Pond Street · No. 7 · NWB.2022

7 Pond Street

Walter B. Hopkinson House

Built 1860–1900National Register district

Built: c. 1890
Style: Queen Anne Queen Anne
MACRIS: NWB.2022 ↗

History

The 1851 map shows the empty lot where 7 Pond Street would be built, likely sometime in the 1880s. The house, along with 1 Pond Street and 3-5 Pond Street, appears on the 1906 map. The 1910 Census shows that Walter B. Hopkinson (45 at the time) was living with Eleanor (36, Walter’s second wife) and their daughter, Elizabeth.

Walter Hopkinson was mayor of Newburyport in 1917-18. He was formerly associated with the coffee and tea importing firm of Delano Potter & Company in Boston, serving as president for 12 years. In his later years, he was civically active. He compiled the names of all Newburyport’s soldiers and sailors of World War 1 for the bronze tablets now on City Hall. Later, he was chairman of the committee that presented the statue of the Civil War Volunteer at Atkinson Common to the city.

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 35-61 · Zone R3

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.
Zoning Ordinance §XXVIII ↗
Newburyport Historical Commission decides whether to impose a delay
Built c. 1890, 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.
City flowchart, June 2026 ↗

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 →