High Street Newburyport: Historic Homes and Architecture

High Street in Newburyport, Massachusetts, is famous for its 18th- and 19th-century New England domestic architecture, much of it built for a wealthy sea captain's or merchant's family. The dominant style is Federal, led by the three-story "square house," with earlier Georgian homes and later Greek Revival and Victorian changes mixed in.

We're Bentley's Real Estate, and this is our home market.

How High Street got its look

That merchant money built up over generations. Newbury was settled in 1635, and its "Waterside" part became the separate town of Newburyport in 1764 and a city in 1851.

Shipping and trade made the port rich. Many of the city's notable Federal homes went up between 1790 and 1820.

After the 1807 Embargo Act slowed the economy, much of that early stock survived through what one local preservation group calls "preservation by benign neglect."

Styles you can spot from the sidewalk

Owners tore down so little that you can still trace those decades house by house. Four styles cover most of the houses on High Street.

Style	Era	What to look for
Georgian	1725 to 1780	Symmetrical, two rooms deep, center entry, gambrel or gable roof
Federal	1780 to 1830	Three stories, low hipped roof, small square top-floor windows, fanlight over the door
Greek Revival	1825 to 1850	Entry porticos, Doric columns, pediments, often added later
Victorian	1845 to 1900	Later accents, such as mansard roof additions

The Federal "square house" is the form High Street is known for.

Built as a symmetrical timber-framed residence to project wealth and status, it usually has a fanlight and sidelights at the entry, a modillioned cornice, and sometimes a roof balustrade, cupola or widow's walk.

Read each facade from the roofline down. The roof shows the original era, and the porch often shows what a later owner added.

Named High Street examples

Once you can read a roofline, you can date the houses as you walk.

Residence	Street number	Date	Notes
Stephen Holland House	96	Circa 1801	Fanlight door, rare surviving roof balustrade, later Greek portico
Hoyt-Morrill House	209	Federal era	Classic square form
Caleb Cushing House	Not listed	Circa 1808	Federal landmark
Pierce-Perry-Farmer House	Not listed	1811	Built by Joshua Hills for Benjamin Pierce
Philip Coombs House	51	Circa 1798	Mansard additions circa 1870
Sawyer-Hale-Wilkins House	299	1775	Pre-Federal

For one address's history, the best public sources are the city historical commission's files and the 1984 inventory of the Newburyport National Register Historic District. The Boston Public Library's map center also holds the 1851 "Plan of Newburyport, Mass." survey.

Before you fall for a house, pull its data sheet and an old map, since an inventory date such as 1750 reflects the original build and porches or ells may be later.

Who a High Street home suits

Those added layers give these houses their charm, and they also mean upkeep. A High Street home fits when period design matters more than an easy renovation.

Choose a well-restored Federal if you want the architecture without a big project, or an unrestored one if you enjoy restoration and have the budget for it.

Rewards	Tradeoffs
Rare Federal and Georgian design	Specialized materials can cost more and take longer
Wide pine floors, original fireplaces, hand-crafted staircases	Replacing original windows or altering a facade typically involves a review process, and older systems need an inspector who knows period construction

Confirm any exterior plans with the city and talk with your attorney and a qualified inspector before you commit.

How Bentley's helps with historic homes

Those talks with the city, your attorney and your inspector go easier with a local agent beside you. Bentley's Real Estate is a woman- and veteran-owned brokerage with offices at 2A Winter Street and 31 Market Square in Newburyport.

We have been the #1 brokerage in Greater Newburyport by market share seven years running, and our 60+ agents know the city's older neighborhoods well. Buying or selling a period home here?

Call us at (978) 572-1200.