{"nrhp_refnum":"82000481","name":"Choate, Rufus, House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"14 Lynde St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Salem","county":"Essex County","state":"MA","lat":42.52250140900003,"lon":-70.89624558499997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1982-11-12","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Law","Politics/Government","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story Federal period house at 14 Lynde Street in downtown Salem, Massachusetts, built in 1787 for merchant Ebenezer Beckford. It has a hip roof, clapboard siding, a granite foundation and several rear additions.","why_significant":"The house is significant for its association with Rufus Choate (1799-1859), a lawyer, orator and politician who lived there from 1825 to 1834. It is also an excellent representation of Federal period middle-class housing in Salem. It meets criteria B and C.","narrative":"Built in 1787 for Salem merchant Ebenezer Beckford, this three-story Federal house at 14 Lynde Street has a hip roof, clapboard siding, a granite foundation, twin interior chimneys and a five-bay symmetrical facade. A gabled rear ell is original, while later one- and two-story additions extend northward. Between 1825 and 1834 it was the home of Rufus Choate, a lawyer, orator and politician who served in the Massachusetts legislature and the U.S. Congress, and later as U.S. Senator and Massachusetts Attorney General. In 1873 it was bought by William Drummer Northend, a noted criminal lawyer and historical writer, and his daughter Mary Northend, who amassed over 16,000 photographic negatives of historic houses, lived there most of her life. The house later served as a men's boarding house. A restoration in 1980-81 re-clapboarded the exterior, installed 6/6 sash and restored facade shutters, and the building now houses law offices. It represents Federal period middle-class housing in Salem.","period_of_significance":"1700-1799, 1800-1899 (specific date 1787)","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Federal","criteria":["B","C"],"status_note":"Restored 1980-81 and converted to law offices; listed as occupied, in excellent condition.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:56.290825-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/22/7949/63794922/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/82000481.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82000481/9f7127528c-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82000481/9f7127528c-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Fletcher6","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rufus_Choate_House.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:Rufus_Choate_House.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"83003969","name":"Downtown Salem District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/massachusetts/downtown-salem-district-83003969/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63794922","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rufus_Choate_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7378018"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/essex-county/choate-rufus-house-82000481/"}