- Built
- c. 1845
- Style
- Greek Revival Greek Revival
- Neighborhood
- High Street District
- MACRIS
- NWB.8 ↗
History
The Sarah Lord Lunt Titcomb House, located at 60 High Street, is a well-preserved, wood-frame, side-gabled Greek Revival residence constructed circa 1845. This 2½-story structure exemplifies the domestic Greek Revival style, which was popular in Newburyport from the 1830s through the 1860s. The house is five bays wide and two bays deep, set on a granite foundation, with narrow clapboard siding and a symmetrical façade.
Most prominent is the central entry portico, featuring fluted Doric columns supporting a classical entablature and projecting cornice. The entrance is flanked by sidelights and flat pilasters and is surmounted by a wide, rectangular transom window, consistent with high-style Greek Revival design. The cornerboards are articulated and rise to meet an entablature and wide frieze beneath the shallow-pitched roof. The roofline features boxed eaves and a broad fascia board running along the cornice. Two brick chimneys rise from the outer ends of the roof ridge.
All windows are six-over-six double-hung sashes with operable louvered shutters, uniformly aligned and proportioned. A granite step leads to the entrance, and the doorway retains its original surround. The house occupies a corner lot at High and Lyme Streets and is framed by mature plantings and a low brick sidewalk curb, consistent with the mid-19th-century urban context.
While several Greek Revival houses survive in Newburyport, the composition and preservation of the portico at 60 High Street, particularly the classical fluted columns and generous transom, make it a notable example. The house’s placement, proportions, and detail reflect the conservative elegance and architectural ambitions of the period.
This house was constructed ca. 1845 by Sarah Lord Lunt Titcomb, widow of Henry Titcomb, a figure active in Newburyport’s civic and economic development during the early 19th century. Henry Titcomb was a member of the Leonidas Fire Society, organized in 1810, and a founding incorporator of the Ocean National Bank (1833).
<— CONTINUED IN COMMENTS —>
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 21-37 · 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. 1845, 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
2 items · maps, papers, old photographs
More built 1830–1860
Sources
- Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System, NWB.8
- Biff Bouse, Instagram post (@newburyportarchitecture), 2025-06-01