Kemp Place, Historic Italianate residence in Reading, Massachusetts.
Kemp Place is a wooden residential building with two-and-a-half stories, clapboard siding, and Italianate architectural features in Reading, Massachusetts. The structure includes a wraparound porch supported by Gothic-style pierced-panel posts, paired brackets running along the roofline, and a square cupola with round-arch windows on each side.
The house was built in 1858 by Robert 'Father' Kemp, who founded the Old Folks Concerts, a notable community initiative of that era. The property received National Register of Historic Places designation in 1984, recognizing its preservation of mid-nineteenth-century construction methods and design.
The residence reflects the Italianate architectural style popular during the 1850s, with its distinctive square cupola and decorative design elements that speak to the period's aesthetic preferences. Walking around the building, one can observe how these features were once markers of prosperity and refined taste in the community.
The property is located in Reading and remains largely unchanged, allowing visitors to observe its original construction details from the outside. Plan time to walk around the building and examine the decorative elements, roofline features, and cupola from different angles.
The house preserves one of Reading's few remaining original cupolas from the nineteenth century, a rare feature that most other buildings of that time do not retain. This distinctive element makes it an exceptional example of how residential design evolved during that period.
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