Nomination for Fuller, Robert, House

From the form

The catalogue entry the section above was filed under.

NPS Form 10-900 (3-82) OMB No. 1024-0018 Expires 10-31-87 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination Form See instructions in How to Complete National Register Forms Type all entries - complete applicable sections' 1. Name For NPS use only received AUG 6 1987 date enter&EP - 8 1987 historic Robert Fuller House and or common 2. Location Same street & number 3 Burrill Lane N/Anot for publication city, town Needham N/Avicinity of state Massachusetts 3. Classification Category Ownership - district - public X building(s) X private .

structure both site Public Acquisition object in process N/Abeing considered code 025 county Norfolk code 021 Status X occupied unoccupied work in progress Accessible X yes: restricted - yes: unrestricted no Present Use _ agriculture commercial _ educational _ entertainment - government industrial - military - museum park * private residence _ religious - scientific _ transportation - other: 4. Owner of Property name Georginä C. Haszard street & number 3 Burrill Lane city, town Needham N/A vicinity of 5. Location of Legal Description state Massachusetts courthouse, registry of deeds, etc. Norfolk County Registry of Deeds street & number 650 High Street city, town Dednam state Massachusetis 6. Representation in Existing Surveys Inventory of the Historic Assets of the title Commonwealth of Massachusetts #5 has this property been determined eligible?

- yes x- no date 1977 federal X state county ocal depository for survey records Massachusetts Historical Conmission, 80 Boylston Street city, town Boston Massachusetts state 7. Description Robert Fuller House, Needham, massachusetts Condition _ excellent fair - deteriorated ruins unexposed Check one -x unaltered - altered Check one -_ original site x moved date 1735 Describe the present and original (if known) physical appearance

Description of the property

The Robert Fuller, Needham,is located on the corner of Burrill Lane and Forest Street. The Robert Fuller House was built in 1707, a five bay, 2 1/2 storystructure,and moved, in 1735, five hundred feet up Burrill Lane from its original site. After the move, ca. 1750, a lean-to was added to the The building is of wood construction, clapboarded with two areas of patterned shingle added some time in the late nineteenth century. The ma in block sits on a fieldstone-lined cellar hole which was prepared at the time of the move. Some time after the house had been moved to its new location, Robert Fuller, Jr., the new owner, purchased 18 acres across Burrill Lane, built a barn and dug a well. The lot has now been reduced to an acre and the barn has been demolished. The houseis setback approximately 15-20 feet from the road and is surrounded by shrubs and a few small trees.

The area is now a suburban residential community. The house was constructed in several phases; the major alterations took place after the house was moved to its present site. In 1750 the lean-to was added, in 1823 the house was sold to Abijah Greenwood. In 1861, Timothy Newel1 Smith painted a "portrait" of the Robert Fuller House. The painting shows how similar the house of 1861 is to the house of today; it also shows the farm buildings which have since been demolished. The south, front, facade is five bays wide. The foundation is fieldstone and door which has a concrete doorstep, a raking pediment, coach lamps on either side and an eagle above the door. An earlier, if not the original, door frame was a simple post and lintel construction as is shown in the painting by Timothy Newell Smith.

The fenestration is 6/6 sash and is asymmetrical: on the second story on the left-hand side there is only one window whereas on the right side there are two. The east facade is three bays deep and shows the profile of the original house and lean-to clearly. The first floor has three 6/6 sash windows. At an ear lier date there was a small side door in the lean-to, which is shown in the 1861 painting but has since been closed off. The second story has one 6/6 sash, and there is one 2/2 sash in the lean-to. The attic has one 6/6 sash in the gable, is a decorative pattern of scalloped shingles. The north, rear, facade is a one story lean-to with one 6/6 sash. The rest of the rear fa cade is obscured by a later 1 1/2 story ell, built in the late 19th or early 20th century, which is shingled, has 6/6 sash and an end chimney.

(Continued) NPS Form 10-900-a (3-82) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form Continuation sheerRobert Fuller House, Needham Item number OMB Expires NO.1024-0018 10-31-87 or NPS uen only recelvec date entered 7 1 Page The west facade has one 6/6 sash on the first story, two 6/6 sash on the second story, and a single 6/6 sash in the attic gable. The siding on side at the attic level is also decorative scalloped shingles. There is also a 1-1/2-story ell of the same period as the one on the north facade. It is shingled and has 6/6 sash an end chimney. It obscures most of the lean-to section of the main block. The roof is asphalt shingle and the main chimey, which replaced the original large chimney in 1902, is off-center and behind the ridge.

