BlockThe nomination, in full
Bibliography, boundary description, and the people who prepared and reviewed the nomination.
FORM B - BUILDING MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION 294 Washington Street, Boston, MA 02108 Area B Form no. 85A Reading 11 Beech Street Name -- inse ginal dwelling sent dwelling p: X] Private individual Private organization Public iginal owner_ Emily Ruggles location 1n relaton v3c cross streets and other buildings or geographical features. Indicate north. TION: DateC. 1880-1889 Source map 1889 Style Stick-Oueen Anne Architect Exterior wall fabric clapboards, shingles Outbuildings Major alterations (with dates)_rear extension; porch enclosed Moved no Date Approx. acreage_ 13,250 sq. ft.
Setting_ On a slight, manmade rise Recorded by Architectural Preservation Associates Organization Reading Historical Date CommissionLU November 30, 1980 Date 2/16/84 19/327820/4709640 (Staple additional sheets here) ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE (describe important architectural features and evaluate in terms of other buildings within community) This house, and the identical one next to it, were built on speculation. It is a modest Queen Anne residence, whose design origins could be found in widely published builders' guides. It features the old gable-end, side-hall plan; it was added onto at the rear, because of the long, narrow lot. The house sits on a high brick foundation on a mounded site -- another practice carried over from Greek Revival building in Reading. Fish-scale patterned shingling and a Stick-style gable screen embellish the gable.
The entrance porch is modest, supported by thick, mass-produced balusters and railings. HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE (explain the role owners played in local or state history and how the building relates to the development of the community) Emily Ruggles, the speculator who had this house built, was a noted towns- She kept a dry goods store in the Lyceum Building, on the corner of Ash and Haven Streets, called Ruggles' Bazaar. It carried, besides dry Ruggles later opened a real- estate business in the same shop, and advertised regularly in the Chronicle. She thought of herself as a businessperson so completely that she paid for a substitute for Civil-War service. She also served as librarian for the Agricultural Association, formed in 1860.
Miss Ruggles attempted to take advantage of the rising land values that resulted from the shift of Reading from a predominately agricultural community to a suburban one. In 1875, she purchased all of the land off Green Street from the west side of Beech Street to the east side of Eaton Street, and from Lake Street beyond E1m. Her name appears on the 1889 map between two houses on plots no. 71 and 73. These were the first two houses of this later-extensive develop- ment, with the exception of Mrs. Elliot's house, which had been there before 1875. However, in general, Ruggles' real-estate ventures were unsuccessful, as population shifted in other directions. Oscar Lowande, whose family has lived here since 1903, was a circus per- former who gave local shows and toured Cuba in the first decades of this century. He owned a large circus barn, now demolished.
Lowande provided a circus performance for the gala Memorial Park work day in 1919. BIBLIOGRAPHY and/or REFERENCES 1889 map - Miss E. Ruggles (Emily) 1906 map - Oscar Lowande 1890 valuation book Chronicle, May 29, 1880; Apr. 28, 1899; Dec. 2, 1899 (obituary); Nov. 24, 1916 20M-2/80 INVENTORY FORM CONTINUATION -SHEET MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Office of the Secretary, Boston Commnity : Reading Property Name : Indicate each item on inventory form which is being continued below. Form No: B-85a -- CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION This house is significant (1) for its role in one of the speculative real-estate ventures so prevalent in mid- to late 19th-century Reading; (2) for its connection with colorful businesswoman Emily Ruggles; and (3) as an example of a modest Queen Anne residence.
It retains integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, and feeling, and meets Criteria A, B, and C of the National Register. Staple to Inventory form at bottom " (7-81) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form Continuation sheet Item number For NPS use only received 6l4/v7 date entered Page 5 44 Multiple Resource Area Thematic Group Name State Reading Multiple Resource Area Middlesex County, MASSACHUSETTS Nomination/Type of Review 41. House at 11 Beech Street Entered in the National Register Entered in the 42. House at 16 Mineral Street Nat1onal Register 43. House at 26 Center Avenue Entered in the National Begister 44. House at 42 Salem Street Entered in the National Register 45. House at 44 Temple Street Entered in the National Register Entered in the 46.
House at 57 Woburn Street Natlona? Registor 47. House at 17 Howard Street Entered in the National Register 48. House at 79-81 Salem Street Entered in the National Register 49. House at 129 High Street Entered in thia Hattone? Begister 50.
