{"nrhp_refnum":"83000589","name":"West Cogswell House","other_names":["Hp-8"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"5-9 Summer St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Salem","county":"Essex County","state":"MA","lat":42.52093698700003,"lon":-70.89826778499997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1983-07-29","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Politics/Government","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A row of three three-story red brick Greek Revival rowhouses at 5-9 Summer Street in Salem, Massachusetts, built in 1834 by Capt. Nathaniel West.","why_significant":"The block is considered an urbane expression of the Greek Revival style. It is also tied to two prominent local figures, merchant captain Nathaniel West and later resident William Cogswell, a Civil War general, congressman and Mayor of Salem. It is one of three similar Greek Revival brick blocks anchoring the edges of downtown Salem.","narrative":"Three connected, three-story red brick rowhouses at 5-9 Summer Street in Salem form a unified Greek Revival block dating to 1834. Each house is three bays wide with a recessed side entry marked by a wood portico, and the roofline runs continuously across the row. An original wrought iron fence encloses a narrow areaway and sits on a granite sill that matches the steps and basement. Number 9 has lost its dormer and twin chimneys, and its slate roof has been replaced with asphalt shingles. Captain Nathaniel West, a leading Salem merchant captain who commanded a privateer during the Revolution and traded with the Far East, built the block. William Cogswell, a Civil War general, member of Congress and Mayor of Salem, later lived here. The row is one of three similar Greek Revival brick blocks marking the edges of downtown Salem, alongside blocks on Essex Street dated 1830 and 1851, showing how the type served both residential and commercial uses.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Architect unknown; built by Capt. Nathaniel West","architectural_style":"Greek Revival","criteria":["A","B","C"],"status_note":"Present use is residential; the number 9 unit has lost its dormer and twin chimneys, and its original slate roof was replaced with asphalt shingles.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:56.985711-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/1/7899/63789901/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/83000589.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83000589/bea657fbe6-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83000589/bea657fbe6-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Fletcher6","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Salem_Inn_(West-Cogswell_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:Salem_Inn_(West-Cogswell_House).jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63789901","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Cogswell_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7984855"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/essex-county/west-cogswell-house-83000589/"}