{"nrhp_refnum":"90001564","name":"Framingham Centre Common Historic District","other_names":[],"category":"district","location":{"address":"Roughly centered on Framingham Centre Common, between MA 9 and I-90","address_restricted":false,"city":"Framingham","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.30451250000007,"lon":-71.4346569550874,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1990-10-25","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Community Planning and Development","Commerce","Transportation","Politics/Government","Architecture","Religion"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A roughly 98-acre historic district in the center of Framingham, Massachusetts, built around the Centre Common, with surrounding residential, civic, religious and institutional buildings, a cemetery, and a small commercial area on its southern edge.","why_significant":"The district is significant for the Common and the 19th and 20th century buildings gathered around it, along with individual buildings of high quality. It shows both diversity and coherence of style. Two themes stand out: the effects of transportation on the Centre, and the continuity of its buildings through moving, adaptive reuse and remodeling.","narrative":"Framingham Centre Common is the historic heart of Framingham, Massachusetts. Set aside in 1735 as grazing land and the site of a meetinghouse and training field, the green is now a U-shaped open space ringed by churches, a library, a school and houses. The district covers about 98 acres and includes 46 contributing buildings, along with structures, sites and objects. Its architecture runs from Georgian and Federal houses through Greek Revival, Gothic Revival, Italianate and High Victorian Gothic buildings, and many were later altered with Colonial Revival detailing. Notable buildings include the 1834 Village Hall with its two colossal Doric porticoes, the 1837 Framingham Academy in rubble masonry, the 1872 Memorial Library and the 1885 Edgell Memorial Chapel. Many buildings were moved, remodeled or reused, and road widening in the 20th century reshaped the southern edge. The district's mix of styles and its continuity of use give it lasting significance.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Dexter Esty; Solomon Willard; Dexter Hemenway; Charles M. Baker; Alexander Rice Esty; W. Frank Hurd; William A. Rice; Arland A. Dirlam","architectural_style":"Georgian, Federal, Greek Revival, Gothic Revival, Italianate, High Victorian Gothic, Richardsonian Romanesque, Colonial Revival and Neo-Colonial","criteria":[],"status_note":"Most buildings are described as in good repair; some are adaptively reused, including a museum, an office building and commercial uses.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:04.348715-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/98/7956/63795698/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/90001564.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/90001564/8202d02d9e-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/90001564/8202d02d9e-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Jerem43 at English Wikipedia","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fram_common.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Jerem43 at English Wikipedia</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fram_common.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63795698","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Framingham_Centre_Common_Historic_District","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5478010"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/framingham-centre-common-historic-district-90001564/"}