12 Auburn Street

History

The Newburyport Gaol (Jail) was designed by Stuart James Park, Essex County Engineer, in 1823. With its prominent use of finely worked granite, the jail displayed characteristics that anticipated the Greek Revival architectural style.

However, its severe, geometric form could be seen as a nod to Benjamin Latrobe’s Neo-Classical Philadelphia Water Works, built in 1799. The jail’s architectural design is notable for its progressive style, showcasing a crisp, elegant form that has been well-preserved over time. The building shows the care and resources that went into it; town documents indicate that the building cost over double the original budget.

Built before Boston’s Quincy Market and Bunker Hill Monument, the complex is notable for its early and sophisticated use of granite, which is said to have come from Rockport. The first quarrying of granite blocks of the magnitude used here began in that area in 1824, after which the industry progressed rapidly. It is known that some granite was sent from Rockport to Newburyport on small fishing boats as early as 1800.

The jail remained in use for nearly a century with some additions and modifications. Its function was eventually outmoded by changes in county practice and the construction of the new police station with holding facilities on Green Street in 1912. Although “the jail” was still listed as a public building at this address in the 1922-1923 Street Directory 1923, the property was sold to Hannah Gillis, mother of Newburyport Mayor Andrew J. (Bossy) Gillis. She died December 29, 1926, and the 1927-28 Directory lists Andrew Gillis living at 12 Auburn Street. He still owned it in 1934, when it was documented for the Historic American Building Survey. By 1953, Kenneth E. Snow was the householder at 12 Auburn Street, and sometime between 1953 and 1961, he began operating his antique shop out of his home there. Known as the “Olde Newburyport Jail Antiques Shop,” this use continued through at least 1976. In the 1980s, it was replaced by an architect’s office.