{"nrhp_refnum":"95000662","name":"Wilder Street Historic District","other_names":[],"category":"district","location":{"address":"284--360 Wilder St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Lowell","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.636435006000056,"lon":-71.33172834939427,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1995-05-26","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Community Planning and Development"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A linear residential historic district along both sides of Wilder Street in the Highlands section of Lowell, Massachusetts, about 525 feet long and 2.48 acres, with 29 contributing and 2 noncontributing buildings, mostly built in the 1870s and 1880s.","why_significant":"The district is argued to be significant for architecture, as a cohesive streetscape of Italianate, Second Empire, Queen Anne, Stick Style and Colonial Revival homes with matching carriage houses. It is also significant for community planning and development, as an example of the speculative subdivision of former farmland in the Highlands by local businessman Charles H. Wilder for Lowell's growing middle class.","narrative":"Wilder Street, in the Highlands section of Lowell, Massachusetts, forms a compact residential district of 31 buildings along about 525 feet of roadway. Nearly all date from the 1870s and 1880s, when former farmland was subdivided by provisions dealer Charles H. Wilder and sold as house lots. Large homes on spacious west-side parcels sit opposite smaller houses on narrower east-side lots, reflecting speculative development. The houses show Italianate, Second Empire, Queen Anne and Stick Style design, with one Colonial Revival house from 1893. Notable examples include the Charles W. Wilder House, the Asa C. Russell House and the William Bascom House, whose Eastlake porch is described as probably the finest of its kind in Lowell. Many properties retain matching carriage houses. Of the 31 resources, 29 contribute to the district's character, and the buildings remain in good condition with modest alterations. The district illustrates how successful businessmen and the growing middle class settled in the Highlands once streetcar lines made the area accessible.","period_of_significance":"1870-1945","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Late Victorian: Italianate, Second Empire, Queen Anne, Stick Style; Late 19th & 20th Century Revivals: Colonial Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Properties are described as in good condition, with most showing only small changes; current use is single and multiple dwellings.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:03.646073-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/80/7957/63795780/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/95000662.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/95000662/9b218c316f-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/95000662/9b218c316f-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"User:Magicpiano","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:LowellMA_WilderStreetHD.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:LowellMA_WilderStreetHD.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63795780","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilder_Street_Historic_District","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q8001104"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/wilder-street-historic-district-95000662/"}