- Built
- c. 1870
- Style
- Second Empire Second Empire
- Neighborhood
- Merrimack Shipbuilding District
- MACRIS
- NWB.241 ↗
History
This house is a vernacular example of the Second Empire style popular during the later decades of the 19th century. The house has a mansard roof and dormer windows associated with the style. The turned brackets along the cornice and at the doorway are also typical of the period.
This house was built between 1866 and 1871. The original owner was likely Hiram Leach, who lived in the house in 1871. Leach was a ship carpenter and built his home in the North End, close to the shipbuilding industry, which prospered on the banks of the Merrimack until the end of the 19th century. As the industry grew, the men involved in the shipbuilding and its allied trades built homes on the streets extending from Merriamc Street to High Street. The homes on the roads like Broad, Oakland, and Tyng Street were tied to the shipbuilding industry until its decline at the turn of the 20th century. Hiram Leach lived here until that time.
Planning work on this building?
Reviews that may apply
Newburyport Historic District (National Register, listed 1984), contributing in the 1984 nomination · Demolition Control Overlay District (DCOD) · Parcel 54-131 · Zone R2
Zoning Board of Appeals decides
Listed as contributing in 1984, so removing more than 25% of its exterior walls, counted cumulatively since 2014 and including walls enclosed by an addition or openings filled in, needs a DCOD special permit; the Board may grant one only if the building retains no substantial remaining market value or reasonable use. The Historical Commission sends an advisory report. Replacing siding, or windows and doors in their openings, does not count.
Newburyport Historical Commission decides whether to impose a delay
Built c. 1870, so 75 or more years old: removing more than 25% of its exterior walls, changing the roofline (pitch, towers, cupolas, anything projecting above the roof), moving it, or adding a dormer that misses the setback and pitch rules is "demolition" under the demolition delay ordinance. The Commission holds a hearing within 30 days and may impose a delay of up to 18 months. In the DCOD the wall test goes to the Zoning Board instead; the Commission keeps roofline, roof pitch and dormer work. Parts of the building documented as younger than 75 years are excluded on a written determination by the Zoning Administrator.
Code of Ordinances ch. 5 art. X, §§5-307–5-308 (June 2026) ↗
Zoning Administrator first stop
Every project starts with a zoning determination from the Zoning Administrator, which says which of these reviews apply and whether the work also needs zoning relief (a special permit for a non-conformity, or a variance). Fees, forms and filing deadlines are on the City’s site.
Not legal advice, not an official City publication, and not the position of the Historical Commission or any board. Says what the ordinances say as of September 30, 2026; the Zoning Administrator decides what applies. Boundaries: Merrimack Valley Planning Commission / City of Newburyport GIS (MIMAP); 1984 status from the National Register nomination's district data sheets. City's quick guide to the DCOD and demolition delay ↗ · Do I need approval? Project by project →
From the archive
1 item · maps, papers, old photographs
More built 1860–1900
Sources
- Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System, NWB.241