- Built
- c. 1850
- Style
- Greek Revival Greek Revival
- Neighborhood
- Ocean Mills District
- MACRIS
- NWB.2593 ↗
- Formerly
- 41 Kent Street
History
The streetscape on Upper Kent Street is an excellent example of middle-class housing in its original late nineteenth-century setting. Several of the homes along this portion of Kent Street, specifically 51 and 53, have elaborate gingerbread carving in the doorways and bargeboards. Both of these homes were built about 1850.
In 1851, J.B. Reed, a house carpenter, lived at what is now 53 Kent Street. It is quite possible that Reed built this house and 51 Kent Street. The two homes have similar gingerbread carving. In 1851, Wareham Drake, a machinist, lived in and owned 51 Kent Street. By 1872, Drake was a foreman at the Ocean Steam Mills.
Planning work on this building?
Reviews that may apply
Newburyport Historic District (National Register, listed 1984) · Demolition Control Overlay District (DCOD) · Parcel 51-4-A/B · Zone R2
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. 1850, 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 →
More photos
3 views · Biff Bouse
More built 1830–1860
Sources
- Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System, NWB.2593, NWB.AD
- 1914 Sanborn map, sheet 8 (Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division, Sanborn Maps Collection)