Hutchinson-Blood House
Why it's listed
Built around 1840 on Main Street in Winchester, Massachusetts, this two-and-a-half story clapboard house with a gable roof shows how local domestic design moved from the Federal style to the Greek Revival. Its form and plan remain close to Federal predecessors, but the six-over-six window sash and the trabeated entrance are Greek Revival in character. Builder John H. Coats put up the house for his wife's parents, Samuel and Lucetta Hutchinson, on the site of an earlier house owned by Zachariah Symmes, opposite the former Black Horse Tavern. Coats built at least a dozen houses along Main Street in the 1840s and 1850s, including the neighboring Hovey-Winn House. The house went up as the Boston & Lowell Railroad, completed in 1835, helped turn Winchester from scattered farms into a busier commercial town. Lucetta Hutchinson lived here until 1896, and her daughter Lydia and son-in-law Cyrus Blood also lived in the house. It retains part of its original grounds and remains a dwelling in excellent condition.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is a well-preserved example of a vernacular Greek Revival farmhouse that shows the gradual shift from Federal to Greek Revival styles. It is also one of several local examples of John H. Coats's work, and it keeps part of its original grounds, evoking its early setting. It meets Criterion C.
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 89000615, listed July 5, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 394--396 Main St., Winchester |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | July 5, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89000615 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | John H. Coats, builder |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition listed as excellent; present use is a dwelling. |
| Acreage | 1 |
| Coordinates | 42.44842, -71.13465 (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 89000615.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5950627
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.