Brewer, Moses, House
Also known as: The Goulding House
Why it's listed
Moses Brewer House, at 88 Concord Road in Sudbury, Massachusetts, is a two-story clapboarded dwelling with a central chimney, lobby entrance and five-bay facade. It began as a late First Period double-cell house of about 1720-30, and a two-story leanto and Beverly jog were added later. In 1918 it was dismantled in Wayland and moved to Sudbury, where Leonard and Ruth Stevens Goulding restored it between 1919 and 1925. Its frame has longitudinal summer beams with quirk beading, and its original center stair is a transitional turned-baluster dog-leg that rises to the attic. Because the house was moved, earlier histories misdated it. Deed research suggests it may have stood on land in Wayland owned by Moses Brewer, who sold it in 1760. The frame and stairway show it is later than the 1639 or 1700 dates once claimed. The intact early framing and staircase support its listing for architecture, and Wallace Nutting praised the restoration in 1926.
Significance in brief: The house keeps an intact quirk-beaded frame from a late First Period or transitional house, along with its original turned-baluster dog-leg staircase. These features qualify it under Criterion C. It also matters for its 20th-century restoration, which Wallace Nutting praised in 1926 as "A Perfect 17th-Century Dwelling."
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 90000184, listed March 9, 1990. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 88 Concord Rd., Sudbury |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | March 9, 1990 |
| Reference number | 90000184 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | First Period |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Present use is residential; condition is described as good. The house was restored in 1925. |
| Acreage | 2.3 |
| Coordinates | 42.36759, -71.41401 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 90000184.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6915722
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.