- Built
- c. 1895
- Style
- Queen Anne Queen Anne
- Neighborhood
- Victorian Residential District
- MACRIS
- NWB.2786 ↗
History
Barton Street was laid out in 1893 by Lewis T. Barton and Richard G. Adams. The land through which the street was laid was divided into 31 house lots, which were then sold to private individuals who built vernacular Victorian single-family homes.
Most of the homes on Barton Street were built around the turn of the twentieth century. Some are extremely vernacular in style with almost no architectural ornament. Other homes are both elaborate and vernacular in style. The house at 25 Barton Street features elements of the Queen Anne style, including an octagonal turret with several types of shingles and a variety of roof shapes.
Barton Street is an excellent example of middle-class domestic architecture built in Newburyport at the turn of the twentieth century.
Planning work on this building?
Reviews that may apply
Newburyport Historic District (National Register, listed 1984) · Demolition Control Overlay District (DCOD) · Parcel 24-30-A/C · 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. 1895, 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
2 views · Biff Bouse
Details
1 close-up
From the archive
4 items · maps, papers, old photographs
More built 1860–1900
Sources
- Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System - NWB.2786, NWB.AG
- Sanborn Fire Insurance Map(s) from Newburyport, Essex County, Massachusetts. Sanborn Map Company, Sep, 1906; Oct, 1914.
- “House - For sale.” Newburyport Daily News, Saturday, February 5, 1910, p. 7.