National Historic Landmark

Richards, Ellen H. Swallow, House

Jamaica Plain, Suffolk County, Massachusetts
Listed
March 30, 1992
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
92001874

About this property

The Ellen H. Swallow Richards House is a National Historic Landmark house at 32 Eliot Street in Jamaica Plain, a neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. It was the home of Ellen Swallow Richards (1842–1911) from 1876 (shortly after her marriage to Robert Hallowell Richards) until her death. Richards was the first woman to graduate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and was its first female instructor. She introduced revolutionary ideas about home sanitation, and conducted pioneering work (some of it in this house) that led to the establishment of the field of home economics. The house itself was regularly altered as a consequence of her research, and was used by Richards as a consumer product testing laboratory. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1992.

Location

32 Eliot St.
Jamaica Plain, Suffolk County, Massachusetts
42.31150, -71.11763

Categories

EDUCATIONENGINEERINGHEALTH/MEDICINEINVENTIONSCIENCESOCIAL HISTORY
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

Monument Square Historic District
Listed
0.1 mi
Eliot Hall
Industrial
0.1 mi
First Church of Jamaica Plain
Industrial
0.1 mi
Loring-Greenough House
Industrial
0.2 mi
District 13 Police Station
Industrial
0.3 mi

Nearby Battles

Siege of Boston – Roxbury Lines
1775Revolutionary War
1.6 mi
Siege of Boston — Dorchester Heights
1776Revolutionary War
4.1 mi

Questions about this property

When was Richards, Ellen H. Swallow, House listed on the National Register?

Richards, Ellen H. Swallow, House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 30, 1992.

What type of historic resource is Richards, Ellen H. Swallow, House?

Richards, Ellen H. Swallow, House is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

Is Richards, Ellen H. Swallow, House a National Historic Landmark?

Yes. Richards, Ellen H. Swallow, House has been designated a National Historic Landmark (NHL), the highest level of federal recognition for historic properties in the United States.

What is the period of significance for Richards, Ellen H. Swallow, House?

The period of significance for Richards, Ellen H. Swallow, House is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Richards, Ellen H. Swallow, House?

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