Howe House
Why it's listed
Built in 1887 at 6 Appleton Street in Cambridge, this wood-shingled house was designed by the Boston firm Cabot and Chandler in a blend of Queen Anne and Shingle styles. It has a gambrel roof, an elongated hip dormer combined with a chimney stack, a broad overhang above the first floor and a symmetrical facade. The house was first built for the Howe family and has always been residential. Its main importance comes from Lois Lilley Howe (1864-1964), who lived there from 1889 until 1963. Howe was one of the first women to graduate from MIT's architecture program, organized the only all-woman architectural firm in early twentieth-century Boston, and in 1931 became the first woman elected a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects. She did not design this house, but it is tied to her most productive years designing homes, including at least 33 commissions in Cambridge. It was listed for its link to women's role in architecture and to Howe herself.
Significance in brief: The house was the lifelong home of Lois Lilley Howe from 1889 to 1963. Howe was among the first women to graduate in architecture from MIT, led an all-woman architectural firm, and was the first woman elected a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects. The nomination cites Criterion A for the role of women in architecture and Criterion B for the association with Howe, although she did not design the house.
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 83000811, listed June 30, 1983. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 6 Appleton St., Cambridge |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | June 30, 1983 |
| Reference number | 83000811 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Cabot and Chandler (Cabot & Chandler) |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne/Shingle |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as residential use; the form records it as unaltered and not moved. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.37794, -71.13323 (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 83000811.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5921558
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.