Nomination for Cutter, Jefferson, House

From the form

The catalogue entry the section above was filed under.

8500102 NPS Form 10-900 (Rev. 8-86) United States Department of the Interior REOE OMB No. 1024-0018 09 1991 National Park Service National Register of Historic Places NATIONAL REGISTER Registration Form This form is for use in nominating or requesting determinations of eligibility for individual properties or districts. See instructions in Guidelines for Completing National Register Forms (National Register Bulletin 16). Complete each item by marking "x" in the appropriate box or by entering the requested information. If an item does not apply to the property being documented, enter "N/A"" for "not applicable." For functions, styles, materials, and areas of significance, enter only the categories and subcategories listed in the instructions. For additional space use continuation sheets (Form 10-900a). Type all entries. 1.

Name of Property historic name Jefferson Cutter House other names/site number 2. Location street & number city, town state Massachusetts 1 Whittemore Park Arlington code 025 county Middlesex code N/A N/A 017 not for publication vicinity zip code 02174 3. Classification Ownership of Property private X public-local public-State public-Federal Category of Property X building(s) district site structure object Name of related multiple property listing: Arlington MRA 4.

State/Federal Agency Certification Number of Resources within Property Contributing Noncontributing _ buildings sites 1 2 structures 6 _objects 2 8 Total Number of contributing resources previously listed in the National Register - NR 1984: moved 1989; delisted 1991 As the designated authority under the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended, I hereby certify that this < nomination [ _request for determination of eligibility meets the documentation standards for registering properties in the National Register of Historic Places and meets the procedural and professional requirements set forth in 36 CFR Part 60. In my opinion, the property meets does not meet the National Register criteria. See continuation sheet. 1127,91 Signature of certifying official Judith B.

McDonough, Executive Director Massachusetts Historical Commission, State Historic Preservation Officer State or Federal agency and bureau In my opinion, the property does not meet the National Register criteria. See continuation sheet. Signature of commenting or other official Date State or Federal agency and bureau 5. National Park Service Certification I, hereby, certify that this property is: entered in the National Register. See continuation sheet. determined eligible for the National Register. See continuation sheet. determined not eligible for the National Register. patti suge 1-23-92 removed from the National Register. other, (explain:) Sor signature of the Keeper Date of Action 6.

Function or Use Historic Functions (enter categories from instructions) Domestic/Single dwelling Jefferson Cutter House, Arlington, Massachusetts Current Functions (enter categories from instructions) Social/Meeting Hall; Civic Recreation/Exhibition Hall 7. Description Architectural Classification (enter categories from instructions) Early Republic/Federal Greek Revival Materials (enter categories from instructions) foundation walls roof other Granite Wood/Clapboard Cedar Shingle Describe present and historic physical appearance. The Jefferson Cutter House, listed individually in the National Register of Historic Places in 1984 as part of the Arlington Multiple Resource Area, was built in 1817, with its entryway updated in the 1830s.

It is a five-bay, 2 1/2-story structure with center entry, double interior chimneys set behind the ridge, 6/6 double-hung wood-sash windows, and Beverly jogs symmetrically arranged on either side of the main block. The entrywayand door are elaborately carved andremarkably well preserved. The entryway resembles plates found in Asher Benjamin's The Practice of Architecture (1833), and similar though not identical examples are found in nearby East Lexington. The entryway's pilasters are ornamented at the top with a curvilinear suggestion of Greek fretwork; they support a flat pediment. Two-thirds-length sidelights with delicate vertical muntins sit on a base ornamented with bold bullet molding.

The door itself is asymmetrically panelled and elaborately carved, displaying a group of vigorous, intersecting ellipses, horizontally arrayed, together with bullets of various sizes and quarter-round molding. The door may well be the work of owner Jefferson Cutter, who was a millwright and turner by trade; no similar examples have been identified. The interior remains relatively intact,with very limited alterations and renovations. Most of the doors retain original hardware, and much of the interior trim is original. The original fireplaces survive in both front and rear rooms. During the course of restoration (see below), samples of pattern painting were discovered in the rear room mantles and on the stairway; these were replicated in the restoration work. In 1989, the house was moved about two miles east to a new location near the Arlington Center Historic District (also NR 1984).

It was determined that relocation was the only way of preserving the building, as the original owners had other plans for the land on which it stood and would have otherwise demolished it. The new owners are the Arlington Redevelopment Board, a public body. See continuation sheet auman DEC 9 199| United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Jefferson Cutter House, Arlington, Massachusetts Section number _ 7 . Page _1 Its new site is a small triangle of public land, less than one acre, formed by che intersection of Massachusetts Avenue, Chestnut Street, and Mystic Street. It. 15 known today as Whittemore Park, and is designed to be the common public space that Arlington never before had--the house today forms the focal for the park.

The site is located just to the north of the Arlington Center Historic District, abutting the district boundary (see map). three hundred years, the land has held a succession of buildings, the first being the John Adams House (1652-1845). In 1845, the house was taken down to make room for the tracks of the Lexington and West Cambridge Branch Railroad. A fragment of the tracks, which once linked Arlington and points west to Cambridge and Boston, survives on the lot. A depot, Arlington's first train station, was erected on the site beside the tracks in 1846 and stood there until 1883. Also on the lot at one time was the Winslow/Peirce House, built. in 1846 by the owner of an adjacent coalyard.

