Higgins-Hodgeman House
Why it's listed
Built around 1880 at 19 Cedar Street in Taunton, this house was the residence of L.B. Higgins, a merchant who ran a dry goods business in the city's downtown commercial district. It is roughly square in plan and two and a half stories tall, with a very steep hip roof covered in slate. A bay window and a stickwork porch with drilled valance dominate the facade. Other Stick Style details include band courses at the window sill and lintel lines and a roof frieze of short vertical boards alternating with deep truss brackets. The walls are clapboard, and the form records no alterations and no move. Local surveyors described it as the best intact example of Stick Style design in Taunton. It was listed for its architecture and as an example of the high-style houses Taunton merchants built in the late nineteenth century. Later it served as a community center. The nominated boundary follows the current lot lines.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it the best intact example of Stick Style design in Taunton. It is also cited as a finely crafted house in a popular late 19th century style and as a type of high-style house built by Taunton merchants in that period. It is judged to retain integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship and association.
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 84002128, listed July 5, 1984. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 19 Cedar St., Taunton |
|---|---|
| County | Bristol County |
| Listed | July 5, 1984 |
| Reference number | 84002128 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Stick Style |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Commerce, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Recorded in 1979 as a residence; later use listed as a community center. The form states it is unaltered and has not been moved. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 41.90440, -71.08977 (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 84002128.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5754257
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.