Osborne, Prince, House
Why it's listed
This house at 273 Maple Street in Danvers, Massachusetts, is a two-and-one-half-story, five-bay First Period dwelling with a steep roof. It was moved in 1915 from Summer Street, where it stood on land once farmed by Robert Prince. It joins two separate early frames: the left rooms, probably built by about 1690, with chamfered beams and a hewn overhang, and the right rooms with chimney bay, finished around 1720. Joining two frames this way was unusual, since builders more commonly kept the chimney bay of the older structure when enlarging a house. The right-hand room holds early super-raised field paneling with wide feathered edges, and the lobby has a transitional staircase with turned balusters. The paneling was rediscovered and reinstalled during a 1944 restoration. The house was recognized for its distinctive construction and for its potential to reveal more about how First Period buildings were framed and expanded.
Significance in brief: The house combines two distinct First Period frames, a single room with late 17th-century chamfering and a hewn overhang joined to a single-cell frame with c. 1720 finish. This is an atypical way of enlarging an early house. Its staircase and super-raised field paneling are early, noteworthy transitional elements. It may also yield further information on how First Period buildings were built and enlarged.
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 90000203, listed March 9, 1990. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 273 Maple St., Danvers |
|---|---|
| County | Essex County |
| Listed | March 9, 1990 |
| Reference number | 90000203 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Unknown; restored in 1944 with architect Phillip Horton Smith |
| Architectural style | First Period |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition is stated as good; present use is residential. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.57386, -70.95373 (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 90000203.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7244190
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.