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BUILDING FORM (315 Bedford Street) ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION Describe architectural features. Evaluate the characteristics of the building in terms of other buildings within the community. One of Lexington's many variations on the Colonial Revival/Craftsman style,the house at 315 Bedford Street(corner of Simonds Road) is a 2 1/2-story, side-gabled dwelling sheathed in wood shingles above a rubble foundation. The asphalt- shingled roof displays exposed rafters on the lateral eaves. Centered on the facade,the main entrance is loosely based on a Palladian window motif and consists of a six-panel door flanked by partial sidelights, 2 panes wide and five lights down, set above recessed panels. Above the entrance is a semicircular fan filled with half-timbering. The north end of the facade is fronted by a two-story, steeply-pitched gable with notched raking and exposed rafters. At the base of the gable is a three- sided bay window consisting of an 8/8 window flanked by 6/6 sash; above is a pair of 6/6 sash. Above the entrance and in the adjacent bay are two pairs of 6/6 sash set at two different heights. On the north end of the house an exterior brick chimney breaks through the overhang of the roof The south end of the house, facing Simonds Road, is two bays wide with a secondary entrance sheltered by a hip-roofed porch on plain posts. A two- story,three-sided projection is centered on the rear elevation which is fronted by a modern deck. Fenestration on the building consists of 6/6 sash of several sizes. There is an arborvitae hedge along Bedford Street with sections of modern picket fence. The driveway extends to the north of the house terminating at a wood-shingled, gablefront garage with two modern overhead doors facing the street. r HISTORICAL NARRATIVE Describe the history of the building. Explain its associations with local(or state) history. Include uses of the building and the role(s) the owners/occupants played within the community. This house is located on lots 1-4 of Block 2 of the L.B.T. (Manor) subdivision. The earliest known owners of the property are Basil and Gladys Hawkins who purchased the property prior to 1925 and sold it in 1927. Edmund and Mona Ayres owned the property from about 1928 into at least the 1930s although the house was rented out for part of this time. The house was known as 197 Bedford Street until about 1935. The house has changed occupants and owners many times over the years. There have been at least five owners since 1960. BIBLIOGRAPHY and/or REFERENCES Lexington Assessors Records. Lexington Directories, various dates. I Lexington Valuation Lists, various dates. t Recommended for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. If checked,you must attached a completed National Register Criteria Statement form.