- Built
- c. 1750
- Style
- Vernacular Georgian Georgian
- Neighborhood
- Joppa District
- MACRIS
- NWB.185 ↗
History
ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE This house is an excellent example of the modest homes built by Joppa fishermen. This form occurs throughout this district. It is a two-and-a-half-story building with a pitched roof and a three-bay façade. The influence of the Georgian style is evident.
However, the house has three rather than five bays, which would make the façade symmetrical. Windows with nine over six or six over six lights were standard during the Georgian period. The architectural detail in the window surrounds and doorway, though simple, appears to be influenced by the formalization of the Georgian style.
HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE A fisherman probably built this house in this, the earliest maritime settlement in Newburyport. Its earliest owners have yet to be documented. Still, the later owners of the house, as well as those on Union Street, are illustrative of the changes that Newburyport’s economy underwent during the mid-to-late nineteenth century. In 1871, this house was owned by Samuel Kilborn. Kilborn is listed in the city directory of that year as a shoemaker. Shoemaking, by the 1860s and 1870s, was developing from a cottage industry into a factory-based trade. It’s interesting to note that, of all the occupants on Union Street during the 1870s, only one or two remained in the maritime trades. Most of the residents of this street were listed as shoemakers in the 1871 census. At this time, Newburyport was shifting from its river and ocean-oriented economy to one based on the textile and shoemaking industries.
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 30-49 · 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. 1750, 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
1 item · maps, papers, old photographs
More built Before 1775
Sources
- Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System, NWB.185