- Built
- c. 1850
- Style
- Astylistic Vernacular
- Neighborhood
- Joppa District
- MACRIS
- NWB.2505 ↗
- Formerly
- 154 Water Street
History
This home, formerly 154 Water Street (now 188), and the home directly next to it, formerly 152 Water Street (now 186), were small cabinet-making and woodworking shops owned by William Collins. His home was nearly directly behind these buildings at formerly 33 Purchase Street (now 35). Mr. Collins died in 1869, aged 79.
He was the father of a large family, one of the oldest Free Masons in Newburyport at the time and one of the founders of the Universalist Church.
Fishing was the primary occupation of this area during most of the nineteenth century. Shoemaking was also a vital trade to the residents, often practiced by fishermen during winter. In 1911 seventy-three Joppa residents were listed as fishermen. They probably fished from small vessels put out from the Upper Slip, near the foot of Neptune Street, on the Lower Slip, near the foot of Beacon Avenue.
Physical remnants of past fishing are few. The site of an old flake yard, where cod was dried on racks in the sun, is now the Hale Memorial Park on Water Street. One clam shack also stands on the river's bank. It is the only remnant of a long line of buildings that once stood between Water Street and the river. Clamming was a prosperous industry in Joppa at the turn of the 20th century. According to the city directory, over forty-one Joppa residents harvested the so-called “Joppa Flatts“in 1911.
Planning work on this building?
Reviews that may apply
Newburyport Historic District (National Register, listed 1984) · Demolition Control Overlay District (DCOD) · Parcel 26-41 · Zone R2
Zoning Board of Appeals may decide
In the DCOD. Whether removing more than 25% of the exterior walls needs a DCOD special permit depends on the building’s status in the 1984 National Register nomination, which this site has not matched for this lot yet; the Office of Planning and Development keeps the list.
Newburyport Historical Commission decides whether to impose a delay
Built c. 1850, 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. 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 →
More photos
1 view · Biff Bouse
From the archive
4 items · maps, papers, old photographs
More built 1830–1860
Sources
- The Massachusetts Historical Commission - Historic Building Detail: NWB.2505
- "Plan of Newburyport Mass. from an actual survey." Map. Philadelphia: H. McIntyre, 1851.
- “William Collins, Coffin Warehouse” Newburyport Daily Herald, June 16, 1858, p. 3.
- “Auction Sale.” Newburyport Daily Herald, November 11, 1869, p. 3.
- Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Newburyport, Essex County, Massachusetts. Sanborn Map Company, Oct, 1914. Map.
- Biff Bouse, Instagram post (@newburyportarchitecture), 2023-07-21