White, William L., Jr., House
Why it's listed
Built in 1873 for William L. White, this two-story clapboard house at 242 Winthrop Street in Taunton is a large example of Second Empire design. Its asymmetrical plan is topped by a belcast Mansard roof that keeps its patterned slates, lit by dormers with scrolled jambs and segmental pediments and finished with a dentilated, bracketed cornice. A broad porch wraps the facade and parts of both sides, carried on grouped Tuscan columns above a stone block foundation and edged with a spindled balustrade; it was added around 1910 in Colonial Revival style. An ornate Palladian-type window with stained glass marks the southern elevation. The house passed to William L. White, Jr. in 1875 and became a local landmark at White's Four Corners, where Winthrop and Highland Streets meet, named for the family's several residences there. White ran the Peck & White carriage manufactory on Weir Street. The house was listed as an example of the fashionable homes of Taunton industrialists during the city's most prosperous period.
Significance in brief: The house is described as one of the largest and most elaborate examples of the Mansard style in Taunton. It retains period features such as a belcast Mansard roof with patterned slates and a Palladian-type stained glass window. It is also presented as an example of the fashionable houses built by Taunton industrialists during the city's era of greatest prosperity.
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 84002268, listed July 5, 1984. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 242 Winthrop St., Taunton |
|---|---|
| County | Bristol County |
| Listed | July 5, 1984 |
| Reference number | 84002268 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Second Empire (Mansard); Colonial Revival porch added c. 1910 |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as a residence; present use given as residence on the form. |
| Acreage | 0.8 |
| Coordinates | 41.89025, -71.11474 (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 84002268.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q8014234
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.