The house is a traditional double cell, single-pile plan with a central chimney. The staircase is in the central hall and is a half turn with winders. The 1750 lean-to created more space at the back of the house as did the later additions to the north and west facades. continued NPS Form 10-900-8 (3-82) United States Department of the interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form Robert Fuller House, Needham, Massachusetts Continuation sheet Item number MB NO. 1024-0018 Expires 10-31-87 For HPS uea gnly recalved date antered Page 2 Archaeology Despite the fact the building was moved during the mid 18th century, there is potential for significant historical archaeological sites.

Controlled testina could document the presence of no longer extant outbuildings, such as the barn, as well as occupation-related features (wells, privies, trash pits). Analysis of these data would help to document and detail the social, cultural, and economic patterns 18th and 19th centuries.

From the form

The catalogue entry the section above was filed under.

Significance Robert Fuller House, Needham, Massachusetts Period Areas of Significance-Check and justify below prehistoric -- archeology-prehistoric .._ community planning 1400-1499 .__ archeology-historic conservation 1500-1599 - agriculture economics 1600-1699 X architecture education X 1700-1799 art engineering .1800-1899 commerce - exploration/settlement 1900- communications industry invention landscape architecture._ law _ literature military music philosophy - politics/government Specific dates 1707, ca. 1750 Statement of Significance

Statement of significance

(in one paragraph) Builder/Architect Unknown The Robert Fuller House, Needham, retains integrity of design, materials, workmanship, feeling and association. Architecturally, the building is significant as an example of First Period construction and a demonstration of the evolution of building practices and styles in the colonial period: the main block of the house is the original 1707 structure with the 1750 lean-to. The rear and west ells were added in either the last part of the nineteenth century or the early part of the twentieth century. The later additions to the house are an indication of the adaptation of the house to fit the changing needs of the Fuller family for the first 130 years and after them the Greenwood family. The Robert Fuller house, the oldest house in Needham, fulfills Criterion C of the National Register of Historic Places on the -.

religion science sculpture social/ humanitarian theater _ transportation X other (specify) community development Needh am, originally part of the 1636 Dedham grant, was incorporated in 1711. By ca. 1712, a meetinghouse stood west of the Great Plain (at the intersection of Great Plains Avenue and present day Central and Nehoiden Streets). Before this meetinghouse was built, meetings and religious services were often held in the Robert Fuller House. Great Plains Avenue evolved early in the 18th century as a link from Dedham west to a growing village center in Needham. The Plain and the bank of the Charles River were the first areas settled, with scattered farmsteads. The village as a whole remained rather isolated and under developed up to the eve of the Revolution. The first Fullers to arrive in Needham, then part of Dedham, were Thomas and Hannah Fuller who came from England in 1635.

They were the grandparents of Captain Robert Fuller. An active member of the town, Captain Robert Fuller was a Selectman for 16 years, Town Clerk for 16 years, Town Treasurer for 4 years and a signer of the 1710 Petition for separation from Dedham. completed until 1713 at the time of his marriage to Mary Parker. In 1735, at Fuller moved the house 500 feet down the lane, gave it to his son and built another house tor himselt on the original site. The house remained in the Fuller tamily until 1823, when it was sold by auction to Abjiah Greenwood. The house remained in the Greenwood family until 1896. During this time the Greenwoods made substantial changes and renovations to the house to suit their changing needs. It is possible that siding was replaced dur ing this time as there are some decorative shingles on the east and west facades that probably date from this period. (Continued) 9.

The rest of the file

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

Major Bibliographical References Clarke, George k., History of Needhamj, Mass. Cambridge, Mass., 1912. Jones, Frederic A., Old Houses of Needham. Files of the Needham historical Society. Privately printed, 1953. Town Archives, needham Public library 10. Geographical Data Acreage of nominated property less than one acre Quadrangle name. Natick, Mass. Quadrangle scale 1:25,000 UT M References ^ L2 313030 Zone Easting L0134639 Northing cLL E LI GLI Lu ILILLILILL Zone Easting Northing DLULLILLLI LIILL FLy LLILLL LuLL LLLL Verbal boundary description and justification see assessors' map List all states and counties for properties overlapping state or county boundaries state N/A code county code state code county code 11.

Form Prepared By name/title Elizabeth Rich, Vice-Chair, Needhan Historical Conmission, with Elizabeth White & Betsy Friedberg, National Register Director organization Massachusetts Historical Comnission date street & number 80 Boylston Street February 26, 1987 telephone (617) 727-3470 city or town Boston state Massachusetts 12. State Historic Preservation Officer Certification The evaluated significance of this property within the state is: national _- state X local As the designated State Historic Preservation Officer for the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (Public Law 89- 665), I hereby nominate this property for inclusion in the National Register and certify that it has been evaluated according to the criteria and procedures set forth by the National Park Service.

