{"nrhp_refnum":"89000630","name":"Ayer, Thomas, House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"10 Grove St. (formerly 8 Grove St.)","address_restricted":false,"city":"Winchester","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.44216853700004,"lon":-71.13686759599995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1989-07-05","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Community Planning and Development","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A single-family Italianate house at 8 Grove Street in Winchester, Massachusetts, built circa 1854 by Thomas Prentiss Ayer. It sits on a suburban lot of about 0.81 acres with a carriage house.","why_significant":"It is presented as a well-detailed, conservatively designed Italianate house built at the start of upper and middle class suburban development in Winchester. It is also tied to the Ayer family, who were prominent local citizens in the second half of the nineteenth century. Thomas Ayer held several town offices and civic roles.","narrative":"Built around 1854 at 8 Grove Street in Winchester, this Italianate house reflects the first wave of suburban growth in the town, when prosperous Boston businessmen settled along the early road to Medford. It has a rectangular plan, a symmetrical five-bay facade, and a gable roof with its ridge parallel to the street. Paired brackets decorate the eaves, two brick chimneys rise from the ridge, and the six-over-six windows have projecting lintels and sills. Its landscaped grounds and carriage house are typical of such estates. Thomas Prentiss Ayer came to Winchester around 1850 and became active in local affairs. He presided over a Civil War town meeting on raising military quotas, served on water supply and town hall committees, was second president of the Winchester Savings Bank, sat on the Board of Selectmen in 1861-62, and became a state representative in 1880. His brother Albert lived nearby on Brooks Street.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Thomas Prentiss Ayer (builder); architect unknown","architectural_style":"Italianate","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Listed in excellent condition; present use is as a dwelling. The full-width open porch was removed and a later Colonial Revival entrance porch was added.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:01.199264-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/59/7917/63791759/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/89000630.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/89000630/0a2c8e389c-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/89000630/0a2c8e389c-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"User:Magicpiano","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:WinchesterMA_ThomasAyerHouse.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:WinchesterMA_ThomasAyerHouse.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63791759","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Ayer_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7787220"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/ayer-thomas-house-89000630/"}