The portion of the land south of the tracks became town owned in 1850; the emaining section, which held the Peirce House, was taken by the town 1n 1946, with the Peirce House demolished four years later. The coalyard behind the house also went to the town in 1946, and has served as a parking lot since that time. At one time, Adams Street divided the land that now contains Whittemore Park and the Cutter House into two portions. The street was abandoned and no visible trace of it survives. Also now standing on Whittemore Park are five (5) small placques detailing the one-acre lot's history, two (2) 20th century fences, and a 20th century monument. commemorating Revolutionary War hero Samuel Whittemore; the monument was moved to the newly formed park in 1989. With the exception of the fragment of railroad tracks, none of these elements are considered contributing.

In its original location, the Cutter House was sited close to Massachusetts Avenue, facing south; a turn-of-the-century photograph shows the building fronted by a wood picket fence with granite posts, although in more recent. - Ptrougn nare necentse decades, that had been replaced by densely planted and overgrown evergreen bushes. In its new setting, the building continues to face south onto Massachusetts Avenue, and new wood picket and granite post fence echoes the original. At the time of its listing in the National Register, the house was covered with aluminum siding, with an asphalt shingle roof; it was otherwise in sound but dilapitated condition. Previously a single-family and then a two-family residence, it had been unoccupied for three years and instead was used as storage space for its .owner, an automobile dealership.

Many of the windows and much of the exterior trim were in need of repair, as was the cornice over the front door. Before the move, a rear enclosed porch of ca. 1920 was Otherwise, the building was moved in its entirety, and was placed in site on the granite blocks that had formed its original foundation. After it was moved, the building was carefully restored with the help of a (continued) ai- man Unitec States Depertment Of the interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Jefferson Cutter House, Arlington, Massachusetts Section number _7 Page2 grant from the Massachusetts Historical Commission. The siding was removed to revea circular-sawn clapboards with Japped and skived joints. restored, and a new cedar-shingled roof was installed.

Most of the building's origina) fabric, including its fine door, required only minor repair and restoration; replacement in kind occurred only if deterioration was irreparable. A preservation restriction has been placed on the building. (continued) DEC 9 199| ao-man Untted States Department of the interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Jefferson Cutter House, Arlington, Massachusetts Section number _7 Page _ 3 Archaeological Description No prehistoric sites are recorded on the property or in the general area (within one mile). In general, the potential for significant archaeologica] remains, either prehistoric or historic is low because of the smal] Jot size and extensive historic-period development of the parcel dating from the seventeenth through the twentieth centuries.

There is a high potential for significant historic archaeological remains on the property. Structura) remains may survive from the 17th century John Adams House (1652), Arlington's first train station (1846), and the Wins]ow/Peirce louse (1846), all built and no longer extant on the same one-acre lot. Structural remains of outbuildings and occupational-related features (trash butidingivies, wel1s) also Tikely survive associated with each of these Engineering features, including the railroad bed for the Lexington and West Cambridge Branch Railroad, also likely survive on the property. (end) DEC 9 1991 Jefferson Cutter House, Arlington, Massachusetts 8. Statement of Significance

Statement of significance

Certifying official has considered the significance of this property in relation to other properties: nationally statewide [X locally Applicable National Register Criteria X D Criteria Considerations (Exceptions) G Areas of Significance (enter categories from instructions) Architecture Period of Significance 1817-1941 9 199| DEC Significant Dates ca. 1830 Cultural Affiliation N/A Significant Person N/A Architect/Builder Unknown State significance of property, and justify criteria, criteria considerations, and areas and periods of significance noted above. The Jefferson Cutter House, Arlington, is a well-preserved example of the five-bay, double-pile, Federal period house with double interior chimneys.It retains many original details and is unique in Arlington for its finely carved entryway (perhaps inspired by Asher Benjamin plates) and its symmetrical Beverly jogs.

The building continues to retain integrity of design, materials, workmanship, and feeling in its new location, and to fulfil Criterion C of the National Register of Historic Places on the local level, as well as Exception B. Constructed two miles north of its present site in 1817, the house was moved to Arlington Center in 1989 after it was determined that relocation was the only means of preserving the building. The house now abuts the Arlington Center Historic District, a district representing the historic and present-day institutional, commercial, and residential core of Arlington. The district includes a mix of building types and styles, with many dating to the early decades of the 19th century. The Cutter House complements the district's character, significance, and integrity.

In its original location, the house held historical associations with Jefferson Cutter and the Cutter family, holders of mill priveleges on nearby Mill Brook. The family had settled in the area in 1692. Jefferson Cutter and his brother, Gershom, built several early houses in Arlington, of which this is the best preserved example. Cutter worked as a millwright, turner, and edgetool maker during his career. His mill dam privelege passed ultimately to the Theodore Schwamb Company. Because it no longer retains association with its original site near the Mill Brook, the house no longer meets Criterion A, one of the criteria under which it was originally listed. The Cutter House presently houses public meeting and exhibition space, as well as the offices of the Arlington Chamber of Commerce. X See continuation sheet Jefferson Cutter House, Arlington, Massachusetts 9.

The rest of the file

Bibliography, boundary description, and the people who prepared and reviewed the nomination.

Major Bibliographical References Reinhardt, Elizabeth W. and Anne A. Grady, "Asher Benjamin in East Lexington, Massachusetts", Old-Time New England, Winter-Spring 1977, pgs 23-35 Also: See Arlington MRA and Arlington Town Center Historic District. Previous documentation on file (NPS): preliminary determination of individual listing (36 CFR 67) has been requested previously listed in the National Register previously determined eligible by the National Register designated a National Historic Landmark recorded by Historic American Buildings Survey # recorded by Historic American Engineering Record # 10.

