- Built
- 1902 (documented)
- Style
- Colonial Revival/Craftsman Colonial Revival
- Neighborhood
- High Street District
- MACRIS
- NWB.2281 ↗
History
Situated on the corner of historic High St and Toppans Lane, this Arts and Crafts style home was built in 1902 for Robert Dodge by Edward Dodge, renowned architect of the Newburyport High School.
Edwin Sherrill Dodge (1874–1938) was an American architect. Born into a wealthy family of Newburyport, Massachusetts, Dodge was the son of the manufacturer Elisha Perkins Dodge. He trained as an architect at MIT, graduating in 1897. In 1902, he graduated from the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris.
In 1914, Dodge partnered with John Worthington Ames (1871–1954), who had trained at Harvard and at the École des Beaux-Arts. Together, they formed the architectural firm of Ames & Dodge.
Dodge’s architectural designs include:
Ellen T. Brown Memorial Chapel, Oak Hill Cemetery, Newburyport, Massachusetts, 1914
Edwin Booth Memorial, with sculptor Edmond Thomas Quinn, Gramercy Park, New York City, 1918
Hartford Fire Insurance Company Building, Asylum Hill, Hartford, Connecticut, 1921
multiple buildings in the quadrangle at Smith College, as Ames, Dodge & Putnam, 1922–1936
Cabot Hall at Cabot House, now part of Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1936
Newburyport High School, Newburyport, Massachusetts, [1937]
Lotta Fountain, Charles River Esplanade, Boston, with sculptor Katherine Lane Weems, 1939
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 39-59 · Zone HSRB
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 1902, 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 →
More photos
2 views · Biff Bouse
More built 1900–1945
Sources
- Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System, NWB.2281