National Register of Historic Places

Dwight, Edmund, House

Winchester, Middlesex County, Massachusetts
Listed
July 4, 1989
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
89000633

About this property

The Edmund Dwight House is a historic house at 5 Cambridge Street in Winchester, Massachusetts, straddling the town line with Arlington. It was built in 1858 in an Italianate style. It was one of the first and grandest country houses built in Winchester at a time when Boston businessmen were seeking to build such houses. The house's design is believed to be based loosely on that of Jefferson's Monticello. The house is sited for an expansive view of the Upper Mystic Lake. This residence was also home to Claude Shannon, the father of Information theory, and his wife Betty Shannon. While living there, they installed a chair lift that took the rider from the home down to the lake. The house is a 2+1⁄2-story wood-frame structure, originally finished in clapboard siding. It is basically rectangular, with a rounded central bay on the eastern facade, facing the lake. A single-story porch wraps around three sides of the building. Significant alterations were made to the house in the 1890s, including the stuccoing of the exterior, and the addition of a two-story ell to the northeast corner. These changes were made under the auspices of local architect Robert Coit. A second, single-story, addition was made to the northwest corner in 1985. The original 12-acre (4.9 ha) property purchased by the Dwights was subdivided c. 1940, leaving the house on just 2 acres (0.81 ha). The house's stable was then converted to a residence, and stands on an adjacent lot in Arlington. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.

Location

5 Cambridge St.
Winchester, Middlesex County, Massachusetts
42.43609, -71.15356

Categories

COMMUNITY PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENTARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Fowle-Reed-Wyman House
Colonial
0.3 mi
McCall, Samuel W., House
Industrial
0.3 mi
Symmes, Stephen, Jr., House
Industrial
0.4 mi
Mystic Dam
Industrial
0.5 mi
Mystic Gatehouse
Industrial
0.5 mi

Nearby Battles

Battle of Menotomy
1775Revolutionary War
1.4 mi
Skirmish at Menotomy (Arlington)
1775Revolutionary War
1.5 mi
Battle of Lancaster (King Philip's War)
1676Colonial
2 mi

Questions about this property

When was Dwight, Edmund, House listed on the National Register?

Dwight, Edmund, House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 4, 1989.

What type of historic resource is Dwight, Edmund, House?

Dwight, Edmund, House is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Dwight, Edmund, House?

The period of significance for Dwight, Edmund, House is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Dwight, Edmund, House?

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