House at 23 East Street
Why it's listed
Built around 1840, this small clapboard cottage on East Street southeast of Methuen's town center is a Greek Revival house in a well-developed residential neighborhood. Its three-bay facade turns the gable end toward the road, a layout that differs from the earlier five-bay houses common on the town's rural edges. The house rests on a granite rubble foundation, and its Greek Revival entrance has full glazed sidelights and a transom. The steeply pitched gable dormers may be later additions. A small carriage house stands in the rear. Houses of this type were common in Methuen before the Civil War and often sheltered boot and shoe makers, hat makers and farmers, reflecting the cottage industries scattered across the town in the early nineteenth century. The property was listed because it is a well-preserved example of Greek Revival building tied to that pre-Civil War development, with its location, design, setting, materials and workmanship largely intact. The architect is unknown, and the house is still a private residence.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it an excellent example of the small Greek Revival cottages found in Methuen's outlying areas. Its three-bay, gable-end-to-the-road form contrasts with earlier five-bay rural types. It is also characteristic of pre-Civil War houses that sheltered boot, shoe and hat makers as well as farmers, and it retains integrity of location, design, setting, materials 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 84002382, listed January 20, 1984. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 23 East St., Methuen |
|---|---|
| County | Essex County |
| Listed | January 20, 1984 |
| Reference number | 84002382 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Present use is a private residence, the same as its original use; no major alterations are recorded. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.72634, -71.17690 (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 84002382.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5914149
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.