Gardner, Addington, House
Why it's listed
Addington Gardner House, at 128 Hollis Street in Sherborn, is a 2 1/2-story, five-bay clapboarded farmhouse organized around a central chimney. It dates to about 1730 and was probably built by Addington Gardner, who came to Sherborn around that time. The house is now two rooms deep, though it may originally have been one room deep. Its main facade has a block modillion cornice and a Colonial Revival door surround with a projecting pediment. A one-story ell was added about 1800, with a carriage shed attached. Inside, quirk-beaded longitudinal summer beams on both floors combine with early Second Period finish, including bolection molding and raised-field paneling at the fireplaces, to support the c. 1730 date. The second-floor summer beams are an unusual framing choice in Massachusetts. The Gardner family farmed the land until 1911, when it was sold to dairy farmer Ward J. Parks, which makes the property an example of multi-generation New England family farms.
Significance in brief: It keeps its location, materials and workmanship in a surviving transitional First Period frame, making it eligible under Criterion C. Its second-floor longitudinal summer beams are an unusual Massachusetts framing option worth further study. Its long Gardner family ownership also illustrates the multi-generation family farms of New England.
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 90000179, listed March 9, 1990. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 128 Hollis St., Sherborn |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | March 9, 1990 |
| Reference number | 90000179 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Probably built by Addington Gardner; architect unknown |
| Architectural style | Late First Period (transitional) |
| Criteria |
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| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Present use is residence; condition described as fair. |
| Acreage | 2.3 |
| Coordinates | 42.21636, -71.39818 (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 90000179.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4681180
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.