Buildings at 35–37 Richardson Avenue facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Buildings at 35–37 Richardson Avenue
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 Location in Massachusetts
Location in the United States
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| Location | Wakefield, Massachusetts |
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| Built | 1912 |
| MPS | Wakefield MRA |
| NRHP reference No. | 89000710 |
| Added to NRHP | July 6, 1989 |
The buildings at 35–37 Richardson Avenue are special historic homes in Wakefield, Massachusetts. These two buildings were built around 1912 to 1915. They are some of the very first apartment buildings ever constructed in the town. Solon O. Richardson, Jr. built them on land that used to be part of his family's property. Because of their history, these buildings were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.
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What Makes These Buildings Special?
These two historic buildings are located on the north side of Richardson Avenue. They sit between North Avenue and Main Street in the center of Wakefield. Each building has two stories and is made of wood. They have roofs that slope down on all sides, called hip roofs. The outside walls are covered with overlapping wooden boards called clapboard siding.
Cool Architectural Details
The buildings stand on strong foundations made of rough stone. You can see the ends of the roof beams, which is a common style called Craftsman. The most interesting parts are the main entrance porches. These porches have cool crisscross designs for their support columns. They also have hip roofs, just like the main buildings. Each building has three porches: one in the front and two on the side. The side porches lead to two different apartments.
A Look Back at Their History
The land where Richardson Avenue is now was once part of a large estate. This estate belonged to Dr. Nathan Richardson. He was famous for making and selling a product called Sherry Wine Bitters. His son and grandson, both named Solon, continued the family business. The last Solon sold the business in 1891.
How Richardson Avenue Was Created
At that time, there weren't enough homes in the center of Wakefield. So, Solon O. Richardson, Jr. had a clever idea. He moved his family's big mansion away from Main Street. Then, he planned out Richardson Street to build new homes. These apartment buildings were likely built around 1912. This was about the same time that other similar homes at 38–48 Richardson were also constructed.
