Yale Avenue Historic District
Why it's listed
Yale Avenue is a short residential street of eight contiguous houses west of Wakefield's town common. It was laid out in 1863 on land once owned by tin ware manufacturer Burrage Yale. After his death the land was divided into house lots that were quickly bought and built on, mostly by Boston businessmen who could commute by rail. The resulting houses are large, well built and richly detailed. Four are Italianate, and the others show Mansard, Queen Anne, Stick and Colonial Revival styles. Examples include a ca. 1865 Italianate house with quoins and paired brackets, a Mansard-roofed house of 1863, and one of only three Stick Style houses left in town. Few irreversible changes have occurred, and several properties keep their carriage houses, barns or garages. The district was listed for its architecture and for showing how Wakefield grew into a prosperous suburb of Boston in the later nineteenth century.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · catalog entry. Generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29).
| Period of significance | 1860-1900 |
|---|---|
| Styles | Italianate, Second Empire (Mansard), Stick, Queen Anne, with one Colonial Revival house |
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Architecture |
| Acreage | 2 |
| Boundary source | NPS cultural-resource GIS polygon |
| Full listing page | Yale Avenue Historic District (property record) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.