- Built
- c. 1758
- Style
- Georgian Georgian
- Neighborhood
- High Street District
- MACRIS
- NWB.605 ↗
- Formerly
- 281 High Street
History
The property at 299 High Street is a well-preserved, mid-18th-century Georgian residence, dating to circa 1758. The house is a two-and-one-half-story, wood-frame structure set on a rectangular plan, capped by a side-gabled roof.
The roof is pierced by two symmetrically placed gabled dormers on the principal façade and is finished with a simple cornice. A raised deck or widow’s walk with a wood balustrade is visible along the roof ridge, an uncommon but notable historic feature.
The principal façade is five bays wide and strictly symmetrical, characteristic of Georgian design. The exterior is clad in narrow horizontal clapboards, painted a light color. Fenestration consists of regularly spaced, multi-pane, double-hung sash windows with simple flat trim; each window is flanked by operable black shutters. The windows on the first and second stories are aligned vertically and horizontally, reinforcing the building’s formal symmetry.
The main entrance, centered, is accessed by a short flight of stone steps. The doorway is enframed by an elaborately detailed classical surround, including pilasters supporting a broken scroll pediment with a central keystone or decorative element. The door itself appears to be paneled and is topped by a rectangular transom light.
The land on which this home sits was occupied by Stephen Sawyer soon after 1700. The present house was built by his descendants and has been attributed to Dr. Enoch Sawyer. In 1831, the house was bought by Josiah Little, an overseer at Bowdoin College and the founder of the Newburyport Free Library, from the heirs of Enoch Sawyer.
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 40-51 · 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 c. 1758, 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
3 views · Biff Bouse
Details
1 close-up
From the archive
1 item · maps, papers, old photographs
More built Before 1775
Sources
- Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System, NWB.605
- Howells, John Mead. The Architectural Heritage of the Merrimack. New York, NY: Architectural Book Publishing Company, 1941.
- Winter 2024
- Summer 2021
- Biff Bouse, Instagram post (@newburyportarchitecture), 2026-08-21
- 1914 Sanborn map, sheet 2 (Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division, Sanborn Maps Collection)