1-5 Water Street

History

The present Ferry Wharf building represents only the front fragment of the rambling brick structure, which once extended northward with eight additional stores, out onto Ferry Wharf.

The three-story, hipped-roof building is constructed of brick laid in a common bond alternating seven courses of stretcher brick to a single course of headers, and appears to have been sandblasted. Underneath the eaves of the asphalt-shingled roof is a brick modillion cornice. Two brick chimneys rise from the front roof slope.

The first three floor storefronts were constructed on a trabeated system with granite posts and lintels of differing heights. The modern six-panel doors are capped by transoms with adjacent multi-paned display windows. The upper stories of the facade measure eight bays wide with a rounded bay at the southwest corner of the building. Except for the 3/1 windows in the corner bay, most openings have 6/6 sash, with smaller windows on the top floor, all topped by brownstone splayed lintels. The former loft opening near the center of the second floor is capped by a granite lintel and now contains glazed double doors. Above the westernmost second-floor facade window is a marble tablet inscribed with “Water Street”.

The east elevation is fronted by a concrete stairway leading to the rear building (originally 9 Ferry Wharf). On the west elevation, the first-floor openings are set into arched openings. A glass connector with stuccoed roof projections links the front building to the rear building, which is only a single bay wide, with 6/6 windows and a 9-panel first-floor door with a three-light transom. The rear of the building displays a gabled profile with flush eaves. It is punctuated by modern hinged windows with a stuccoed wooden deck on the third story.

Describe the history of the building. Explain its associations with local (or state) history. Include uses of the building and the role(s) the owners/occupants played within the community. This building was constructed after the Great Fire of 1811 destroyed much of Market Square and downtown. The first directory published for Newburyport in 1849 indicates that the building was then occupied by Eben Sumner and William H. Swasey, merchants of 30ods, grain, and meal. (By 1854, Sumner, Swasey & Currier had relocated to 45 Water Street.)

In 1860, Peter Romily operated an eating house at 1 Water Street. Several lodging and entertainment establishments were located here over the years. In the 1870s and 1880s, the Chester House was located at 1 Water Street, at the Ferry Wharf, while liquor merchants occupied much of the remainder of the block. At the turn of the century, a pool room and saloon were located in the building, as well as a barber shop. In the 20th century, tenants included Almon Reed’s stove store, and in the 1940s to 1960s, the Knight Grain Company.

Much of the rear portion of this building, including 5-8 and 10 Ferry Wharf, was demolished between 1924 and 1946. The buildings at the north end, formerly 1-4 Ferry Wharf, were demolished as part of Urban Renewal, as was the single-story, wood-frame section, which formerly housed a printing office (9-11 Water Street). The building currently houses a combination of stores, residential units, and offices.