{"nrhp_refnum":"76000303","name":"Salem Common Historic District","other_names":[],"category":"district","location":{"address":"Bounded roughly by St. Peter's, Bridge, and Derby Sts. and Collins Cove","address_restricted":false,"city":"Salem","county":"Essex County","state":"MA","lat":42.52448800000005,"lon":-70.89050142366193,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1976-05-12","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Commerce","Literature","Politics/Government","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 76-acre historic district of 266 properties in the eastern part of Salem, Massachusetts, centered on Salem Common (Washington Square) and the streets radiating from it. It is mostly residential, with buildings from the seventeenth century through the early twentieth century.","why_significant":"The district was one of the centers of Salem's early development and was home to many of the city's prominent citizens, including merchants, sea captains, a Supreme Court justice and a philanthropist. It also contains classic examples of architectural styles spanning two centuries, from seventeenth-century houses through Federal, Greek Revival, Gothic Revival, Italianate, Queen Anne and Colonial Revival buildings.","narrative":"Salem Common and the streets around it form a 76-acre district of 266 properties in eastern Salem, Massachusetts. Most are residences, set close to the street, with brick Federal mansions facing the Common. Built by merchants and sea captains, they reflect Salem's wealth from maritime trade. Two seventeenth-century houses, the Narbonne House and the Daniels House of 1667, are among the oldest buildings. Other styles include Greek Revival, Gothic Revival, Italianate, Queen Anne and Colonial Revival. The Common itself was a marshy area, was set aside as a training field in 1714, and was improved in 1801 through a subscription led by Elias Hasket Derby, with gateways by Samuel McIntire. Residents included Judge Joseph Story, philanthropist George Peabody and Nathaniel Hawthorne. The district is notable for its architectural quality, scale and cohesion, and for its large concentration of essentially unaltered buildings, which record Salem's growth and periods of prosperity.","period_of_significance":"1600-1899","architect_builder":"Samuel McIntire (Common gateways; McIntire brothers at Boardman House); Minard Lafever (East Church); Stephen Daniels (Daniels House, shipwright)","architectural_style":"Federal, Greek Revival, Gothic Revival, Italianate, Second Empire, Queen Anne, Colonial Revival, with Georgian and seventeenth-century examples","criteria":[],"status_note":"Described as in good condition and largely well preserved. Most buildings are occupied, mainly as residences, with a few other uses including a museum, a library and a home for the aged. Minor intrusions include a parking area and several vacant lots.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:55.059626-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/76/7947/63794776/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/76000303.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/76000303/8962e3b635-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/76000303/8962e3b635-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Fletcher6","credit_html":"Fletcher6, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Salem_Common.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63794776","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salem_Common_Historic_District_(Salem,_Massachusetts)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7404077"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/essex-county/salem-common-historic-district-76000303/"}