{"nrhp_refnum":"88000160","name":"Whitney, Israel, House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"963 Central Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Needham","county":"Norfolk County","state":"MA","lat":42.28786864600005,"lon":-71.25159268299996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1988-02-25","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Commerce","Exploration/Settlement","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A late Federal farmhouse with Greek Revival details at 963 Central Avenue in Needham, Massachusetts, built around 1830 by Israel Whitney on land bought from the First Parish Church.","why_significant":"The house is significant for its association with Israel Whitney, a long-serving Needham civic figure who started the town's first postal system from the house. It is also a well-preserved example of late Federal architecture, one of a handful surviving in Needham. Its size and quality set a standard for later residential building in the town center.","narrative":"Built around 1830 at 963 Central Avenue, this wood-frame farmhouse sits on a sloping lawn in Needham's original town center. Israel Whitney, a sexton, selectman, teacher, assessor and justice of the peace, bought two acres from the First Parish Church in 1829 and built the house there. The main block is five bays wide and side-gabled, with a central Greek Revival entrance, 6/6 windows and twin rear chimneys. A 1 1/2-story north ell served as Whitney's cobbler shop and as the town post office from 1839 to 1846, making the house the origin of Needham's first postal system. A 2 1/2-story rear addition was built in 1953, and the original barn survives behind it. Inside, the main block keeps its original woodwork, mantels and wide pine floors. The house is valued for its association with Whitney and as one of the few surviving Federal houses in Needham. It also set a size and quality standard for neighboring homes, including the nearby Davis Mills House.","period_of_significance":"1830-1847","architect_builder":"Whitney, Israel","architectural_style":"Federal; Greek Revival","criteria":["B","C"],"status_note":"Still used as a single-family dwelling, with a 1953 rear addition and the original barn attached by a breezeway.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:00.010316-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/50/7962/63796250/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/88000160.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/88000160/1ebe7a7b7f-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/88000160/1ebe7a7b7f-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"User:Magicpiano","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NeedhamMA_IsraelWhitneyHouse.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_IsraelWhitneyHouse.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63796250","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel_Whitney_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6087295"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/norfolk-county/whitney-israel-house-88000160/"}