{"nrhp_refnum":"79000327","name":"Sawin, Ezekiel, House","other_names":["Howland House"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"44 William St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Fairhaven","county":"Bristol County","state":"MA","lat":41.636982517000035,"lon":-70.90425210199999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1979-06-15","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Commerce","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story wood frame Greek Revival mansion at 44 William Street in Fairhaven, Massachusetts, built 1840-1844 for bank president Ezekiel R. Sawin, later known as the Howland House.","why_significant":"The nomination calls it the most elaborate dwelling house extant in Fairhaven and an outstanding example of Greek Revival style, unlike any other local building. It has never been significantly altered and retains its original woodwork, trim and evidence of early service systems. It is also tied to Sawin, whose residence coincided with the whaling-era prosperity of Fairhaven, and to the Howland family.","narrative":"Set on a graded mound above William and Washington streets in Fairhaven, this two-story wood frame mansion was built between 1840 and 1844 for Ezekiel R. Sawin, president of the Fairhaven Bank during the height of the whaling boom. A five-bay facade, a one-story fluted Doric verandah, a set-back attic with balustrade, and wide corner pilasters without capitals mark it as an outstanding Greek Revival design. Inside, a center-hall plan holds an elliptical cantilevered stair under a skylight, plaster medallions, and black and gold marble mantels. Evidence of early heating, cistern and water-tank systems also survives. No architect has been identified, though the nomination considers Russell Warren the most likely candidate, and a pencilled name, Whitfield, probably refers to a carpenter. The house passed to the Howland family in 1867. The nomination values it for its unaltered condition and for having no stylistic counterpart in Fairhaven.","period_of_significance":"1840-1844","architect_builder":"Architect unknown; builder perhaps \"Whitfield\"","architectural_style":"Greek Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"Listed as occupied, private residence, in excellent condition and unaltered on its original site.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:54.421247-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/12/7944/63794412/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/79000327.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79000327/c6c06ae00a-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79000327/c6c06ae00a-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Schlitzer90","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ezekial_Sawin_Front.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Schlitzer90</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:Ezekial_Sawin_Front.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63794412","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ezekiel_Sawin_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5423165"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/bristol-county/sawin-ezekiel-house-79000327/"}