{"nrhp_refnum":"98001105","name":"Westford Center Historic District","other_names":[],"category":"district","location":{"address":"Roughly along Graniteville Rd., Main St., Lincoln St., and Depot St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Westford","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.582715000000036,"lon":-71.43530511261616,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1998-08-28","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Agriculture","Architecture","Community Planning and Development","Education"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A residential and civic historic district on Tadmuck Hill at the center of Westford, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, with buildings from the Colonial period through the Early Modern period, settled from the 1720s.","why_significant":"The district is argued to be significant under Criterion A for its association with 18th and 19th century town planning, and under Criterion C for the distinctive characteristics and high artistic values of its architecture. It forms a cohesive hilltop agricultural and civic village arranged around the town common on a radial street pattern. It retains integrity of design, setting, feeling and association.","narrative":"Westford Center is the residential and civic heart of Westford, Massachusetts, set on Tadmuck Hill, the town's highest point. Settlers, mainly from Chelmsford, began farming here in the 1720s, and a church was established in 1727. The district now holds 155 contributing buildings, structures, sites and objects, mostly wood-frame houses in styles from Colonial and Federal through Victorian and Colonial Revival. Civic landmarks include the 1794 First Parish Church, the 1793 Westford Academy (now a museum), the 1870 Town Hall, the 1895 J.V. Fletcher Library designed by H.M. Francis, and former schools now used as community centers. The triangular Common, bought by the town in 1748 as a militia training ground, became a park with monuments and was reshaped around 1919 by landscape architect Bremer Pond. The district was recognized for its town planning and its architecture, with a significance period running from about 1713 to 1948, when farming's profitability declined.","period_of_significance":"c. 1713-1948","architect_builder":"Carl V. Badger; H.M. Francis","architectural_style":"Colonial, Georgian, Federal, Greek Revival, Italianate, Second Empire, Stick, Queen Anne, Shingle, Richardsonian Romanesque, Colonial Revival, Bungalow/Craftsman, Tudor Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Buildings are generally well maintained and the district retains integrity; many civic buildings remain in use, including the town hall, library and church, and the former academy is a museum.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:04.505468-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/24/7955/63795524/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/98001105.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/98001105/ea5ada8501-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/98001105/ea5ada8501-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 3.0","author":"John Phelan","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fletcher_House_c1843,_Westford_Center,_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:Fletcher_House_c1843,_Westford_Center,_MA.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63795524","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westford_Center_Historic_District","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7988791"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/westford-center-historic-district-98001105/"}