OLDNBPT

Styles · 45 buildings with a page · 54 more in the state inventory, not yet researched

Colonial

The plain central-chimney and gambrel houses of the 1700s, built by the pattern rather than the pattern book.

Usual dates
1700–1790
In Newburyport
c. 1700–1795
Built Before 1775
32
Built 1775–1830
12
Built 1830–1860
1
4 Goodwin Avenue, Newburyport
An example4 Goodwin AvenueEben P. Goodwin Housec. 1780 · Central-chimney half house · Photo: Biff Bouse

How to recognize it

  1. 01A central chimney, or twin chimneys on the later and larger houses
  2. 02A five-bay front with a centered door, or a two- or three-bay half house with the door at one end
  3. 03A pitched roof, or a gambrel roof with its double slope
  4. 04Small-paned sash, 12-over-12 or 9-over-6, set close under the eaves
  5. 05Little or no ornament: a plain board door frame, a simple box cornice
  6. 06Clapboards on the front, sometimes wide boards or shingles on the sides and back

About the style

Most of Newburyport's eighteenth-century houses are not high-style Georgian mansions but the everyday houses of shipwrights, coopers and mariners: a timber frame, a central chimney, a pitched or gambrel roof and small-paned sash. The state inventory calls these Colonial. On this site they also carry the form Biff records for them: central-chimney half house, twin-chimney timber frame, central-chimney gambrel and so on.

The half house is a Newburyport specialty: two or three bays wide with the door at one end and the chimney behind it, built with the intention of adding the other half later. Many never were.

Colonial in Newburyport

1 Federal Street, Newburyportc. 16801 Federal StreetFederal12 Madison Street, Newburyportc. 169712 Madison StreetPierce-Coker-Woodwell HouseVernacular Colonial17 Elm Street, Newburyportc. 1700–175017 Elm StreetButler-Rogers House79 Federal Street, Newburyportc. 170079 Federal StreetRichard Plumer HouseCentral-chimney ¾ house53 High Street, Newburyportc. 170053 High StreetJohn Weed House24 Merrill Street, Newburyportc. 1700–175024 Merrill StreetJ. Griffith House2 Neptune Street, Newburyport, in the MACRIS inventory photoc. 17002 Neptune StreetB. Pettingill–George Thurlow House265 Water Street, Newburyportc. 1710265 Water StreetMariner Goodwin HouseVernacular10 Madison Street, Newburyportc. 172010 Madison StreetEdward Emory HouseVernacular Colonial168–170 Water Street, Newburyportc. 1720168–170 Water Street2-4 Court Street, Newburyportc. 17252-4 Court StreetBalch-Piper HouseFederal64 Liberty Street, Newburyportc. 173064 Liberty StreetJonathan Sampson HouseCentral-chimney gambrel23–25 Lime Street, Newburyport, in the MACRIS inventory photoc. 173023–25 Lime StreetCharles Currier House320 Merrimac Street, Newburyportc. 1730320 Merrimac StreetSamuel Moggridge HouseGreek Revival9 Madison Street, Newburyportc. 17449 Madison StreetJoseph Hidden House8 Atwood Street, Newburyportc. 17508 Atwood StreetMoses Short HouseCentral-chimney timber frame26 Boardman Street, Newburyportc. 175026 Boardman StreetTheodore A. Coffin HouseCentral-chimney gambrel33 Federal Street, Newburyportc. 1750–177533 Federal StreetKnight-Johnson-Labrinskie HouseTwin-chimney timber frame6 Kent Street, Newburyportc. 17506 Kent StreetJohn E. Bailey HouseFederal54 Liberty Street, Newburyportc. 175054 Liberty StreetGray-Lyons-Chisnal-McCarthy House45-47 Lime Street, Newburyportc. 175045-47 Lime StreetS. Brooking HouseTwin-chimney timber frame97–99 Lime Street, Newburyportc. 175097–99 Lime Street14 Madison Street, Newburyportc. 175014 Madison StreetFederal225-227 Merrimac Street, Newburyportc. 1750225-227 Merrimac StreetGreek Revival37 Olive Street, Newburyportc. 1750–180037 Olive StreetPatrick Moylan HouseVernacular3–5 School Street, Newburyport, in the MACRIS inventory photoc. 17503–5 School StreetWilliam Lloyd Garrison House20-22 Ship Street, Newburyportc. 175020-22 Ship StreetJohn Porter and Mrs. Hannah Wyatt HouseCentral-chimney timber-framed52–54 Temple Street, Newburyport, in the MACRIS inventory photoc. 175052–54 Temple StreetHorace W. Bartlett House34-36 Warren Street, Newburyportc. 1750–180034-36 Warren StreetGriffin-Leary-Neelon HouseVernacular263 Water Street, Newburyportc. 1750263 Water StreetGoodwin-Sweeney HouseVernacular Colonial178 Water Street, Newburyportc. 1752178 Water StreetWilliam Gerrish HouseCentral-chimney timber frame36 Lime Street, Newburyportc. 175936 Lime StreetJoseph Greenleaf, Jr. HouseTwin-chimney timber frame316 High Street, Newburyportc. 1775316 High Street349 High Street, Newburyportc. 1775349 High StreetFrancis Lord House55-57 Olive Street, Newburyportc. 177555-57 Olive StreetTrow-Peabody HouseGambrel timber frame22 Union Street, Newburyportc. 177822 Union StreetHenry Adams HouseCentral-chimney, timber frame323 Merrimac Street, Newburyportc. 1779323 Merrimac StreetMoses Hoyt HouseCenter-chimney half house4 Goodwin Avenue, Newburyportc. 17804 Goodwin AvenueEben P. Goodwin HouseCentral-chimney half house18 Union Street, Newburyportc. 178018 Union StreetWilliam A Nelson House18 Elm Street, Newburyportc. 178418 Elm StreetEdward Swain HouseGambrel timber-frame2 Atwood Street, Newburyportc. 17902 Atwood StreetPatrick Doherty HouseCentral-chimney half house38 Warren Street, Newburyportc. 179538 Warren StreetPeter & Elisabeth LeBreton HouseCentral-chimney half house18 Beck Street, Newburyportc. 179918 Beck StreetJosiah Thing HouseCentral-chimney gambrel79 Prospect Street, Newburyportc. 180079 Prospect StreetJohn Orne HouseCentral-chimney timber frame/Double18 Warren Street, Newburyportc. 184518 Warren StreetJ. Stickney HouseVernacular Colonial
Also in the state inventory 54 buildings not yet researched

½ Prospect Street

10–12 Temple Street

14–16 Warren Street

164–166 Water Street

18–20 Temple Street

19–21 Boardman Street

19–21 Elm Street

22–24 Franklin Street

33–35 Temple Street

45–47 Kent Street

68–70 Federal Street

7–9 Ship Street

8–10 Warren Street

Ashland Street

Atkinson Street

Boardman Street

Bromfield Street

Curzon's Mill Road

Forrester Street

Harrison Street

Low Street

Market Street

Marlboro Street

Merrimac Street

Milk Street

Neptune Street

Olive Street

Orange Street

Purchase Street

Salem Street

State Street

Strong Street

Temple Street

Toppan's Lane

Turkey Hill Road

Union Street

Vernon Street

Warren Street

Water Street

Styles are as recorded on each building's page; a building whose page names two styles is listed under the one that fits its date, or under Victorian Eclectic when both are Victorian, with its own wording under its address. Buildings not yet researched show the state inventory's dates and styles. Hollow dots are lost buildings. Locations: MassGIS / Massachusetts Historical Commission.