Slowey, Patrick, House
Why it's listed
The house at 73 Bolton Street in North Cambridge was built in 1852 for Patrick Slowey, a laborer. It is a single-story wood-frame cottage raised on a high basement, designed in a transitional style that blends Greek Revival and bracketed Italianate features. Details include a projecting cornice from the 1850s, a simple pendent hood added around the 1860s, and original clapboard siding. The building sits about six feet from the street on a lot with roughly 44 feet of frontage. Local surveyors regarded it as a typical North Cambridge workers cottage and the best surviving example in Northwest Cambridge of that original housing type. It is the only one of its kind to keep its original siding and shutters, and it is described as unaltered and unmoved. Because the type may be unique to North Cambridge and this is the only example in unchanged condition, it was recognized as an important remaining example of modest nineteenth-century working-class housing. It remains in residential use.
Significance in brief: It is considered the best example in Northwest Cambridge of an original workers cottage and the only one retaining its original siding and shutters. It represents a housing type that may be unique to North Cambridge and is the only one in unchanged condition. The reviewer recommended listing under Criterion C as an important remaining 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 82001977, listed April 13, 1982. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 73 Bolton St., Cambridge |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | April 13, 1982 |
| Reference number | 82001977 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival/Italian Bracketed (transitional Greek Revival-Bracketed Italianate) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Present use is residential; the form states the building is unaltered and has not been moved. |
| Acreage | 1 |
| Coordinates | 42.39021, -71.13182 (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 82001977.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7147655
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.