59 Milk Street

History

This house is one of the few Stick Style buildings in Newburyport. The features of the style seen in the example are the tall proportions with high, steep roofs, complex plan and irregular silhouette. The eaves project considerably and are supported by brackets.

The stick work at the gable ends of the roof and dormers is characteristic of the style as is the occasional board and batter wall surface seen in several places like in the dormers and beneath the bay windows. Finally, the use of horizontal and vertical boards to suggest the unseen structural frame is a hallmark of the style.

This house was built between 1872 and 1884. The original owner was probably George W. Piper. Piper is listed as boarding at 43 Milk Street, now 53-55 Milk Street, in 1872. That house was owned by Henry Piper. George was probably his son and before 1884 George built or purchased the house at 59 Milk Street.

George W. Piper was an insurance agent in partnership with Albert P. Sawyer. The firm name was Piper and Sawyer and it was located at 39 State Street. The firm was an early promoter of the telephone, and their office had one of the first telephones in Newburyport. George W. Piper also served as City Treasurer from 1876 until 1883. Mr Piper was prominent in banking affairs, having been for a long time of the directors of the First National Bank and at one time its president. At the time of his death, he was a trustee of the Institution for Savings in Newburyport and Its Vicinity. He was also director of the old Newburyport Water Company.

Henry Krohn was the owner of the house during the early decades of the 20th century. The house was divided in to multiple units, and the garage/carriage house is now a separate property.