- Built
- c. 1790
- Style
- Late Georgian Georgian
- Neighborhood
- South End District
- MACRIS
- NWB.92 ↗
History
This house is an excellent example of the Georgian homes built in Newburyport during the second half of the nineteenth century. Notable architectural features include the gambrel roof, favored for its attic space, the classically inspired window caps, and the front doorway. The front entrance is typically Georgian, flanked by Doric pilasters.
The original owner of this house is unknown. By 1851, it was owned by a physician, Dr. Henry C. Perkins. Perkins owned several other homes on Essex Street, including 16 Essex Street. Dr. Perkins was a prominent member of the community. He was a member of the Newburyport Lyceum and a contributor to the Newburyport Public Library. He graduated from Harvard in 1829 and was a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In 1866, he was the president of the Massachusetts Medical Society.
“Dr. H.C. Perkins was known to be the first person in America to imitate the invention of Daguerre, in taking pictures by the light of the sun. In doing this, he made his own apparatus for grinding the lens. The first successful picture he took was of the house on the corner of Centre and Middle streets, then occupied by the late Enoch Huse, which he kept in his possession, and is now held by the family.”* [Newburyport Herald, February 3, 1873.]
In 1872, the house was owned by Mrs. Moses J. Brown. By 1884, it had been sold to Captain Frank W. Brown. At that time, Harris C. Nye, a bookkeeper, lived at 17 Essex. The house is presently a two-family residence.
Planning work on this building?
Reviews that may apply
Newburyport Historic District (National Register, listed 1984) · Downtown Overlay District (DOD) · Parcel 7-15-A/C · Zone R3
Planning Board decides
Downtown, new construction, alteration or demolition of a historic building (individually listed or contributing in 1984) needs a DOD special permit, judged against the Secretary of the Interior's Standards; the Historical Commission sends an advisory report. Replacing windows, doors, signs, awnings or fences is reviewed by the Planning Office at staff level, with a window inventory; a new opening in a wall needs the Board. This lot is in an underlying R3 district, where alterations (not demolition) of a one- or two-family house are excluded from DOD review. The demolition delay ordinance does not apply downtown except to work the Zoning Administrator excludes from DOD review.
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
3 items · maps, papers, old photographs
More built 1775–1830
Sources
- Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System, NWB.92
- “The Wolfe Tavern: The place where our ancestors tarried.” Melissa Davenport Berry, Ancestry Archives, Friday, March 6, 2015
- “A view of Newburyport looking northward from Harris Street Church.” Henry Coit Perkins, October 1839, daguerreotype. Museum of Old Newbury Collection. Image from “1839 photo of Newburyport displayed in D.C.” Richard K. Lodge, April 3, 2017. Newburyport Daily News.