- Built
- c. 1890–94
- Style
- Vernacular Vernacular
- MACRIS
- NWB.440 ↗
History
Although this two-story house with a pitched roof is vernacular in style, it features several interesting features popular during the Victorian period. These include the projecting gable bays, the vertical board-and-batten timber in the roof gable, and the turned posts supporting the porch.
The small window panes around a larger pane and the sunburst motif in the gables over the bays are features that commonly occurred in the Queen Anne style popular in the late nineteenth century.
Charles W. Blake owned this property and may have been the original owner of the house. Dr. Charles F. Johnson was listed as renting this home in 1900, and according to newspaper reports, was in the home as early as 1894. The Sanborn maps show that the house was built between 1888 and 1894 and converted into a double home between 1900 and 1914.
Before 1948, Hattie Blake left the house to Allan and Marion Shepard, who sold it that year.
Planning work on this building?
Reviews that may apply
Newburyport Historic District (National Register, listed 1984) · Demolition Control Overlay District (DCOD) · Parcel 47-52-A · Zone B3
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. 1890–94, 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 →
From the archive
6 items · maps, papers, old photographs
More built 1860–1900
Sources
- Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System, NWB.440