Geographical Data Less than one acre Acreage of property UTM References A [1,9] 1312,218 2,0 Zone Easting 14,619,719,2,0 Northing See continuation sheet Primary location of additional data: X State historic preservation office Other State agency Federal agency Local government University Other Specify repository: Massachusetts Historical Commission B D Zone Easting Northing See continuation sheet Verbal Boundary Description See assessor's map See continuation sheet Boundary Justification Included in the boundary is the land known today as Whittemore Park, where the Jefferson Cutter House has been since its 1989 relocation. See continuation sheet 11.

Form Prepared By name/title Betsy Friedberg, National Register Director organization _ Massachusetts Historical Commission street & number 80 Boylston Street city or town Boston date November 1991 telephone _ (617) 727-8470 state Massachusetts zip code 02116 =o- man NationSPark Drvsement of the interior National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number. 8 Jefferson Cutter House, Arlington, Massachusetts Page - The building's original setting had been severely compromised in recent decades. The western end of Massachusetts Avenue, where the house was located, was historically semi-rural in character, its lands supporting smal] farms. A turn-of-the-century photograph of the Cutter House shows crops being cultivated in fields behind the house.

But in the mid 20th century, as Massachusetts Avenue, always an important thoroughfare, became even more Dne pyrel or es a one ocre, had rcone surn ne on n e sie y ene enterprises, both large and small scale. of the largest car dealerships in the area. The dealership, owner of the Cutter House, announced plans to take down the house in order to expand their commercial space. With their cooperation, however, the building's ownership passed to the town of Arlington and a new site was It was moved to its new location in 1989. While the present location does not replicate the house's original site, it echoes its placement and orientation on the lot. The Jefferson Cutter House remains one of the best preserved and most elaborate examples of 19th century domestic architecture in Arlington.

Like most houses of the period locally, the Cutter House is a center-ha)]-plan house, five bays wide, 2 1/2 stories in height beneath a gable roof. There are a number of extant examples in Arlington (see Arlington Multiple Resource Area, NR 1984). Most display simple vernacular detalls, as, 1n al) likelihood, did the Cutter House when it was first constructed. Unlike these other examples, however, the Cutter House is particularly distinguished by its ornately embellished entryway that echoes plates in Asher Benjamin's The Practical House Carpenter (1830) and The Practice of Architecture (1833). The entryway and elaborate door appear to have been added in the 1830s. A number of similar entries have been identified in nearby East Lexington, but the Cutter House is Arlington's single known example. Elizabeth W. Reinhardt and Anne A.

Grady noted in a 1977 article that: Benjamin's books make Greek design appealing . . . Grecian motifs were larger in scale, more generously and broadly conceived than the outmoded Roman. They were therefore both less expensive and easier Benjamin's plates and text are quite explicit in the ways by which his design could be translated into wood, the basic material of county construction. . . Any skilled carpenter, using one of Benjamin's pattern books, could easily adapt the new style to his own needs with assurance. ("Asher Benjamin in East Lexington, Massachusetts," in 01d-Time New England, vo]. LXVII, Nos. 3-4, Winter-Spring 1977, pp. 23-24) (continued) DEC 9 1991 ai- man United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number _ 8 Page.

DEC 9 1991 Jefferson Cutter House, Arlington, Massachusetts It is likely that carpenter/craftsman Jefferson Cutter was familiar with Benjamin's examples. His incised fretwork, aexarpatson of Benganen s Gasek-inspipea desight thatutse common on Lexington houses. And the device of mounting multipaned three-quarter sidelights on ornamented bases also resembles East Lexington examples, though Cutter's version again does not duplicate its neighbors. The door itself, with its elaborate carvings of bullets and ellipses, is apparently unique, the product of Cutter's own design. No other examples have been identified in Arlington or elsewhere. Also unique to the Cutter House are the paired narrow side ells, one bay wide, known as Beverly jogs. The Cutter House boasts the only Arlington example of this unusual Massachusetts feature of the early 19th century.

The fragment of railroad track on the property is also considered significant. Part of the transportation network once vital to Arlington's arowth and development, this remnant will shortly be the only evidence of local rail lines surviving as the soon-to-be-developed Minuteman Bikeway takes form along the bed of other still-extant tracks through the community. (continued) ao mau United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number 8 Jefferson Cutter House, Arlington, Massachusetts Page Archaeological Significance Historic archaeological remains described previously have the potential for providing detalled intormation on the social, cultura) mis ayoe of inlomation i9 percicil angy tagantan oh rela tio e e 2.

century John Adams House, which represents a period for which few examples survive, even in archaeological contexts. (end) DEC 9 /99| ITEM Jefferson Cutter House Railroad Tracks (fragment) 20th Century Plaques (5) 20 Century Fences (2) Samuel Whittemore Monument Jefferson Cutter House 1 Whittemore Park Arlington, Massachusetts DATE 1817 ca. 1846 20th Century ca. 1991 20th Century SOURCE B ST OB ST OB STATUS (5)NC (2)NC NC ao- mau Untted States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet DEC 9 1991 Jefferson Cutter House, Arlington, Massachusetts Section number Photos Page_1 Photograph Captions 1. The existing front elevation at 1146 Massachusetts Avenue after the aluminum siding had been removed. 2. West elevation at previous site after aluminum siding had been removed. 3.

