlier draft also cited artist Albert Sterner's murals, but the final version rests on architecture alone.","narrative":"Built about 1820 by farmer William Nichols, this brick house sits on a low, wooded rise along Pittsfield Road in the hill town of Richmond, Massachusetts. It is two and a half stories tall with a gabled front, a brick kitchen ell, and marble lintels and sills. The south entry has a Federal-style surround with a fanlight and beaded marble keystone. Inside, the side-hall plan, original woodwork, mantels, and the kitchen fireplace and bake oven survive. A greenhouse added in 1985 replaced an earlier clapboard ell. The house is listed as a well-preserved example of the shift from Federal to Greek Revival style and as one of only two period brick houses in town. The Nichols family lived here year-round until 1925. The 2.2-acre lot is what remains of a 103-acre farm, and the property may also hold archaeological remains from earlier occupation.","period_of_significance":"1820","architect_builder":"William Nichols","architectural_style":"Late Federal with Greek Revival features (transitional Federal/Greek Revival)","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Occupied as a private residence and vacation home; restored by the present owners after sitting empty and neglected following the 1940s. A greenhouse addition was built in 1985.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:01.816475-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/64/7941/63794164/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/87001997.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/87001997/72468fc745-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/87001997/72468fc745-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Magicpiano","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:RichmondMA_NicholsSternerHouse.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Magicpiano</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:RichmondMA_NicholsSternerHouse.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63794164","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nichols%E2%80%93Sterner_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7026548"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/berkshire-county/nichols-sterner-house-87001997/"}