{"nrhp_refnum":"78000468","name":"Chestnut Street District (Boundary Increase)","other_names":["See Also:Chestnut Street District"],"category":"district","location":{"address":"Roughly bounded by Bridge, Lynn, Beckford, and River Sts.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Salem","county":"Essex County","state":"MA","lat":42.522264000000035,"lon":-70.90236268942422,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1978-10-04","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Community Planning and Development","Politics/Government","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"An addition to the Chestnut Street Historic District in Salem, Massachusetts, covering 23 modest 2 to 2½ story houses along River, Lynn and Beckford Streets, dating from the mid-18th to early 19th century.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the area is significant for its scale, architecture, archeological potential, associations and relationship to the existing district. It preserves the closely packed streetscape of Salem's artisans, craftsmen and small merchants, in contrast to the grander houses elsewhere in the district. Little development since the early 19th century suggests the archeological resources are relatively undisturbed.","narrative":"This addition to Salem's Chestnut Street Historic District takes in 23 houses on River, Lynn and Beckford Streets, built from the mid-18th to the early 19th century. The houses are two to two-and-a-half stories, with gambrel, ridge and saltbox roofs, and they are plainer versions of the Georgian, Federal and Greek Revival buildings found elsewhere in the district. Small lots, streets about 16 feet wide and tightly spaced buildings give the area a distinctive scale. The neighborhood housed Salem's artisans, craftsmen and small merchants rather than its wealthiest families. Benjamin Goodhue, a delegate to the 1789 Congress, built 9 Lynn Street around 1778, and housewright John Wright, who built the McIntire-designed Old Customs House, built 7 River Street. The area has changed little since the early 19th century, with no gaps or intrusions in the streetscape. Its largely undisturbed ground also offers potential for archeological study of late 18th and early 19th century life.","period_of_significance":"1700-1799, 1800-1899","architect_builder":"John Wright, housewright (7 River Street); Benjamin Goodhue (9 Lynn Street, c. 1778)","architectural_style":"Georgian, Federal and Greek Revival (modest examples)","criteria":[],"status_note":"Described as an excellently preserved, cohesive streetscape with no gaps or intrusions; marked occupied and in private ownership.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:54.583139-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/53/7946/63794653/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/78000468.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78000468/2f1508fffd-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78000468/2f1508fffd-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Fletcher6","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chestnut_Street_Salem.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Fletcher6</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chestnut_Street_Salem.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63794653","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chestnut_Street_District","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5093998"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/essex-county/chestnut-street-district-boundary-increase-78000468/"}