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INVENTORY FORM B CONTINUATION SHEET LEXINGTON 22 VINE STREET MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Area(s) Form No. 220 MORRISSEY BOULEVARD,BOSTON,MASSACHUSETTS 02125 2276 ❑ Recommended for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. If checked,you must attach a completed National Register Criteria Statement form. Use as much space as necessary to complete the following entries, allowing text to flow onto additional continuation sheets. ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION: Describe architectural features. Evaluate the characteristics of this building in terms of other buildings within the community. 22 Vine Street occupies a small, thin lot that slopes significantly up from the street. The front of the building is set very close to the road, with a narrow setback on its left side and a paved driveway on its right side. The front and left side setbacks are mostly occupied by shrubs; trees and shrubs are scattered through the larger back yard. The three by one bay main block rises two stories from a concrete foundation to a shallow-pitched side gable roof; no gable returns. An interior chimney rises near the center of the front slope of the roof. Walls are clad with asbestos shingles. Windows are typically 2/2 double hung sash with narrow band molding. The asymmetrical facade contains a high proportion of solid wall area. A small double-hung window is centered on the first floor, flanked by a triplet of 6-light casement windows on each side. Three small double hung windows are arrayed close to the eave on the second floor. The basement contains short, double-leaf flush doors at the left end of the fagade, with a small, contiguous 6/6 window near the corner. The right (east) and left(west) side elevations are both symmetrical, with one small window centered on each floor. A one-story shed roofed addition across most of the back of the building is sheathed in wood clapboards. It has no windows on the left side, and an offset doorway(the main entrance to the house) and a modern six-pane window on the right side. A large shed-roofed dormer is visible on the right side of the addition. An early and modest house, 22 Vine Street has experienced significant alterations over time but retains its original massing and sense of spare simplicity. It is notable for its siting close to the street, compact proportions, small and infrequent windows, and low-pitched roof. HISTORICAL NARRATIVE 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. One of the earliest roads in Lexington, Vine Street was established as part of the route between Lexington and Woburn in the 17th century. It formed the southwesterly end of this road until 1833, when the old highway was widened and straightened to meet Massachusetts Avenue. Vine Street was sparsely settled through the 19th century; suburban infill developed gradually through the 20th century. Assessors' records for this house show a construction date of 1780. The massing, scale, proportions, and surviving early fenestration are consistent with an 18th century date, although it has not been confirmed. The house at 22 Vine Street seems to be indicated on all the historic maps of the 19t century. It is certainly evident on the 1889 map (the first one with owners' names identified), owned by J. Reardon. O'Reardon is named here in 1898, and P. O'Reardon in 1906. The present rear addition is drawn on the 1918 map. The first known occupants at this address are Dennis Reardon, a laborer, and his sister Mary E. Reardon, who were living here in 1920 and remained here through at least 1935. By 1945, the house was occupied by Harold Morgan, who worked in a creamery, his wife Ganes (sic), and their son Harold Jr., who was serving in the Army. Subsequent residents included Thomas E. Rafferty, who worked for the State Department, and Lorette A. Rafferty, a bookkeeper(1955), followed by Myron J. Block, a physicist, and his wife Davida L. (1965). Continuation sheet I