Ward, Richard, House
Why it's listed
This house at 71 Lowell Street in Andover was built around 1885-88 for Richard A. Ward, a milk dealer who ran a milk and dairy business in Lawrence until 1905. Ward placed his family diagonally opposite the older home at 88 Lowell Street, where his parents lived. The 1½-story clapboard house has an irregular, many-gabled form, a facade gable with decorative shingling, a second-story oriel window, and a roofed entry porch with turned posts and a balustrade beneath a triangular dormer. Local documentation describes it as one of the town's most interesting examples of Queen Anne style used for middle-class housing. It also illustrates Victorian suburban living in a rural area and contrasts with the ancient homestead nearby, so the pair shows changing tastes across generations. It was listed under Criteria A and C, with its design, materials, workmanship and setting still intact. It remains a residence today.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it one of Andover's most interesting examples of Queen Anne style applied to middle-class housing, with shifting rooflines, an oriel window, a triangular dormer and decorative shingling. It also represents Victorian middle-class housing in a rural part of town and is related to two older houses, showing cultural change over several centuries. It meets Criteria A and C and retains integrity.
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 82004962, listed June 10, 1982. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 71 Lowell St., Andover |
|---|---|
| County | Essex County |
| Listed | June 10, 1982 |
| Reference number | 82004962 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Present use is residential. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.66801, -71.15631 (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 82004962.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7329810
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.