West elevation at previous site showing rear addition to be removed. 4. Front of house showing cribbing prior to the move. 5. Cribbing steel in place, dollies about to be installed. 6. The house moved off its previous foundation. 7. House on site but not yet located over new foundation. 8. Rear of structure showing new sills installed. 9. West elevation at new site. 10. Rear elevation at new site. 11. Front elevation at new site. 12. Completed project. RD LaEN kuree9 NEOF PARK PROPERTY CEMETE PLEASANT PCE MILL DEC 9 199 Jefferson Cutter House 1 Whittemore Park Arlington (Middlesex County) Massachusetts A g WEBSTER PALMER WYMAN ALLEN PLEASANT LSDALE LORUASWICK LINCOLN $T) SON VIEW SIOAY PROOK GRAY PUSSELY WiNSt

WGM SCMOOL CENTER T OLO BURYING GROUNO WATYTEMORY AYON PL MAPLE ARO ROJ LOMDARU WELLINGT PowD AÇADEMY To SISON HOPKINS JASON LAK PoNo NORFOLK HONAONOCK) _--Rá- RO ENSINGTON GOULO SHORS. ISHERATON JLPOND PARKWAY PUTNAM BRANTWOOD IMNOZO, COLONIAL LPRINCETON. PLEASA BELKHAS S LKNAP - ADAMS FOSTER PONDVI LANE (OTEADI TREET MYSTIC Bank Retail MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE North Bank Legend A Perennial Carden & jellerson Cutter House C. Granice PostWhice Rai Fence D. Original Railroad Bed E. Benches. F. Sam Whitmore Memorial C.kon fence and Cate H. Brick Paving L Shrub and Groundcover Bed L Cranite Steps K. Uncle Sam Memorial Jefferson Cutter house 1 Whittemore Park Arlington (Middlesex County) Massachusetts (SITE MAP) 20° 1661 6 130 JEFFERSON CUTTER HOUSE. APLINGTON : 41075-8 160 MASSACHUSETTS 2560 7234 PC APPLETON 24007 DEC 9 1991 ACTOK ST Ti0.

TOWN OF ARLINGTON 571,800 Jefferson Cutter House 1146 Massachusetts Avenue Arlington, Massachusetts (FORMER LOCATION) FESSENDE: LIECH ROAD QUINCY- AVENUE (iT"70090 6330( TREET- HIGGINS -STREET 3000 OPT+ 11303 24 HOWARD STREET 7103 3901 6065 3800 FARMER "J0A ROAD BLOCK PLAN NO. 148 BINS 020 Ne9s Form 100000 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet OMB Approval No.

1024-0018 Section number Page SUPPLEMENTARY LISTING RECORD NRIS Reference Number: 85001028 Cutter, Jefferson, House Property Name Arlington MRA Multiple Name Date Listed: 01/23/92 Middlesex County MA State This property is listed in the National Register of Historic Places in accordance with the attached nomination documentation subject to the following exceptions, exclusions, amendments, notwithstanding National Park Service certification included in the nomination documentation. batksae I signatute of the Keeper ==========================: Amended Items in Nomination: 1-23-92 Date of Action 8. Statement of Significance: Area(s) and Period(s) Transportation is justified as an area of significance under Criterion A related to the importance the rare surviving remnant of the Lexington and West Cambridge Branch Railroad tracks located on the site.

The appropriate period of significance is "1817; c.1846" to include the contributing tracks. This information was discussed with Doug Kelleher, MASHPO, by telephone.

DISTRIBUTION: lational Register property fil lominating Authority (without attachment UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES EVALUATION/RETURN SHEET REQUESTED ACTION: NOMINATION PROPERTY Cutter, Jefferson, House NAME: MULTIPLE NAME: Arlington MRA STATE & COUNTY: MASSACHUSETTS, Middlesex DATE RECEIVED: 12/09/91 DATE OF 16TH DAY: DATE OF WEEKLY LIST: DATE OF PENDING LIST: DATE OF 45TH DAY: 1/23/92 REFERENCE NUMBER: 85001028 NOMINATOR: STATE REASONS FOR REVIEW: APPEAL: N DATA PROBLEM: N LANDSCAPE: N LESS THAN 50 YEARS: N N OTHER: REQUEST: N PDIL: N PERIOD: N PROGRAM UNAPPROVED: N SAMPLE: N SLR DRAFT: Y NATIONAL: N COMMENT WAIVER: N VACCEPT _RETURN RESEOT 1/23/9 ZOATE ABSTRACT/SUMMARY COMMENTS: REVOM/CRITERIA Accept ArC REVIEWER DESCIPEINE GUaS DATE retural ststiry DOCUMENTATION see attached comments Y/N see attached SLR Y/N CLASSIFICATION _count _resource type STATE/FEDERAL AGENCY CERTIFICATION FUNCTION -historic current DESCRIPTION _architectural classification materials descriptive text SIGNIFICANCE Period Areas of Significance--Check and justify below Specific dates Builder/Architect Statement of Significance (in one paragraph) 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 BIBLIOGRAPHY GEOGRAPHICAL DATA _acreage _UTMs _verbal boundary description boundary justification ACCOMPANYING DOCUMENTATION/PRESENTATION -sketch maps _USGS maps photographs OTHER COMMENTS Questions concerning this nomination may be directed to Phone _presentation Signed Date 001 TeCo JEFPERSON CUTTED HOSE LOUNGTON, MA PHOTO#1 OF 12 EXISTING FRONT ELEVATON AT PREVICUS EA 1I4LO MASSACHUSETS AVE.