State Historic Preservation Otficer signature Vaunie A Talmage Executive Director, Massachusetts Historical Conmission State Historic Preservation Officer date July 30,1987 For NPS use only I hereby certify that this property is included in the National Register lure Intered im Wae date 9-8-87 Hetionel Bogister ~Keeper of the National Register Attest: Chief of Registration GPO 911-399 date NPS Form 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number 8 Page 1 OMB Approval No. 1021-0018 Robert Fuller House, Needham Although substantial changes and additions have been made to this housed nd loi it stuil ctamis itd idribity tsas berst Period house. Abbott Lowell Cunmings mentions one other First Period house in Needham, the Samuel Wilson House, which has been significantly altered.

The additions to the Robert Fuller House do not obscure the First Period structure: a double-cell farmhouse with a central chimney and a lobby entrance. This form was as common as the one-cell end-chimney farmhouse. The fenestration still reflects the original pattern. The replacement of the casement windows occured before 1861, as the windows in Timothy Newell Smith's painting are 6/6 sash. The addition of the lean-to is a very common example of the expansion and adaptation of First Period houses to accomodate the needs of a growing family. The Robert Fuller House is a well preserved example of First Period architecture and the evolution of a house to meet the needs of first the Fullers and then the Green- woods, both prominent families in the history of Needham. Robert Fuller House 3 Burrll Lane Needham, mA 20 ISOR VOBURX LANO CASE COURT 10030 17 16 H!!

AssessoRs Plan #309 Scale IIN = 160 FT late 19th -ealy 20th Captain Robert Fuller House 3 Burrill Lane Needham RECEIVED MAY - 3 1985 MASS. HIST. COMM. late 19th - early20th lean-to addition 1750 original plan 1707 Original house built 1707 moved 1735 Lean-to addition ca. 1750 Other wings added late 19th. Central chimney removed 1902 87001476 WASO Form - 177 (R" June 1984) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES EVALUATION/RETURN SHEET Fuller, Robert, House Norfolk County MASSACHUSETTS resubmission nomination by person or local government owner objection appeal Substantive Review: Reviewer's comments: sample request Hatouni -appeal AUG 6 1987 Working No._ Fed. Reg.

Date: 7283 Date Due: _ 9/4/87 - Action: 9/20/87 _LACCEPT- 9-8-87 __RETURN _REJECT_ Federal Agency: 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 _i no 7. Description Condition Jexcellent good fair deteriorated ruins unexposed Check one J 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 Joriginal site moved date 8.

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 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 J Photographs Other Questions concerning this nomination may be directed to - Signed - Date - Phone: - GPO 918-450 Comments for any item may be continued on an attached sheet Robert Fuller House 3 Burrill Lane, Needham Kenneth Watson 1984 142 Hil1crest Rd., Needham No. 1 of $3 View from Northesst NEEDHAM HIST TC Needho MoDert murter House 3 Burrill Jane, Needham MA Kenneth watson, 1904 142 Hillcrest Ave., Neednam No. 2 of B23 View from Southeest NEEDHAM HISTORICAL COMMISS Town Hall Needham, MA 02192 DANUT ZYANEOE Robert Fuller House Painted by Timothy Newell Smith in 1861 (Needham Historical Society) No. 3 0f 3 NEEDHAM HISTORICAL COMMISSION Town Hall Needham, MA 02192 8 685548144 The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Office of the Secretary of State Michael Joseph Connolly, Secretary Massachusetts Historical Commission Valerie A.

Talmage Executive Director State Historic Preservation Officer July 29, 1987 Carol Shull National Register of Historic Places Department of the Interior National Park Service P.O. Box 37127 Washington, D.C. 20013-7127 Dear Ms. Shull: DECEIVEI AUG - 6 1987 Enclosed you will find the following nomination forms: Boston (Charlestown), Francis B. Austin House, 58 High Street Needham, Robert Fuller House, , 3 Burri11 Lane Peabody, First Unitarian Church, 7 Park Street Al1 have been voted eligible by the State Review Board and have been signed by 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. Comments received to date are attached to the nomination form.

Sincerely, Betsy Friedherg Betsy Friedberc National Register Director Massachusetts Historical Commission Enclosure 80 Boylston Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02116 (617) 727-8470