Belmont Club/John Young House
Why it's listed
This 2½-story, five-bay house at 34 Franklin Street in Fall River was built around 1845 by housewright John Young. Its Greek Revival styling includes a hip roof, clapboard walls, plain cornerboards, and a massive trabeated doorway framed by flat Ionic pilasters, with sidelights and attic frieze windows. The original door has been replaced with a modern one. Early occupants included Lewis H. Adams and William Chace, and the Chace family lived here until the 1890s. Mark and Julia Anthony shared the house from 1884 to 1899. By 1934 the Belmont Club had taken over and operated it as a social club, which remains its use. The house matters because it is the only surviving example of the fine residences that once stood near the business district. Rather than the temple-front form more typical of surviving houses from this period, it presents a hip-roofed design. It was listed for its architecture and its link to Fall River's rebuilding after the fire.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it the only surviving example of the handsome residences that once stood close to Fall River's business district. Unlike the more common temple-front houses of the period, it has a hip roof, a central trabeated doorway with sidelights, and attic frieze windows. It is also presented as a symbol of the city's post-fire development, meeting Criteria A and C.
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 83000624, listed February 16, 1983. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 34 Franklin St., Fall River |
|---|---|
| County | Bristol County |
| Listed | February 16, 1983 |
| Reference number | 83000624 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | John Young, housewright |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Present use is a bar and social club; the form describes the house as well preserved, with a modern replacement door. |
| Acreage | 0.3 |
| Within district | Downtown Fall River Historic District |
| Coordinates | 41.70363, -71.15415 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
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 83000624.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4884340
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.