Brooks, Jonathan, House
Why it's listed
Jonathan Brooks House is a 2½-story gambrel-roofed frame house at the junction of High and Woburn Streets in Medford, facing Judkins Square. Built between about 1781 and 1791, it appears to have been added onto an earlier cottage whose framing and an oversized chimney base survive on the south side. The facade is five bays wide with a small enclosed entrance porch, and wood shingles added in the mid-nineteenth century cover much of the exterior. Inside, raised panel walls, six-panel doors, window seats and two Federal mantels remain. Two ells extend from the main block. The house matters as one of the few eighteenth-century dwellings left in Medford and for its link to the Brooks family, who owned much of West Medford. Jonathan Brooks, a tanner, bought it in 1791, and his son Charles, a local historian and educational reformer, later owned it. It has stayed in the family since 1781.
Significance in brief: It is one of the few surviving eighteenth-century houses in Medford and has a long association with the locally dominant Brooks family. It keeps most of its original fabric, inside and under later siding. Charles Brooks, a local historian and educational reformer, is tied to the house, which is a well-known local landmark.
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 75000270, listed June 26, 1975. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 2 Woburn St., Medford |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | June 26, 1975 |
| Reference number | 75000270 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1781-1791 |
| Architectural style | Colonial Georgian |
| Areas of significance | Industry, Exploration/Settlement, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition listed as excellent and altered; still owned and occupied as a private residence by members of the Brooks family. |
| Acreage | 0.1 |
| Coordinates | 42.42189, -71.12342 (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 75000270.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6272650
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.