Hapgood, Richard, House
Why it's listed
Built in 1889 at 382-392 Harvard Street in Cambridge, this wood-frame building holds six apartments but is designed to look like a single large Queen Anne house. Architects J.R. and W.P. Richards gave it a projecting center tower, two lower side gables with projecting bays, turned porch posts, an irregular roofline and variegated shingles. Entrances for the six units are grouped around the center pavilion and on the end walls. The building is recognized for two reasons. Architecturally, it shows an imaginative use of the Queen Anne style on a multi-family house. Historically, it reflects a change in Cambridge housing after the 1870s, when scarce building sites and rising construction costs and taxes limited options for lower- and middle-class residents. Multi-unit dwellings became the answer, and this house was among the first and most ingenious examples. It remains in residential use, with no major alterations recorded and no history of being moved.
Significance in brief: The nomination cites its imaginative use of the Queen Anne style on a multi-family building (Criterion C). It also marks Cambridge's shift from single-family dwellings toward multi-unit housing (Criterion A). It was described as among the first and most ingenious solutions to the housing pressures of the period.
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 86001284, listed May 19, 1986. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 382--392 Harvard St., Cambridge |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | May 19, 1986 |
| Reference number | 86001284 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | J.R. & W.P. Richards |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Present use is residential; the form reports no major alterations and says the building has not been moved. |
| Acreage | 0.2 |
| Coordinates | 42.37129, -71.11296 (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 86001284.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7326257
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.