Hornblower, Edward, House and Barn
Why it's listed
This house at 200 Pleasant Street in Arlington, Massachusetts, probably dates to the 1830s and was moved to its present site in 1850. Its Greek Revival gable-end form was later layered with changes: flush boards across the main facade around 1850, then an Eastlakian entrance porch supporting a bay window, a low-pitched gable and a stick-style balustrade around 1870. Those changes probably date from the early 1870s occupancy of Edward Hornblower, a founder of the Boston brokerage firm Hornblower and Weeks. From 1876 to 1912 the house belonged to George Freeman, a Boston jeweler and Arlington Boat Club member. A small structure at the rear began as a barn built in 1805 for the Squire Whittemore House and was moved to this lot around 1850. Homes along Pleasant Street overlooking Spy Pond appealed to upper-middle-class commuters in the later 19th century. The property was listed for its well-detailed record of successive alterations and its link to Arlington's suburban growth.
Significance in brief: The house is an unusual blend of Greek Revival form with mid and late 19th-century Romantic Revival, Eastlakian and stick-style alterations made around 1870. It is also tied to Edward Hornblower, a Boston brokerage founder who lived there in the early 1870s. It represents Arlington's suburban development along Pleasant Street above Spy Pond.
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 85001035, listed April 18, 1985. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 200 Pleasant St., Arlington |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | April 18, 1985 |
| Reference number | 85001035 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival with Romantic Revival elements |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Present use is residential; the form notes the house was altered around 1870 and that both house and barn were moved. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.40843, -71.15942 (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 85001035.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5343503
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.