Sweet, Albert, House
Why it's listed
Set at 179 Highland Street in Taunton, this small one-story cottage is a well-preserved example of Second Empire design, dated to about 1875. It has a Mansard roof covered in wood shingles, gabled dormers with round-arched windows, and an engaged corner tower with a gable roof. The front porch has openwork posts and a wooden valence, and the windows are irregularly placed with 1/1 and 2/2 sash. Paired round-arched windows sit in the tower gable. Clapboards cover the walls. Deed research shows the house was built between 1871 and 1879, deeded by the City of Taunton to A. White in 1879, and sold in 1880 to Albert Sweet, who is probably its original resident and is linked to it until 1908. The property was listed because it is Taunton's most elaborate Second Empire cottage, with ornament more typical of larger houses and surviving original landscaping, notably a circular footpath in front of the house.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it Taunton's most elaborate Second Empire style cottage. It shows a level of ornament more often found on larger houses and keeps elements of its original landscaping, including a circular footpath in front. It retains 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 84002221, listed July 5, 1984. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 179 Highland St., Taunton |
|---|---|
| County | Bristol County |
| Listed | July 5, 1984 |
| Reference number | 84002221 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Second Empire |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Used as a residence; the form states it has not been altered or moved. |
| Acreage | 0.7 |
| Coordinates | 41.89276, -71.11554 (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 84002221.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4711286
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.