AFTER REMOVAL OF ALLMINUM SIDING JEPPEOSON CUTTER HOUSE DRLNGTON, MA PHOTO# 2OF 12 WEST ELENATON APTERREMC OF ALLMINUM SIDING AT PREVICUS IILLLO MASSACHUS AVENUE LOCATION PARKING - CAUTIO UTION CA LAU JEFPERSON CUTTER HOUSE AOLNETON, MA PHOTO#3 OF 12 WEST ELEVATON AT PREVIA STE SHOWING DEAR ADDITC TO BE REMOVED BULDING MOVERS :603-926-9559 JEFFERSON CUTTER HOUSE AQUNGRON,MA PHOTO #4 OF 12 FRONT OF HOUSE SHOWING CRI PRIORTO MOVE.

JETFERSON CUTTER HOUSE ARUNGTON, MA PHOTO #5 UF I2 CRIBBING STEEL IN PLACE DOLLES ABAT TO BE INSTA Jetter Cutta EFFERSON CUTTER HOUSE AQLINGTON, NA PHOTO #L OF 12 HOUSE MOED OFF ITS EXISTING FOUNDATION DAYNA BUILDING MOVERS VEFFERSON CUTTER HOLTE AOLINGTON, MA PHOTO #70F 12 HOUSE ON SITE BLT NET YET LOCATED OVER NEW FOLNDATK Jefferson Cutter Hovse ARLINGTON, MA REAR OF STRUCTRE SHOWIng NEW SILLS INSTAL 11/91 JETFERSON CLIER HOSSE AQUINETON, MA PHOR#80F 12 PHOTO # 8OF 12. RENR OF STRUCTURE SHOVING NEW SULS BENG INSTALLED Jefferson CUTTER HOUSE ARLINGTON, MA #9 WEST ELEVATION, NEW SITE 1h/91 JEFFERSON CUTER HOUSE ARUNGRON, MA PHETO #9 OF12 WEST ELEVATION AT NEW S Jefferson CUTTER HOUSE ARLINGTON, NA #10 REAR ELEVATION, NEW S.te 1/1191 JEFPERSON CUTTER HEUSE DRUNKEN, MA PHOTO* 10 OF 12 REDR ELEVATION AT NEW SITE.

JEFFERSON CUTTER HOUSE ARUNETON, MA PHOTO # II CF IZ FRONT ELEVATION AT NEW SITE EFFERSON CUTTER HOUSE ARUNGRN, MA PHODO #12 OF 12 COMPLETED PROJECT RECBODE: DEO 09 1991 NATIONAL REGISTER November 27, 1991 * COMMISSIONA * 1 ComoniNalin (1 Kel) Ms. Carol Shull National Register of Historic Places National Park Service P.O. Box 37127 Washington, DC 20013-7127 Dear Ms. Shull: Enclosed please find the resubmitted nomination: Jefferson Cutter House, 1 Whittemore Park, Arlington (Middlesex County), Massachusetts, 02174. There have been no owner objection for the property listed above. The nomination has been voted eligible by the State Review Board and has been signed by myself, as the State Historic Preservation Officer. Owners were notified of pending State Review Board consideration 30-75 days before the meeting and were afforded the opportunity to comment.

No comments have been received to date. Sincerely, fudit-B. M. Donong Judlith B. McDonough Executive Director Massachusetts Historical Commission State Historic Preservation Officer enclosure cc: Arlington Redevelopment Board Andrew Vorce, Town Planner Gayle C. Kiely, Chairperson, Arlington Historical Commission Charles Lyons, Chairman, Arlington Board of Selectmen Massachusetts Historical Commission, Judith B. McDonough, Executive Director, State Historic Preservation Officer 80 Boylston Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02116 (617) 727-8470 Office of the Secretary of State, Michael J. Connolly, Secretary FORM B - BUILDING AREA FORM NO.

COMMONWEALTHLOF MASSACEU446-A ICAD COMMISSION EBT, BOSTON, MA 02108 MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION 80 BOYLSTON STREET BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02116 Town Arlington, MA Address 114g Massachusetts Avenue Historic Name_ Jefferson Cutter House PHOTO: (3x3" or 3x5", black & white) staple to left side of form Photo number SKETCH MAP Show property's location in relation to nearest cross streets and/or geographical features. Indicate all buildings between inventoried property and nearest intersection. Indicate north. Use: Present Dwelling Dwelling Date Original DESCRIPTION: 1817 Source Parker's History of Arlington Federal Style_ Architect Unknown Exterior wall fabric Outbuildings Garage Vinyl siding Major alterations (with dates) ca. 1920: Rear enclosed porch Recorded by Betsy Friedberg Organization Mass. Historical Conmission. Date 12/84 No Date N/A Approx.

acreage less than one acre Setting The house is located close to the street along a residential section of Massachusetts Avenue (Staple additional sheets here) ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE (Describe important architectural features and evaluate in terms of other buildings within the conmnity.) Despite its vinyl siding, the Jefferson Cutter House remains a distinguished example of the five-bay Federal plan. It retains its original character and many original details. The house is particularly noteworthy for its finely carved entryway and its symmetric half-gabled wings. The Greek Revival entrance surround is probably a ca. 1830 addition. The entryway's Greek fret-adorned pilasters supporting a simple pediment, as well as its two-thirds-length sidelights with delicate muntins, closely resemble plates from Asher Benjamin's The Practical House Carpenter (1830).

