Wisteria Lodge
Why it's listed
Wisteria Lodge, at 146 Summer Avenue in Reading, Massachusetts, is a clapboard house built in 1873 in the Second Empire style. Its features include a mansard roof with fish-scale slate, Italianate oriels, a porte cochère, incised and bossed brackets, twisted rope moldings on the cornerboards, and Eastlake designs above the windows of its two-story paired bays. The architect is unknown. Oscar Foote, a Vermont native who came to Boston in 1850, built it for his second wife. He was active in real estate and developed large parts of the Highlands. Foote tried to bottle mineral water from nearby springs, and the house became known as the Reading Highlands Mineral Spring House. The venture failed but gave Mineral Street its name. The house later operated briefly as the Summer Avenue House Hotel and has been called Wisteria Lodge since 1940. It was listed for its connection to the West Side real estate boom, to Foote, and as a fine local example of high-style Second Empire design.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is significant as a product of the 19th-century real estate boom on the West Side. It is also tied to Oscar Foote, a real estate developer and mineral-water entrepreneur. It is an excellent example of high-style Second Empire architecture in Reading and retains its integrity.
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 84002857, listed July 19, 1984. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 146 Summer Ave., Reading |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | July 19, 1984 |
| Reference number | 84002857 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Second Empire (High-style) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.52446, -71.06943 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary: it recognises significance and does not restrict what a private owner may do without federal money or permits. It unlocks the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit for income-producing buildings, state credits in many states, and Section 106 review when federal agencies are involved. See what listing means in practice.
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 84002857.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q8027751
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.