Sanger, Richard, III, House
Why it's listed
Located at 60 Washington Street in Sherborn, this 2½-story gambrel-roofed house was built, according to local tradition, around 1734. Richard Sanger III bought the land that year from the heirs of John Hull, mintmaster of the colony. Sanger came from a prominent family whose blacksmithing business began in 1689. He inherited a sizable fortune in 1731 and increased it through trade and real estate speculation in Boston, Maine and Sherborn. He was one of only a few townspeople to own slaves in the 18th century, and he also built a tavern on the Boston-Hartford stage route, since lost. Architecturally, the five-bay facade has 9/6 sash windows and an off-center doorway under a triangular pediment. A large lean-to was added in 1775, and a sympathetic ell was built in the 1960s. It is the only house of its type in Sherborn and retains its setting, materials and workmanship.
Significance in brief: It is described as the only gambrel-roofed house with a lean-to in Sherborn and is in a fine state of preservation. It is also tied to the locally prominent Sanger family, and Richard Sanger III was a wealthy trader and landowner who owned slaves.
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 86000508, listed January 3, 1986. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 60 Washington St., Sherborn |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | January 3, 1986 |
| Reference number | 86000508 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Georgian |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Exploration/Settlement, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Present use is residence; described as in a fine state of preservation, with a 1961 north addition and 20th-century outbuildings. |
| Acreage | 6 |
| Coordinates | 42.23584, -71.37941 (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 86000508.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7328886
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.