- Built
- c. 1845
- Style
- Italianate Italianate
- Neighborhood
- Ocean Mills District
- MACRIS
- NWB.772 ↗
- Formerly
- 19 Warren Street
History
Warren Street existed before 1830, and the town accepted it as laid out by George Burroughs on March 25, 1834. Initially, it was laid out only as far as Munroe Street, later extended to Ocean, and still later to Eagle Street.
Several of the homes at the foot of Warren Street near Merrimac Street were undoubtedly there before the establishment of the Ocean Steam Mills in 1845. At about that time, however, additional housing was needed for the mill workers. Warren Street developed into a working-class neighborhood during the second half of the nineteenth century.
One of the earliest documented residents of 29 Warren Street was Samuel Prescott Holt Drake (1813-1869), who was a “hack driver” for the M.S. Little Horses and Carriages Livery Company, located at the Merrimac House (later to become the Wolfe Tavern, and now a parking lot). S.P.H. Drake lived at 29 Warren (Formerly 19 Warren) as early as 1851, and may have sold the home at auction in 1868.
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 54-58 · Zone R2
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 c. 1845, 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 →
From the archive
5 items · maps, papers, old photographs
More built 1830–1860
Sources
- Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System, NWB.772, NWB.AE
- 1914 Sanborn map, sheet 9 (Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division, Sanborn Maps Collection)