{"nrhp_refnum":"89002443","name":"Larson, Swan, Three-Decker","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"12 Summerhill Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Worcester","county":"Worcester County","state":"MA","lat":42.30570916500005,"lon":-71.79852543599998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1990-02-09","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Community Planning and Development","European","Architecture","Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-decker multi-family house at 12 Summerhill Avenue in the Greendale section of northern Worcester, Massachusetts, built around 1918 and possibly designed by Swan Larson.","why_significant":"It is tied to the early 20th century development of Greendale as a streetcar suburb for families working at the Norton Company and other nearby factories. It is also an unusually well-preserved and well-detailed example of Colonial Revival three-decker design. The area was a focus for Worcester's Swedish immigrant community.","narrative":"Built around 1918 at 12 Summerhill Avenue in Worcester's Greendale neighborhood, this three-decker reflects the growth of a streetcar suburb filled with multi-family housing. Nearby factories, especially the Norton Company, employed many residents, and the area was a major center for the city's Swedish immigrant community. The first known owner was Swan Larson, a carpenter who lived at 6 Summerhill Avenue and owned four other houses nearby. Early tenants included Norton Company foremen, a bank teller, a carpenter, a fireman and a clerk. Architecturally, the house is an unusually well-preserved local example of Colonial Revival design, with a hip roof, side-hall plan, wood clapboard and shingle bands between stories. A projecting three-tier porch with a pedimented-gable portico, three-story bay windows, 6/1 and 4/1 sash and a bracketed cornice add detail. Its integrity and its link to Greendale's suburban development support its listing under criteria A and C at the local level.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Possibly Swan Larson","architectural_style":"Colonial Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Condition is described as excellent; present use is residential. The first-floor porch was enclosed in the mid-20th century.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:03.592163-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/9/7933/63793309/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/89002443.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/89002443/cf0de2207d-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/89002443/cf0de2207d-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"User:Magicpiano","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:WorcesterMA_SwanLarsonThreeDecker.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:WorcesterMA_SwanLarsonThreeDecker.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63793309","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swan_Larson_Three-Decker","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7653476"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/worcester-county/larson-swan-three-decker-89002443/"}