Cotuit Historic District
Why it's listed
Cotuit Historic District is a village core on a long neck of land between Popponessett Bay, Osterville Harbor and Nantucket Sound, in Barnstable, Massachusetts. It takes in the areas once called Cotuit Port and Cotuit Highground, running south along Main Street and around Ocean View Avenue. Most of the buildings are wood-frame houses of one-and-a-half to two-and-a-half stories, with some shops and institutional buildings. Federal and Greek Revival houses recall the seafaring decades, when oyster packing, fishing, shipbuilding, salt making and coastal shipping fueled a mid-19th-century building boom and many captains built homes. Italianate, Gothic Revival, Queen Anne and Colonial Revival buildings reflect the later growth of a quiet summer resort, which drew Boston families beginning with Samuel Hooper in 1849. Freedom Hall, the Union Meeting House and a general store formed the village center. The district was listed for its well-preserved record of maritime and resort life on Cape Cod.
Significance in brief: The district is argued to be a large, cohesive and well-preserved collection of buildings tied to both maritime industries and summer resort activity. It reflects the rapid mid-19th-century growth of Barnstable's southern villages, when sea captains built houses and a new village center formed. It was later a summer retreat for established Boston families.
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) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 87000317, listed November 10, 1987. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Main St., Lowell & Ocean View Aves. bounded by Osterville Harbor, Nantucket Sound, & Popponessett Bay, Barnstable |
|---|---|
| County | Barnstable County |
| Listed | November 10, 1987 |
| Reference number | 87000317 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | mid 19th to early 20th century |
| Architectural style | Federal, Greek Revival, Italianate, Second Empire, Gothic Revival, Queen Anne and Colonial Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Entertainment/Recreation, Architecture, Maritime History |
| Level of significance | National, State, Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition described as good to excellent; land use is residential, commercial and institutional. |
| Acreage | 95 |
| Coordinates | 41.61643, -70.43540 (NPS GIS) |
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.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 87000317.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5175873
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.