-Several homes in adjoining East Lexington display similar entryways: The Jefferson Cutter HISTORICAL SICNIFISANCEar(Oxplain the tole siders la local or statere kso "It is the oni history and how the building relates to the development of the commmity.) house in Arling ton known to have this unusual Massachusetts feature. The Cutter family had settled in the area in 1692. The family enjoyed mill priveleges along Mill Brook for many generations. Jefferson Cutter and his brother, Gershom, built several early houses in Arlington, of which this is the best preserved example. Cutter worked as a mill wright, turner, and edgefoot maker during his carrer. His mill dam privilege passed ultimately to the Theodore Schwamb Company. CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION The Jefferson Cutter House possesses integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and associations.

It fulfills criteria A and C of the National Register of Historic Places for its associations with one of Arlington's founding families, & as a distinguished example of early 19th century domestic architecture, BIBLIOGRAPHY and/or REFERENCES (name of publication, author, date and publisher) Parker's History of Arlington Assessors Records - 10M - 7/82 NPS Form 10-900-8 53-82) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form Continuation sheet Item number C4e 10-20--0018 Page Multiple Resource Area Thematic Group Name Arlington Multiple Resource Area State Middiesex County, MASSACHUSETTS Nomination/Type of Review 11. Bassett, Maria, House Extoaod is ihs Matisee] ogtstar ystos1z ealuy,jeurn+ Buildings at 1334 and 1339 Massachusetts Ave. subatastie Jevtin 13.

Call-Bartlett House Date/Signature AelousByur 9/27/ Haterod in tpa Met1 onal Soettten 14. Capitol Theater Building Ratered in Metionel Logeo to 15. Chapel of St. Anne Entered in tha Hat1onel Hegluter 16. Cushman House Enterod 1n C0 Hationmt 17. Cutter, Jefferson, House Entersd Nationel Reg 18. Cutter, Second, A.P., House 19. Damon House 20. Farmer, Kimball, House Bmbersl dzs Metiooe!

ofer Badered in the' Metlonel Mogloter Satered 111 taa Metionel Bogtetor Attest Keeper Attest fkeeper AeemBgun 4/4/05 Attest fReeper AuemBgun t/d/rs Attest fKeeper MuenraByen oets Attest Areoper Silmre Bgen thetis Attest t'Keeper Adauspye 4/10/8s Attest freeper AtelaßBye4/15/8s Attest fiséeper AlelauByur 1/15/65 Attest /Réeper AumBgua 418/85 Attest WASO Form - 177 ("R" June 1984) 85001028 ptles Cutter, Jefferson, House (Arlington MRA) Middlesex County MASSACHUSETTS UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES EVALUATION/RETURN SHEET resubmission nomination by person or local government owner objection appeal Substantive Review: Reviewer's comments: -sample Lrequest Working No. MAR / 6 1985 Fed. Reg. Date:g Date Due: _ 4/4/85-420/85 Entered in thAction: -ACCEPT 4-18-85 National Regterter - RETURN.

REJECT_ Federal Agency: LJappeal 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 -original site ] moved date 8.

Significance Period Areas of Significance-Check and justify below Specific dates Statement of Significance (in one paragraph) Builder/Architect J summary paragraph completeness clarity applicable criteria justification of areas checked J relating significance to the resource context relationship of integrity to significance justification of exception other 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 CUTTER. Jefferson. Huse culington mRA midd/eserca, mA 164 7600 MASSACHUSETTS 2380 7234 | 43660 9N/d 10 APPLETON 5722 5675 24007 ACTON ST. 9609 COURT 90L9 PLACE TOWN OF ARLINGTON 571,860 Arlington MRA Jefferson Cutter House 1146 Massachusetts Avenue FESSENDEN. 9580 6500 QUINCY- ernlE CT. *7147 "8.° A AVENUE 12 4195 9 5492 BOE 6131 (2T 10890 63500 2201 7440 -STREET- 3660 ayor 11593 HIGGINS 4633 17 (472) s000 HOWARD 62001 7103 STREEI Z0n C 20 +- 7355 9410 3684 B2655 FARMER ROAD EEET BLOCK PLAN NO. 148 ROBBINS. NPS Form 10-900 (Rev. 8-86) Copy OMB No. 1084-0018 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places APXN/:. 1991 Registration Form NATIONAL.

REGISTER This form is for use in nominating or requesting determinations of eligibility for individual properties or districte. See instructione in Guldelines for Completing National Register Forms (National Register Bulletin 16). Complete eachItem by marking "x" in the appropriate box or by entering the requested information. If an Item does not apply to the property being documented, enter "N/A" for "not appllcable."For functione, atylee, materiale, and areas of aignificance, enter only the categorles and subcategories llsted in the instructione. For additional apace use continuation sneeta (Form 10-900a). Type all entries. 1. Name of Property historic name Jefferson Cutter House (Town Center Historic District Amendment) other names/site number 2.

Location street & number city, town state 1 Whittemore Park Arlington Massachusetts code 025 county Middlesex code NZA not for publication NZA vicinity 017 zip code 02174 3. Classification Ownership of Property private public-local public-State public-Federal Category of Property X building(s) district site structure object Number of Resources within Property Contributing Noncontributing 0 bulldings sites structures objects 0 Total Name of related multiple property listing: Number of contributing resources previously Arlington MRA (Arlington Town Center Historic District) listed in the National Register_1 * * Movad into Historic District 4.

