House at 11 Beach Street
Why it's listed
Built between 1880 and 1889 on Beech Street in Reading, this modest Queen Anne house with Stick-style details was put up on speculation, along with an identical neighbor. Emily Ruggles, a well-known townswoman, had both built. She ran a dry goods store called Ruggles' Bazaar, later opened a real-estate business, and in 1875 bought a large tract of land off Green Street, hoping to profit as Reading shifted from farming to suburban living. Most of her ventures were unsuccessful. The house has a gable-end, side-hall plan, a high brick foundation on a mounded site, fish-scale shingles, a Stick-style gable screen and a plain entrance porch with mass-produced balusters. A rear extension suits the long, narrow lot. Later occupant Oscar Lowande, a circus performer who toured Cuba, lived here with his family from 1903. The house is valued for its link to speculative development, to Ruggles, and for its architecture.
Significance in brief: The house is significant as part of the speculative real-estate ventures common in mid- to late 19th-century Reading. It is also tied to businesswoman Emily Ruggles and is an example of a modest Queen Anne residence. It retains integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship and feeling.
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 84002659, listed July 19, 1984. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 11 Beach St., Reading |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | July 19, 1984 |
| Reference number | 84002659 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Stick-Queen Anne |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Commerce, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Alterations include a rear extension and an enclosed porch; the Lowande family has lived in the house since 1903. |
| Acreage | 0.5 |
| Coordinates | 42.52200, -71.09564 (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 84002659.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5913903
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.