{"nrhp_refnum":"89001608","name":"Howe Building","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"208 Middlesex St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Lowell","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.64056490200005,"lon":-71.31233533699998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1989-10-12","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Commerce","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 3 1/2-story brick mixed-use block at 208 Middlesex Street in Lowell, Massachusetts, built in 1883 by John F. and Henry C. Howe. It has four retail storefronts on the ground floor and 24 residential rooms above.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is a well-detailed example of Lowell's late 19th century commercial architecture, combining Queen Anne and Romanesque Revival elements. It also reflects the 1880s economic boom and the need for housing for mill workers downtown. It was built by a local contracting and lumber firm active in the city's industrial and commercial development.","narrative":"Built in 1883 on the south side of Middlesex Street in Lowell, this brick block combines ground-floor shops with 24 rooms for rent on the upper floors. John F. and Henry C. Howe, brothers in a family lumber and contracting business that worked mostly on mills, built it on a granite foundation under a slate mansard roof. Four cast iron storefronts line the street level. The most prominent feature is a central stepped-gable dormer with a round-arch opening and carved sunflower motifs, which gives the facade its Queen Anne character. Corbelled pilaster strips add Romanesque Revival touches. Early commercial tenants included livery and carriage businesses and a grocery, while residents likely worked in nearby textile mills; the 1917 directory lists 20 residents. The building keeps its original plan, stair and interior trim. It is listed for its architecture and for what it shows about commercial and housing development along Middlesex Street in the 1880s. A certified rehabilitation was underway at the time of listing.","period_of_significance":"1883-ca. 1930","architect_builder":"Howe Brothers","architectural_style":"Late Victorian: Queen Anne; Late Victorian: Romanesque Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Undergoing a certified rehabilitation and expected to continue as a rooming house.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:01.770418-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/72/7956/63795672/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/89001608.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/89001608/7ce8b5c09b-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/89001608/7ce8b5c09b-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Tim Pierce","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lowell_MA_Howe_Building.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Tim Pierce</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lowell_MA_Howe_Building.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63795672","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howe_Building","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5921535"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/howe-building-89001608/"}