A Lexington Minuteman’s Home is Reborn: NEDC Architectural Design Build at 342 Bedford Street

Back to all insights July 4, 2026

general

As we celebrate the 250th anniversary of our nation, we pay homage to all brave men and women—original Patriots and Minuteman who played foundational roles in the formation of America.

NEDC expanded to Lexington in August of last year–here NEDC CEO David Supple takes us through NEDC’s beautiful new home at 342 Bedford Street in Lexington, its history and his vision for the future. This is a historic home–built by original minuteman Deacon Nathan Reed:

“So this is the new home of NEDC right here in Lexington. The history behind it is epic. This was the estate originally of Deacon Nathan Reed, who was one of the original 77 Minutemen that fought on the battle green in Lexington, the first battle of the Revolutionary War.

He was actually the builder, first owner of this home.

This is 4 acres. There’s conservation land in the back which is beautiful. The Minute Man bike path is just a stone’s throw away from that. So it’s an amazing history which we’re very proud to continue. It’s the 250th anniversary of America. We have a vision for it, and we’re kind of master-planning that out now.

We have our temporary setup where we are operating out of the main house, but the vision is to turn the barn — which was last a horse farm — into our studio. And so the house will be a house, and I’m gonna have a small regenerative farm. It’s a really neat, really serene, beautiful property that’s just right — literally right off the highway.

We haven’t done it yet, but the flag pole is in place. So I hope that acts as a gateway here for Lexington, all its rich history and patriotism. We’re going to have an 8×12 American flag, 40 feet in the air. And we’re going to have a smaller NEDC flag letting folks know that this is our home”

David Muniz Supple – CEO NEDC

Who was Deacon Nathan Reed?

Deacon Nathan Reed was a member of a well-established Massachusetts family who at the time of the Battle of Lexington had already been present in the Massachusett’s Bay Colony for multiple generations–a well-respected and prominent member of the Lexington and Colonial community that fateful morning of April 19, 1775. In his early thirties at the time, Nathan Reed was an established businessman, landowner and carried the title of Deacon, a prominent status in Colonial New England.

“Nathan Reed was born on November 9, 1743, in Lexington, Middlesex, Massachusetts ^[1]. He was the son of William and Sarah (Poulter) Reed ^[2]. Nathan was a member of Captain John Parker’s Company of Minute Men^[3]. He was one of the 77 men present when the Company met the British on the Common on the morning of April 19, 1775^[4]. “

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Reed-7305

As additional context, his grandfather was Captain William Reed, a prominent Justice of the Peace, Selectman and Representative to the General Court.

“Captain William Reed, Grandfather of Nathan. Charles Hudson said of Captain William:

In the northerly part of the town, on Bedford Street, and on land still in possession of his
descendants of the same name, William Reed from Woburn settled about 1685. William was
known as Captain William Settled in Lexington about 1685. He was a large landowner, and had
numerous descendants. He and his son William became prominent in the town. Northwesterly
of the Reeds, on the other side of Tophet Swamp, so called, Thomas Kendall, probably from
Woburn , settled at an early day…

Captain William was a justice of the peace, selectman in 1713, Representative to the General Court in in 1714,
1716 and 1717, and subscribed to the meeting house, and the purchase of the common. Members of the Reed
and Bowman families were often rivals for office, sometimes one succeeding the other, and with the Reeds from
the north part”

https://lexingtonminutemen.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/nathan_reed.pdf

The Battle of Lexington:

Who fired the first shot?

Five years and fifty days after the Boston Massacre, the Battle of Lexington was the literal musket spark that lit the flame of battle that would come to shape our nation. I grew up in Cambridge, MA and attended the reenactment of the Battle of Lexington as if it was a tradition. Standing in the chilly dawn morning on Lexington Green as the sky turned light to the roll of British drums as the Redcoats approached is a core memory of mine as a young Bostonian. To this day it utterly amazes me that an unknown soldier fired this first shot–the identity of this individual remaining a mystery even to today.

While there are many factors that led to the American Revolution and hundreds of books written on the subject, one of the key rulings that set these proverbial ships of state on an unavoidable collision course were the Townsend Acts enacted in 1768. Charles Townsend was the British Chancellor of the Exchequer (essentially the Finance Minister) who brought forth this legislation–in layman’s terms it was a power play to tax the Colonies, bring them to heel, and further assert the authority and control of the Crown over them. The Townsend Acts came on the heels of the Stamp Act of 1765 which essentially levied a direct tax on many printed goods and required them to be printed on authorized paper stamped from London with an embossed revenue stamp–this included newspapers, legal documents, magazines, etc.

