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BUILDING FORM ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION ❑see continuation sheet Describe architectural features. Evaluate the characteristics of this building in terms of other buildings within the community. 330 Bedford St. is one of a number of Federal houses in Lexington and is a well-preserved example. The house is rectangular with a rear ell,two stories, five-by-two bays, and side-gabled with a rear chimney. The ell is a 1%-story Beverly jog. The house is set on a granite foundation,the sides clad with wood clapboards and the pedimented gables with wood flushboards, and roofed with asphalt shingles. Attached to the Beverly jog is a 1'/z-story three-by-one bay wood-shingled addition with a steep shed roof and a chimney; on the north elevation is a one-story shed-roofed addition and a screen porch. The center entrance in the main block has a simple frontispiece with a molded cornice, narrow side pilasters, and an elliptical fanlight with plain glass (undoubtedly a replacement). A secondary entry in the Beverly jog has a simpler version of this frontispiece, i.e., no fanlight and side panels rather than pilasters. Windows are 12/12 double hung sash. HISTORICAL NARRATIVE ❑ see continuation sheet Discuss 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 known as the"Capt. Christopher Reed House"and was built by Christopher Reed, though certainly not in 1740 as the plaque on the front proclaims. Christopher Reed(1792-1861)was a son of Nathan Reed (1743-1811), who had built the brick-ended Federal now at 282 Bedford St. (MHC#774). After Nathan died his surviving sons divided his property in 1817, Christopher getting his father's house, its associated 50 acres, and other land primarily on this side of Bedford St. Christopher apparently did not live in that house, however, for he soon built other ones on his land along Bedford St. In 1819 the Lexington assessors raised his assessment"for house,"suggesting that Christopher had built a house,probably this one,the preceding year. Christopher Reed also reportedly built a tavern on Bedford St. in 1822 and in 1826 was assessed"for new house,"indicating he had built yet another house in 1825. The tavern was on the other side of Bedford St. in the area now occupied by Route 128: the house built in 1825 is probably the one now at 342 Bedford St. (MHC#779). It is not clear why Christopher Reed was called "Captain"; perhaps it was a mark of respect for his position as a gentleman. His only son died in infancy so, after his death, Christopher Reed's property was inherited by a nephew, Cyrus Reed(1798-1873). The latter sold this house and farm in 1869 to Lucretia E. Farmer,and the Farmers owned the property into the 20th century. A 1923 photograph shows the house much as it appears now. There is an interior well in the Beverly jog and the house is believed to have once had a hip roof. BIBLIOGRAPHY and/or REFERENCES ❑ see continuation sheet Bliss, Edward P. "The Old Taverns of Lexington." Proceedings of the Lexington Historical Society 1 (1889): 82. Anne Grady, personal communication 1998. Hudson, Charles. History of the Town of Lexington. Revised and continued to 1912 by the Lexington Historical Society. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1913. 2: 562-63, 565, 567. Lexington Valuations Lists. 1818-1831. Middlesex Registry of Deeds. Deeds. Cambridge, MA. 232: 13; 241: 116. ❑ Recommended for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. If checked,you must attach a completed National Register Criteria Statement form.