State/Federal Agency Certification As the designated authority under the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended, I hereby certify that this X nomination request for determination of eligibility meets the documentation standards for registering properties in the National Register of Historic Places and meetsthe proceduralandprofessional requirements set forth in 36 CFR Part 60. In my opinion, the property X meets Ldoes not meet the National Register criteria. See continuation sheet. Signature of certiting ofticial Executive Director, Massachusetts Historical Commicasei on; State Historic Preservation Officer State or Federal agency and bureau In my opinion, the property ao 7h.Dono. Signature of commenting or other ofticial does not meet the National Register criterla. see continuation sheet. (pril,1941 State or Federal agency and bureau 5.

National Park Service Certification 1, hereby, certify that this property is: entered in the National Register. See continuation sheet. determined eligible for the National Register. See continuation sheet. determined not eligible for the National Register. removed from the National Register. other, (explain:) Signature of the Keeper Date of Action - 6. Function or Use Historic Functions (enter categories from instructions) Domestic/Single dwelling Jefferson Cutter House, Arlington, Massachusetts Current Functions (enter categories from instructions) Social/Meeting Hall; Civic Recreation/Exhibition Hall 7. Description Architectural Classification (enter categories from instructions) Early Republic/Federal Materials (enter categories from instructions) foundation - Granite walls_Wood/Clapboard roof other Cedar Shingle Describe present and historic physical appearance.

X See continuation sheet NPS Form 10-000v (8-86) OMB Approvel No. 1024-0018 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet APP :1 0 Jefferson Cutter House, Arlington, Massachusetts Section number - Page - - Amendment to Arlington Town Center Historic District, Arlington, Massachusetts Description The Jefferson Cutter House, listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1984 as part of the Arlington Multiple Resource Area, was built in 1817, with its entryway updated in the 1830s. It is a five-bay, 2 1/2-story structure with center entry, double interior chimneys set behind the ridge, 6/6 double hung wood-sash windows, and Beverly jogs symmetrically arranged on either side of the main block. The entryway and door are elaborately carved andremarkably well preserved.

Architecture (1833), and similar though not identical examples are found in nearby East Lexington. The entryway's pilasters are ornamented at the top with a suggestion of Greek fretwork, and support a flat pediment. Two-thirds-length sidelights with delicate vertical muntins sit on a base with bold bullet molding. The door itself is asymmetrically panelled and elaborately carved, displaying a group of bold, intersecting ellipses, horizontally arrayed, together with bullets of various sizes and quarter-round molding. The door may well be the work of owner Jefferson Cutter, who was a millwright and turner by trade; no similar examples have been identified. The interior remains relatively intact, with very limited alterations and renovations. Most of the doors retain original hardware, and much of the interior trim is original. The original fireplaces survive in both front and rear rooms.

During the course of restoration (see below), samples of pattern painting were discovered in the rear room mantles and on the stairway; these were replicated in the restoration work. In 1989, the house was moved about two miles to a new location in the Arlington Center Historic District (also NR 1984). It was determined that relocation was the only way of preserving the building, as the original owners had other plans for the land on which it stood and would have otherwise demolished it. The new owners are the Arlington Redevelopment Board, a public body. Its new site is a small triangle of public land, less than one acre, formed by the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue, Chestnut Street, and Mystic Street. Also on the site is a fragment of the tracks of the street railway that once travelled down Massachusetts Avenue into Cambridge and Boston.

The site is located in the middle of the Arlington Center Historic District, a short distance across Massachusetts Avenue from the Old Burying Ground to the In its new location, the building continues to face south onto Massachusetts Avenue. It. forms the focal point for the town's newly designated Whittemore Park. The Cutter House presently houses public meeting and exhibition space, as well as the offices of the Arlington Chamber of Commerce. (continued) 26100000 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet OMI APR 1 / Section number -l Page 2 Jefferson Cutter House, Arlington, Massachusetts At the time of its listing in the National Register, the house was covered with aluminum siding, with an asphalt shingle roof; it was otherwise in sound but dilapitated condition.

Previously first a single family and then a two-family residence, it had been unoccupied for three years and instead was used as storage space for its owner, an automobile dealership. Many of the Nindows and much of the exterior trim were in need of repair, as was the Before the move, a rear enclosed porch of ca. 1920 was removed. Otherwise, the building was moved in its entirety, and was placed in its new site on the granite blocks that had formed its original foundation. After it was moved, the building was carefully restored with the help of a grant from the Massachusetts Historical Commission. The siding was removed to reveal circular-sawn clapboards with lapped and skived joints. These were restored, and a new cedar-shingled roof was installed.

Most of the building's original fabric, including its fine door, required only repair and restoration; replacement in kind occurred only if deterioration was irreparable. A preservation restriction has been placed on the building. In its original location, the house held historical associations with Jefferson Cutter and the Cutter family, holders of mill priveleges on nearby Mill Brook. The family had settled in the area in 1692. Jefferson Cutter and his brother, Gershom, built several early houses in Arlington, of which this is the best preserved example. Cutter worked as a millwright, turner, and edgetool maker during his career. His mill dam privelege passed ultimately to the Theodore Schwamb Company. Archaeological Description No prehistoric sites are recorded on the property or in the general area (within one mile).

In general, the potential for significant archaeological Fes ori gfhat focation in 196r. the ares and becauso the house was moved fron, (end) Jefferson Cutter House, Arlington, Massachusetts Statement of Significance Certifying official has considered the significance of this property in relation to other properties: nationally statewide [X locally Applicable National Register Criteria Criteria Considerations (Exceptions) Areas of Significance (enter categories from instructions) Architecture Community Planning and Development -c JE OG Period of Significance 1817-1940 Significani Dates N/A Cultural Affiliation N/A Significant Person Architect/Builder N/A N/A State significance of property, and justify criteria, criteria considerations, and areas and periods of significance noted above.