The Boston Massacre took place on 5 March, 1770 at King Street in Boston, known today as State Street. One can see today the exact place this tragic event occurred–a dedication to the 5 Bostonians who lost their lives that day. The Boston Massacre contributed greatly to the gradually rising tensions that would later explode into open warfare that April morning in Lexington. At the time of the Boston Massacre British troops had been stationed in Boston for several years.

The Boston Tea Party then took place on Dec 17, 1773. 342 chests of tea worth 9,659 GBP were unceremoniously dumped into the Boston Harbor by an enterprising group of 50 or so Boston colonials dressed as Mohawk warriers. To put this in context, the value of this cargo in today’s currency is north of $1,700,000 usd–by some estimates closer to $3,000,000 in actual value.

(As a child we took a school field trip to the Tea Party ship replica in the Seaport and joyously threw chests of “tea” overboard to get a taste of what this must have been like. It was exhilarating. A very controlled celebration if you will (all tea chests were roped to the ship and we had to haul them back on a block and tackle after tossing them…but a taste of true rebellion none the less.)

The British Crown responded to the Boston Tea Party with the Intolerable Acts of 1774. These were five mandates passed by the British Crown specifically aimed to punish and subjugate Boston and discourage Colonial independent action in response to the Sons of Liberty and their midnight Tea Party, including fully wiping out the democratic rights of Massachusetts and attempting to quash unity amongst the Colonies. However the reverse occurred–directly leading to the initial Continental Congress which occurred in 1774 at Carpenters Hall in Philadelphia and was attended by Samuel Adams, John Adams, Thomas Cushing, and Robert Paine from Massachusetts.

By April 19th, 1775 tensions in Boston and the Colonies were finely stretched. British Officer Thomas Gage had been despatched to Boston to contain the situation–ironically, Gage and George Washington served alongside each other in the French and Indian War. There were confrontations but the situation continued without bloodshed or overt military action.

April 19th began early for the 700 British Regulars tasked to arrest Rebel leaders and locate and destroy a weapons cache in Concord judged by the British to be of strategic importance. Attempting to avoid detection, Lieutenant Colonel Smith transported his force across the water to what is now Charlestown. Landing in waste-deep water, the British Regulars began their march at 2am with sodden boots and minimal ammunition swapped for the sake of speed. They traveled the 18 miles to Lexington in a matter of a few hours, arriving as day was breaking. When the British arrived in Lexington they were met by John Parker and his team of Militia–yet while making a clear statement and show of arms, Parker was not blocking the road to Concord and neither side anticipated actual bloodshed.

Fate took its course-an Advance Guard of British Regulars broke from their path to Lexington to confront the Militia standing on Lexington Green. They were not ordered to do so, but took these fateful steps Both sides were ordered not to fire–insults were traded and some Militia had begun to leave.

A shot broke out…

Eight Militia lay dead. A single British Regular had been wounded. The Revolutionary War had begun.

Bloodshed and fighting would continue throughout the day with Militia forces swelling to 4,000 and the British suffering serious losses as they scrambled to make their way back to the safety of Boston Harbor. Arriving back at 7pm the British Regulars had suffered 300 casualties (dead, wounded or missing) compared to the Militia’s 93.

In the words of John Adams which would become so famous

“The die is cast…

and the Rubicon crossed”

We don’t know the details of how the day played out for Deacon Nathan Reed. But we do know it begun with this brave man and his fellows standing in the dawn on Lexington Green and ended with the advent of the American Revolution.

This piece provides a moving visual context to this historic event:

Lexington Today:

Today Lexington, MA is a beautiful historic town with a population of approximately 35,000. It is full of history, green space and a deeply entrenched ethos of national pride.

We intend to do full justice to the property and give the Deacon Nathan Reed home the care, love and artistry it deserves. The home and property will undergo a full restoration and remodel with the barn becoming the NEDC architectural & design studio. The home will remain a family home and the vision is to add a small regenerative farm.

About NEDC:

NEDC is a full service architectural design build firm located at 342 Bedford Street in Lexington, MA. Founded by Tufts Architectural Graduate David Muniz Supple in 2005 in the vision of the Architect as a Master Builder, NEDC offers clients a full-service experience from conceptual design through architectural planning, interior design and full artisan build followed by a five-year warranty on all work. Thus far this year, NEDC has been awarded Modern Luxury Interiors Best of Design for Architectural Design Build, as well as Pro New England’s Gold Award for Whole Home Remodel and three PRO New England Silver Awards. Also in 2026 NEDC projects have also been featured in the Boston Sunday Globe Magazine, New England Home Magazine, and Boston Home Magazine.

www.nedesignbuild.com

Download our 2026 Boston Home Remodeling & Cost Guide Here: