Moore House
Why it's listed
Located at 85 Walnut Street in Winchester, Massachusetts, this 1½-story clapboard house was built in the 1840s, judging by its style. It remains a dwelling. A slightly asymmetrical five-bay facade is centered on a double-leaf entry beneath a flat-roofed porch with a decorative valance. Three steeply pitched gabled wall dormers sit on the roof, and sawn vergeboards with acorns at the peaks highlight the dormers and side gables. A squat mansard tower and a mansard addition, added around the 1870s, rise from the rear. The house is regarded as an unusual local example of Gothic Revival design and resembles period cottages in Newton and the Abijah Thompson House. Little is known of its early history. George D. Moore, a carpenter and builder, lived here with Frances and Abbie Moore from 1865 to 1931 and may have built it. The house also reflects early residential growth east of the town center.
Significance in brief: It is considered an unusual example of Gothic Revival style, with three steeply pitched gabled wall dormers, sawn vergeboards and a mansard-roofed tower at the rear. It also reflects early residential development east of the town center as the population began to climb rapidly.
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 89000620, listed July 5, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 85 Walnut St., Winchester |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | July 5, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89000620 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | George D. Moore (?builder) |
| Architectural style | Gothic Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition is listed as good; present use is dwelling, the same as the original use. |
| Acreage | 0.2 |
| Coordinates | 42.45122, -71.12976 (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 89000620.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6908175
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.