House at 113-115 Center Street
Why it's listed
Built around 1880, this two-story double house at 113-115 Center Street sits in a dense residential part of Methuen known as the Arlington Mills area. It has a hip roof, a shallow cross gable on the front facade, a central entry and two projecting tripartite bays. Stock trim adds detail, including picket friezes at the bracketed porch and bays and a pedimented central window on the second story. The clapboard building has no recorded alterations or outbuildings. The house is considered one of the best preserved examples of early Arlington District housing and represents the side-by-side two-family type found in about six places in the district. Growth of the nearby Arlington mills, which employed thousands of Lawrence and Methuen workers but owned little housing, drove development of the area. It was listed for its architecture and its association with that mill-related growth, and because it keeps its original location, setting, design and workmanship.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it one of the best preserved examples of early Arlington District housing and a surviving two-family, side-by-side house type built after the Civil War. Its development is tied to the expansion of the Arlington mills. It is described as having integrity of location, setting, design and workmanship.
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 84002381, listed January 20, 1984. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 113--115 Center St., Methuen |
|---|---|
| County | Essex County |
| Listed | January 20, 1984 |
| Reference number | 84002381 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Italianate |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Present use is a private residence (double house); no alterations are recorded. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.72016, -71.17985 (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 84002381.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5913876
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.