Durgin House
Why it's listed
Built in 1872 on a slight rise at the corner of King and Prospect Streets in Reading, this Italianate house was designed by an unknown architect for William F. Durgin. Durgin, a former teacher and newspaper editor, came to Reading in 1867 and commuted by railroad to work in Boston, like many businessmen who settled in the town then. The house has a cross-gable form, two side porches and a bay window on each gable end. Large paired brackets sit beneath the main eaves, and single brackets support the bay window roofs. The porches have chamfered posts on pedestals, incised scrolls and a bracketed, denticulate cornice. Above the eastern bay window, two tall round-headed windows are framed by pilasters and a pediment. After Durgin died in 1887, the house passed to William B. Livermore. In 1910 its owners were assessed for an auto house. The nomination values it as an intact, high-style example and as a commuter's home.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it one of Reading's finest surviving Italianate houses and an intact example of high-style Italianate architecture. It also represents the home of a railroad commuter, part of a wave of businessmen who lived in Reading and worked in Boston. An "auto house" assessed in 1910 is cited as a further point of interest.
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 84002574, listed July 19, 1984. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 66 Prospect St., Reading |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | July 19, 1984 |
| Reference number | 84002574 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Italianate |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Recorded as a dwelling in both original and present use, with no major alterations and no outbuildings. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.52228, -71.11939 (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 84002574.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5316440
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.