Frost, Robert, House
Why it's listed
Built in 1884 for John Brewster, this wood-frame rowhouse at 29-35 Brewster Street in Cambridge combines Queen Anne and Shingle style features. The form describes a rather traditional design with a small amount of Stick articulation, including detailed barge board and zig-zag turned posts. The building sits about fifteen feet from the street on a lot with roughly 28 feet of frontage, and records show it has been neither altered nor moved. It has always been residential. Its importance comes from its best-known resident, the poet Robert Frost (1874-1963), who lived here for the last two decades of his life. Frost won four Pulitzer Prizes for poetry marked by everyday language and home images drawn from rural New England. He was among the most honored poets of his lifetime, receiving more than forty honorary degrees, serving as a consultant in poetry to the Library of Congress, and receiving the Congressional Gold Medal in 1962.
Significance in brief: The house was the home of the poet Robert Frost (1874-1963) for the last two decades of his life. Frost won four Pulitzer Prizes, received more than forty honorary degrees, served as a consultant in poetry to the Library of Congress, and was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 1962.
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 82001941, listed April 13, 1982. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 29-35 Brewster St., Cambridge |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | April 13, 1982 |
| Reference number | 82001941 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne/Shingle |
| Areas of significance | Literature |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Present use is residential; the form says the building has not been altered or moved. |
| Acreage | 1 |
| Coordinates | 42.37868, -71.13228 (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 82001941.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7344554
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.