{"nrhp_refnum":"89000686","name":"Boardman, E., House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"34 Salem St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Wakefield","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.50872080500005,"lon":-71.06805449499996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1989-07-06","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story Federal-style dwelling at 34 Salem Street in Wakefield, Massachusetts, built in 1820 by contractor Elias Boardman and known locally as \"Boardman's Folly.\"","why_significant":"The nomination argues the house is an excellent, well-preserved example of high-style Federal design that reflects the Boston/Beacon Hill influence of its builder. It is described as one of the most high-style Federal houses in Wakefield. It meets criterion C at the local level.","narrative":"Built in 1820 at 34 Salem Street in Wakefield, Massachusetts, this three-story, five-bay Federal house was designed and built by contractor Elias Boardman. Local residents of what was then South Reading nicknamed it \"Boardman's Folly\" because they considered it too grand and extravagant for the town. The house has a hip roof, interior chimneys, clapboard walls and a granite block foundation. Ornament is concentrated at the center door, which has narrow pilasters, a full Doric entablature with modillion blocks, an elliptical leaded fanlight and three-quarter-length sidelights. The third-floor windows are smaller than those below, a typical Federal device. A rear ell, probably Greek Revival, was extended later, and the Palladian window came from a house in Groton. It is listed as a well-preserved, high-style Federal mansion reflecting Beacon Hill influence, and it remains a dwelling in fair condition.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Elias Boardman","architectural_style":"Federal","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Present use is a dwelling; condition is described as fair. A rear ell was added in the early 1900s and a garage is noncontributing.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:12:59.817031-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/35/7907/63790735/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/89000686.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/89000686/1168aa0078-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/89000686/1168aa0078-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 3.0","author":"John Phelan","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:E._Boardman_House,_Wakefield_MA.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">John Phelan</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:E._Boardman_House,_Wakefield_MA.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63790735","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E._Boardman_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5321755"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/boardman-e-house-89000686/"}