Read, Cheney, House
Why it's listed
Built in 1846 for Cheney Read, this house at 135 Western Avenue in Cambridgeport is a Greek Revival residence with a striking two-story Ionic portico. The builder, William Hyde, placed a pretentious temple front on a house of otherwise ordinary dimensions. The result has some quirks: the door and window openings, framed with heavy Greek Revival trim, are not quite centered between the columns, and the pediment is unclassically steep, which gives more headroom in the attic. The entrance is framed by pilasters and a pedimented lintel. The exterior walls are now covered in asbestos siding, and the house sits on a lot of about one acre or less, roughly 15 feet back from the street. It has remained a residence since construction and has not been moved. It was listed because it is the only surviving Greek Revival house with a two-story portico in Cambridgeport, which makes it a rare local example of the style.
Significance in brief: It is described as the only surviving Greek Revival house with a two-story portico in Cambridgeport. The builder fitted an Ionic temple front onto a house of otherwise ordinary size. The reviewer recommended listing under Criterion C for this architectural example.
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 82001971, listed April 13, 1982. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 135 Western Ave., Cambridge |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | April 13, 1982 |
| Reference number | 82001971 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | William Hyde, builder |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Recorded as residential in present use; not altered or moved. |
| Acreage | 1 |
| Coordinates | 42.36507, -71.10838 (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 82001971.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5091185
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.