{"nrhp_refnum":"89000755","name":"Wakefield Park","other_names":[],"category":"district","location":{"address":"Roughly Park Ave. between Summit Ave. and Chestnut St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Wakefield","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.50093400000006,"lon":-71.0851688643225,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1990-03-02","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Community Planning and Development","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Wakefield Park is a residential historic district of about 8 acres in Wakefield, Massachusetts, at the entrance to a planned suburban development laid out in 1888. It includes sixteen properties along Park Avenue plus a few on Chestnut Street, Clarina Street and Dell Avenue, built roughly 1880-1920.","why_significant":"The district is presented as an intact example of a speculative, planned residential subdivision from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It documents Wakefield's shift from an industrial town to an affluent Boston commuter suburb. Its houses show an eclectic blend of Colonial Revival, Shingle, Craftsman and other styles, and the form cites criteria A and B.","narrative":"Wakefield Park is a small residential district at the entrance to a planned suburb in Wakefield, Massachusetts. Developed from 1888 by J. S. Merrill, and later with partner Charles S. Hanks, the larger community covered almost 100 acres south of Cowdry's Hill. Lots were sold with deed restrictions to keep the area an upper-middle-class neighborhood, and it was marketed as a garden suburb. The listed portion covers about 8 acres, centered on a circular drive around a green space, with large lots, hilly wooded ground and mature trees. Its houses, mostly shingled, combine Colonial Revival, Shingle, Craftsman, Queen Anne and Tudor Revival features, and one building shows English Cottage styling. The district reflects Wakefield's change from a town of shoe, rattan and other industries into a railroad commuter suburb for Boston professionals. It was recognized for its architectural character and for documenting that suburban growth, and it remains largely intact.","period_of_significance":"1880-1920","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Colonial Revival, Shingle, Craftsman, Tudor Revival, Queen Anne, English Cottage (eclectic mix)","criteria":["A","B"],"status_note":"Residential use; general condition described as good, with few alterations and few modern intrusions. One later 20th-century house at 5 Park Avenue does not contribute. A building at 120 Chestnut Street is currently a temple.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:04.557036-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/80/7915/63791580/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/89000755.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/89000755/503423762d-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/89000755/503423762d-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 3.0","author":"John Phelan","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Park_Avenue,_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:Park_Avenue,_Wakefield_MA.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63791580","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wakefield_Park_Historic_District","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7961064"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/wakefield-park-89000755/"}