Mason, John, House
Why it's listed
Built around 1715 at 1303 Massachusetts Avenue in Lexington, this clapboarded house began as a modest three-bay, one-bay-deep dwelling and was later enlarged with a rear lean-to and a long ell added in several stages. Its exterior carries Greek Revival vernacular trim, and two rear chimneys replaced an earlier central chimney in the early 19th century. Inside, the southeast and southwest chambers preserve First Period framing with inch-wide quirked beads on plates, girts and longitudinal summer beams, a width matched in Lexington only by the Buckman Tavern. The attic holds thirteen sawn principal rafters, a late First Period roof type found mainly in Middlesex County and considered a source of information on regional framing practice. John Mason, who owned the site by 1706 and recorded the deed in 1714, served Lexington as constable, town clerk and selectman.
Significance in brief: The house retains integrity in its late First Period frame, which embodies distinctive characteristics of form and construction (Criterion C). It is one of four early 18th-century Lexington houses with quirk-beaded frames and has an all-principal-rafter roof, a late First Period variant found mainly in Middlesex County. It also has relatively rare longitudinal summer beams on the second floor.
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 90000172, listed March 9, 1990. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 1303 Massachusetts Ave., Lexington |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | March 9, 1990 |
| Reference number | 90000172 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | 1st Period core with Federal vernacular exterior (Greek Revival vernacular exterior trim noted in the description) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition is listed as good, and the house is in present residential use. |
| Acreage | 3.7 |
| Coordinates | 42.44133, -71.21441 (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 90000172.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6247083
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.