House at 199 Summer Avenue Entered in NAtLOpAL thia Begester Date/Signature täeeper AulusDzun 1/9/84 Attest {K eeper Attest teeper Attest feeper Attest tkeeper Attest feeper Attest tkeeper Attest Hkeeper Attest tkeeper Attest Hkeeper Attest AelvesByun 1/9/8 dloußyen 7/19/8 AeluuByan 2/19/8 AeluusByen 7/19/84 delmBgarlaten AelonByan 1/9/8 AulruaAzen +19/69 AliluusByun1119/9 AlelusByen 1119/5 WASO Form - 177 ("R" June 1984) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE Ry #84002659 NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES EVALUATION/RETURN SHEET House at 11 Beech Street (Reading MRA) Middlesex County MASSAC HUSETTS resubmission nomination by person or local government owner objection appeal Substantive Review: Lsample Reviewer's comments: - request Working No._JUN 4 1984 Fed. Reg. Date: <2 5185 Date Due:2/s 84- 7/19/82 Action: - ACCEPT - 7-19-8Y Entered in the __RETURN.
Nationel Registes REJECT_ Federal Agency: - -appeal -NR decision Recom./Criteria _ Reviewer Discipline. Date see continuation sheet Nomination returned for: _ - technical corrections cited below substantive reasons discussed below 1. Name 2. Location 3. Classification Category Ownership Public Acquisition 4. Owner of Property 5. Location of Legal Description 6. Representation in Existing Surveys Has this property been determined eligible? yes no 7. Description Condition excellent good fair deteriorated ruins unexposed Check one - unaltered altered Describe the present and original (if known) physical appearance summary paragraph completeness clarity alterations/integrity dates boundary selection Status Accessible Present Use Check one J original site moved date 8.
Significance Period Areas of Significance-Check and justify below Specific dates Statement of Significance (in one paragraph) Builder/Architect summary paragraph completeness clarity applicable criteria justification of areas checked relating significance to the resource context relationship of integrity to significance justification of exception other 1588 9. Major Bibliographical References 10. Geographical Data Acreage of nominated property Quadrangle name_ UTM References Verbal boundary description and justification 11. Form Prepared By 12. State Historic Preservation Officer Certification The evaluated significance of this property within the state is: national state local State Historic Preservation Officer signature date title 13.
Other Maps Photographs Other Questions concerning this nomination may be directed to _ Signed - Date Phone: _ Comments for any item may be continued on an attached sheet XX 29A QvS 5 21 50 29.12 EEN 4.0 90.0 4 5,420 .10 54.50 12.05 : 56.65 17,612 5,580 9 5665 JRT 12 18 53.70 167 103.23 20 125.50 6,215 6720 50 50 91.05 1,555 82.09 91.04 22 10,644 24 89.50 90.50 PLAT PLAT 66 TON EA 21 10,400* 51.50 61 80.of 131.0* 142 STREET 56.20 56.20 32 114.00 62 33 57.0 52.27 1,650°sg8d 34 157,996 9,554 13,106 105.00 59 60 5,527 85.35 K$ 4951 36.84 66.857 48.93 62 4.552g 63 71.21 95.30 G1.B5 61.85 12LS7 123.70 6,295 31 EATON 166.51 74.90 100. 22,887 138.10 6,515 30 132.50 STREET 35G194 9621 584 125.72 127.58 ATON 64 56.0 56.0 00 ü 366401 57 193.36 129.87 13,562 020 6,735 29% 376597 65 22.062. 13A.02.
136.50 56 6,955 28 141.30 8386816 7,396 150.26 197.94 138.40 839 4,542 122.25 7,640 55 7195 27g 155.15 148.A5 .40 2482 $ 54. 142.55 66 225 -7,453 26 I:041.7,231 7,848 159.0* 151.65 . 920z :42,7,439 1,986 53 25 150.85 4.021 59.16 52 67' 178.50 1243 7,646 3,978 5L LAKEVIEW 155.00 160.01 -105.0 50.0 7.936. 50 16.36 9.33 7,093 44 5,02.5 156.76 68 106.76 132.10 50.0 45 5.066(8 5318 49g 105.0t 48.55 57.0F 61.30 57 #B-85a 46 44,660 6,944 STREET .65 80.01 Map 67, 11 Beech St 6140 47 1983 Assessors Map Lot 29-30 66.0 48 2858 AVENUE 4512 Please refer to the map in the Multiple Property Cover Sheet for this property Multiple Property Cover Sheet Reference Number: 64000290