- Built
- c. 1783
- Style
- Federal/Greek Revival Federal
- Neighborhood
- Merrimack Shipbuilding District
- MACRIS
- NWB.272 ↗
- Formerly
- 272 Merrimac Street
History
This two-story dwelling with a pitched roof and a symmetrical five-bay facade was built in the early Federal period and updated during the Greek Revival. The overall form of the house is typical of Federal architecture. The architectural elements are predominantly Greek in style.
They include the heavy cornerboards, the window lintels, and the front entrance. The door is flanked by pilasters supporting a heavy entablature above. The projecting second-story bay over the front entrance was added early in this century.
The property includes a 1½-story outbuilding resting on brick piers and clad in painted wood shingles. The origins of this building are unknown. The Newburyport National Register District nomination calls it a shed. It dates it to ca. 1845, but it is not shown on the 1851 Plan of Newburyport. It may be a remnant of the taller outbuilding with a smokestack seen in the 1894 “bird’s-eye view”.
George Burroughs, a tanner who invested heavily in land in this area, sold this parcel of land to Jacob Whitmore in 1785. Whitemore built this house shortly thereafter. The house is located in the heart of what was then Newbury’s shipbuilding district, and Whitmore was probably employed in the shipyards. Whitmore sold this house to Caleb Brown in 1826. Brown was a blacksmith who invested in several nearby homes during that period.
Later, this house was sold to John Currier. The Currier Shipyard was located on the banks of the Merrimack, adjacent to this home. John Currier built ships in Newburyport’s North End until the 1880s. Between 1831 and 1884, Currier built ninety-seven ships and barks, one schooner, one steamer, and one scow of 200 tons, for a total tonnage of 80,869.
Before 1872, this house was sold to John Merrill, a ship carpenter. The house remained in the Merrill family until 1913, when Mary S. Merrill sold the property to Mary C. Sawyer.
Planning work on this building?
Reviews that may apply
Newburyport Historic District (National Register, listed 1984) · Demolition Control Overlay District (DCOD) · Parcel 65-10-A-1/2 · Zone WMD
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. 1783, 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) ↗
Holder of the preservation restriction consents
The state inventory records a preservation restriction on this building. Whatever the recorded restriction covers, exterior and sometimes interior and site, needs the holder’s consent, separately from every other review. The City lists the restrictions it holds and links each document.
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
4 items · maps, papers, old photographs
More built 1775–1830
Sources
- Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System, NWB.272
- 1914 Sanborn map, sheet 3b (Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division, Sanborn Maps Collection)