Nichols, James, House
Why it's listed
This small 1 1/2-story house at 273 Pearl Street in Reading was built about 1795 by James Nichols, a shoemaker who bought the land from another shoemaker. It has a gambrel roof on the front portion, a large center chimney, and a rear roofline extended as a saltbox. Clapboards cover the walls, and the door surround is very simple. A small house from Woburn Street was added in 1966. Few gambrel-roofed dwellings survive in Reading. Nichols probably made shoes for wholesale while farming his homestead. He was also at the center of a church dispute: excommunicated from the South Parish Church, he joined a church in the North Parish. Pearl Street was a major road north before the Andover-Medford Turnpike opened in 1806. Later owners included farmers who sold milk. The house is recognized as an early farm and shoemaking homestead, for its ties to the Nichols family, and as a rare local gambrel-roofed house.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is significant as an early farm and shoemaking homestead, for its link to the locally important Nichols family and to James Nichols, a religious dissident, and as one of the few gambrel-roofed houses left in Reading. It is said to retain 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 84002755, listed July 19, 1984. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 273 Pearl St., Reading |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | July 19, 1984 |
| Reference number | 84002755 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | James Nichols (original owner and builder, c. 1795) |
| Architectural style | Georgian vernacular |
| Criteria |
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| Areas of significance | Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Acreage | 0.5 |
| Coordinates | 42.53921, -71.10011 (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 84002755.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6140355
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.