- Built
- c. 1900
- Style
- Queen Anne Queen Anne
- Neighborhood
- South End District
- MACRIS
- NWB.299 ↗
History
This house is a late example of the Queen Anne style. The variety of surface textures, the complexity of the plan produced by the tower and projecting ell, and the small window panes are all characteristic of the Queen Anne period. The overall proportion of the building is less vertical than in the Queen Anne period. This is undoubtedly the result of the later construction period.
Before the construction of this house, the site was owned by Charles H. Coffin. Coffin lived on High Street and was the president of the First National Bank. Coffin owned numerous properties in the South End. He owned 20 Charter Street until the 1880s. Later, the property was sold. The earlier house was demolished and the present house built.
In 1924, this house was owned by Giles Johnson.
Planning work on this building?
Reviews that may apply
Newburyport Historic District (National Register, listed 1984), contributing in the 1984 nomination · Downtown Overlay District (DOD) · Parcel 5-33 · 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
1 item · maps, papers, old photographs
More built 1860–1900
Sources
- Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System, NWB.299