HomeMy WebLinkAboutarea-acArea AC - Lexington Green Historic District
The Lexington Green Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. It consists of thirteen
properties surrounding the Lexington Battle Green (the Green itself is not included in this National Register District but is a
National Historic Landmark - see Area AG). The properties are located on Massachusetts Avenue, Bedford Street and
Harrington Road. The area is also part of a local historic district (see Area B).
First Parish Church and 5 Harrington Road
Three of the buildings in the district were witnesses to the encounter between the patriot Minute Men and the British troops that
took place on the Green on April 19, 1775. All three have been altered by restoration in the 20th century. The present
appearance of the Jonathan Harrington House at 1 Harrington Road results largely from owner Leroy Brown's alterations in
1910. At that time the center chimney was removed and a more elaborate door surround was introduced. The renovations of this
Colonial relic were a precipitating factor in early preservationist William Sumner Appleton's founding of the Society for the
Preservation of New England Antiquities in 1910. A few years later, in 1915, Leroy Brown also altered the Marrett and Nathan
Munroe House at 1906 Massachusetts Avenue.
Doorway, 1 Harrington Road
The Buckman Tavern at 1 Bedford Street was begun about 1710 and was later enlarged and remodeled. It was here that several
dozen Minute Men awaited the arrival of the British the night of April 18, 1775. Scholarly restoration of the building has
occurred at several points in the 20th century. In light of its historic significance, the Buckman Tavern is also a National
Historic Landmark and has been documented by the Historic American Buildings Survey.
Buckman Tavern, 1 Bedford Road
Constructed in 1847 according to designs by Isaac Melvin, the First Parish Church is an impressive Classical Revival building
located at the northwest corner of the Green. The building replaces an earlier structure destroyed by fire in 1846. All three
previous meetinghouses were constructed on the Green. Behind the First Parish Church is the Old Burying Ground which dates
back to 1690.
First Parish Church, 7 Harrington Road
Hancock Church, 1912 Massachusetts Avenue
The Hancock Congregational Church was built opposite the Green in 1893, according to designs by Boston architects Lewis
and Paine. The asymmetrical fieldstone building incorporates a square tower with porte cochere and various gables and
projections. The addition at the west end of the building dates to 1959.
Masonic Temple, 1 Hancock Street
The building at 1 Hancock Street was originally constructed in 1822 as the Lexington Academy and in 1839 was the birthplace
of the first normal teacher training school in the nation. It has served as a Masonic Temple since 1917. The Garrity House at 9
Hancock Street is a vernacular structure that was once part of a prosperous twelve-building farm complex known as the Meriam
Farm.
Garrity House, 9 Hancock Street
The remaining buildings in the District consist of residential structures constructed between c.1790 and c.1850. The Nathaniel
Harrington House at 1888 Massachusetts Avenue is believed to have been the first all-brick house constructed in Lexington. Its
exact date of construction is not known and estimates range from about 1790 to the more likely c.1820. The six-over-six
windows and doorway are capped by granite lintels. In 1874 the original hip roof was replaced by a mansard although the roof
was later restored to its original appearance in 1926 by William Roger Greeley.
1888 Massachusetts Avenue
Other dwellings in the district are representative of the Greek Revival (1932 Massachusetts Avenue and 1900 Massachusetts
Avenue) and the Italianate (1894 Massachusetts Avenue) styles.
1900 Massachusetts Avenue