Townsend House | |
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| Location | 980 Central Ave., Needham, Massachusetts |
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| Coordinates | 42°17′28″N71°14′58″W / 42.29111°N 71.24944°W |
| Area | 1.1 acres (0.45 ha) |
| Built | 1720 |
| Built by | Gregory Sugars |
| NRHP reference No. | 82004420 [1] |
| Added to NRHP | April 1, 1982 |
The Townsend House is a historic late First Period house in Needham, Massachusetts, United States. The 2+1⁄2-story wood-frame house was built in 1720 by Gregory Sugars, a sea captain, for his son-in-law, Rev. Jonathan Townsend. The building has retained little external appearance as an early 18th century house, showing the adaptive reuse and restyling of older houses. It was given a Federal appearance in the 1780s by its second owner, Rev. Samuel West, and was, under his ownership, used as a muster site for the local militia prior to the 1775 Battles of Lexington and Concord. The building has been much modified over the years (including the addition of a mansard-like roof), but many of its older interior rooms have retained features from the 18th century. [2]
The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. [1]