-See continuation sheet om 10000- Cedo Racrona to 10960018 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet APR | Jefferson Cutter House, Arlington, Massachusetts Section number Page _1 Significance The Jefferson Cutter House is a well-preserved example of the five-bay, double-pile, Federal period house with double interior chimneys. It retains many original details ana 1s unique in Arlington for its finely carved entryway (perhaps inspired by Asher Benjamin plates) and its symmetrical Beverly jogs. The building continues to retain integrity of design, materials, workmanship, and feeling in its new location, and to fulfil Criterion C of the National Register of Historic Places, as well as Exception B.

It contributes to the Arlington Center Historic District, a district representing the historic institutional, commercial, and residential core of Arlington. association with its original near the Mill Brook, the house no longer meets Criterion A. (end) Jefferson Cutter House, Arlington, Massachusetts 9. Málor Bibllographical References Reinhardt, Elizabeth W. and Anne A. Grady, "Asher Benjamin in East Lexington, Massachusetts", Old-Time New England, Winter-Spring 1977, pgs 23-35. Also: See Arlington MRA and Arlington Town Center Historic District.

Previous documentation on flle (NPS): -prellminary determination of Individual llsting (38 CFR 67) has been requested prevlously listed in the National Register prevlously determined eligible by the National Register designated a National Historic Landmark recorded by Historic American Bulldings Survey # Jrecorded by Historic American Engineering Record #. 10. Geographical Data Acreage of property. See Arlington Town Center Historic District UTM References Zone Easting Northing BL Zone Easting CL D See continuation sheet Primary location of additional data: X State historlc preservation office Other State agency Federal agency Local government University Other Specify repository: Massachusetts Historical Commission Northing See continuation sheet Verbal Boundary Description See Arlington Town Center Historic District.

- See continuation sheet Boundary Justification See Arlington Town Center Historic District -See continuation sheet 11. Form Prepared By name/title_Betsy Friedberg, National Register Director organization Massachusetts Historical Commission street & number Boston 80 Boylston Street city or town *U.S.GPO:1988-0-223-918 _ date January, 1991 telephone (617) 727-8470 state MA _ zip code 02116 NPS Form 10-900 8-85 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number 10 Page 1 - OMB Approvel No. 1024-0018 1190 Jefferson Cutter House Arlington, Massachusetts Photograph Captions aluminum siding had been removed. The existing front elevation at 1749 Massachusetts Avenue after the 2. West elevation at existing site after aluminum siding had been removed. 3.

West elevation at existing site showing rear addition to be removed. 4. Front of house showing cribbing prior to the move. 5. Cribbing steel in place, dollies about to be installed. 6. The house moved off its existing foundations. 7. House on site but not yet located over the proposed foundation. 8. Rear of structure showing new sills installed. 9. West elevation. 10. Rear elevation. 11. Front elevation with fence and exterior lighting installed. 12. Completed project.

Ne9s Form 10.9000 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number - Page_ Cutter, Jefferson, House (Arlington MRA) REMOVAL APPROVED oMB Approvel No: 1024 Middlesex County, MASSACHUSETTS Batk) Sawgl 5/2591 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES EVALUATION/RETURN SHEET REQUESTED ACTION: REMOVAL PROPERTY Cutter, Jefferson, House NAME: MULTIPLE Arlington MRA NAME: STATE & COUNTY: MASSACHUSETTS, Middlesex DATE RECEIVED: 4/11/91 DATE OF 16TH DAY: DATE OF WEEKLY LIST: REFERENCE NUMBER: 85001028 NOMINATOR: STATE REASONS FOR REVIEW: DATE OF PENDING LIST: DATE OF 45TH DAY: 5/26/91 APPEAL: N DATA PROBLEM: N LANDSCAPE: N LESS THAN 50 YEARS: OTHER: Y PDIL: N PERIOD: N PROGRAM UNAPPROVED: REQUEST: N SAMPLE: N SLR DRAFT: N NATIONAL: N N N COMMENT WAIVER: N ACCEPT _RETURN _REJECT 5/25/9/ OATE ABSTRACT/SUMMARY COMMENTS : Autonatic renoval ponce moee was renappioved in accordance with rees.

36 CFR 60. RECOM. /CRITERIA Lepprove etud Aistoy DOCUMENTATION see attached comments Y/N see attached SLR Y/N CLASSIFICATION _count _resource type 12L03A JAMOT STATE/FEDERAL AGENCY CERTIFICATION 039230038 FUNCTION .

193tU3 historic current : DESCRIPTION 3A9TTEUM : architectural classification materials descriptive text ETTE2UHDAZZAM 3 TENLI\E SIGNIFICANCE XAOLTa1 :TEIA YIXHIW 30 32AC Period Areas of Significance--Check and justify below uu Specific dates Builder/Architect Statement of Significance (in one paragraph) aTATa : : _summary paragraph _completeness _clarity _applicable criteria X839 2 justification of areas checked _relating significance to the resource context _relationship of integrity to significance justification of exception other ATAC :JA399A :1109 : : 2 BIBLIOGRAPHY GEOGRAPHICAL DATA _acreage _UTMs _verbal boundary description _boundary justification ACCOMPANYING DOCUMENTATION/PRESENTATION sketch maps _USGS maps photographs _presentation OTHER COMMENTS Questions concerning this nomination may be directed to - Phone Signed 2 7 Date _ 1343