Dean, Abiezar, House
Why it's listed
Located at 57 Summer Street in Taunton, this two-story house was built for Abiezar Dean, probably between 1835 and 1840, on land purchased from the minister Simeon Doggett in 1833. It is a Federal style dwelling with a hipped roof and interior end chimneys. The central entrance is framed by a semi-elliptical fanlight and narrow sidelights. Clapboards cover the exterior, and a twentieth-century one-story outbuilding stands on the lot. The house has not been altered or moved, and it keeps its integrity of design, location, setting, materials, workmanship and association. It was listed for the high quality and excellent preservation of its Federal period architecture, which is described as rare and relatively unaltered. It also forms part of a group of Taunton residences in the central area connected with the Dean family, early settlers and founders of local iron works. The house remains a residence, and the nominated boundaries follow the current lot lines.
Significance in brief: The house is described as a rare and relatively unaltered example of Federal period construction. It is also tied to the Dean family, early settlers and founders of the Taunton iron works. It is judged to meet criterion C for the high quality and excellent preservation of its architecture.
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 84002104, listed July 5, 1984. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 57 Summer St., Taunton |
|---|---|
| County | Bristol County |
| Listed | July 5, 1984 |
| Reference number | 84002104 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Federal |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Present use is residence; the form records the building as not altered and not moved. |
| Acreage | 0.1 |
| Coordinates | 41.90012, -71.08746 (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 84002104.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4667645
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.