Dodge Building
Why it's listed
Rising five stories above Pleasant Street in downtown Newburyport, this brick building began as a shoe factory. Construction started in 1873 with a four-story northern block, followed by a rear addition in 1875, a boiler house and smokestack in 1880, and a slate mansard roof added by 1884. The earliest section carries Italianate details, including rusticated brick piers, projecting brick window hoods, belt courses and a shallow central pavilion, while the rear wing is plainer. Elisha Perkins Dodge ran his shoe business here until his death in 1902, using mechanized stitching equipment and selling finished shoes directly to wholesalers. The firm became Newburyport's largest business, with gross income above $1,000,000 in 1886. The W. D. Hannah Shoe Company took over in the 1920s and made shoes here into the 1950s. The building was listed as the city's largest and most elaborate surviving shoe factory, with a freestanding 1880 smokestack still in place.
Significance in brief: It was Newburyport's largest and most elaborate shoe factory and one of the few such factories still standing. It retains fine Italianate detailing and is tied to the growth of the local shoe industry. The nomination cites 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 82001878, listed August 26, 1982. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 19-23 Pleasant St., Newburyport |
|---|---|
| County | Essex County |
| Listed | August 26, 1982 |
| Reference number | 82001878 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 |
| Architectural style | Italianate (mid-Victorian industrial architecture) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Industry, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as occupied and in use for commercial purposes; the form describes the condition as good and altered. Upper floors were leased to commercial and light industrial tenants after the 1950s. |
| Acreage | 0.6 |
| Within district | Newburyport Historic District |
| Coordinates | 42.81013, -70.87995 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
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 82001878.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5287835
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.