{"nrhp_refnum":"89000635","name":"Ayer, Albert, House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"8 Brooks St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Winchester","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.44161268300007,"lon":-71.13769977299995,"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 dwelling at 8 Brooks Street in Winchester, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, built circa 1865 in the Italianate style. The architect is unknown.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the house is a conservative, well-detailed example of Italianate architecture from the earliest period of suburban residential development in Winchester. It is also significant as the home of Albert Ayer, a prominent local citizen in the third quarter of the nineteenth century.","narrative":"Built around 1865 at 8 Brooks Street in Winchester, Massachusetts, this clapboard house reflects the town's first wave of suburban residential growth. It follows a rectangular plan with a five-bay facade and a gable roof whose ridge runs parallel to the street. Details typical of the Italianate style include wide corner boards, a full-width verandah with chamfered posts, six-over-six windows with projecting lintels and sills, a broad overhanging cornice and a round-headed window in the center gable. No major alterations are recorded, and the condition is excellent. The first owner, Albert Ayer, was active in local affairs through the second half of the nineteenth century. He served as selectman in several years, as Town Clerk from 1890 to 1898, as an assessor from 1862 to 1898, as a tax collector, and as a special policeman because of his pro-temperance views. His brother Thomas lived next door on Grove Street. Albert Ayer probably left the house around 1888, when he bought another nearby home.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Italianate","criteria":["B","C"],"status_note":"Still used as a dwelling; condition described as excellent, with no major alterations and a non-contributing garage.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:01.070788-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/57/7917/63791757/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/89000635.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/89000635/2bf0f4f3e9-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/89000635/2bf0f4f3e9-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"User:Magicpiano","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:WinchesterMA_AlbertAyerHouse.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_AlbertAyerHouse.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63791757","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Ayer_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4709667"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/ayer-albert-house-89000635/"}