South Reading Academy
Why it's listed
Built around 1828-1829, this two-story Federal-style building at 7 Foster Street in Wakefield began as an academy for young men and doubled as the meeting house of the First Baptist Church and Society. It was reportedly only the eighth Baptist academy established in the country. Its original site was on Academy Hill, but it was moved to Foster Street in 1891-92. The town bought it in 1847 for $2,200 and used it as a school until 1871. Later it served as a GAR post, a Methodist church, and a meeting hall for the Fraternal Order of Eagles, then became a restaurant in the 1970s, when a fire destroyed much of the interior. It has since been restored for commercial use. The building is three bays wide and seven bays long, with a gable roof, shingled pediment, six-over-six windows and a recessed entry with an unusual Federal keystone motif.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it a nearly intact early 19th-century school building adapted from a residential form. It served as one of the earliest Baptist academies in the country, and later had many public uses, making it a Wakefield landmark. It is nominated at the local level under exception C.
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 89000713, listed July 6, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 7 Foster St., Wakefield |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | July 6, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89000713 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Adam Wiley & his father |
| Architectural style | Federal |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition listed as fair/good; recently restored for reuse as a commercial building, with present use given as office. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.50307, -71.07152 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
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 89000713.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7568291
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.