Ellis, Asa, House
Why it's listed
Built in 1805 for Asa Ellis, this frame house at 158 Auburn Street is among the few Federal style buildings that survive from the earliest phase of Cambridgeport's development. That neighborhood grew along the turnpikes linking the West Boston Bridge of 1793 with Old Cambridge and towns to the west, and a real estate boom ended with the Embargo of 1807-1809. The house has a two-story, two-room center-hall plan with the hearth centered on the rear wall, a five-bay facade, a low-pitched hip roof, and a fanlight with simple wood tracery over the side entrance, which faces a flower garden. Only one of two original chimneys remains. Asphalt siding covers the original clapboards, and the windows were changed during the nineteenth century, yet the nomination argues the house could be restored easily. It was listed for its link to Cambridgeport's growth and as a rare example of Federal period domestic construction.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it a rare example of a frame Federal style house in Cambridgeport and one of a handful of Federal buildings surviving from the neighborhood's first period of development. It is tied to the growth of Cambridgeport along the turnpikes serving the West Boston Bridge. Reviewers later accepted that the original clapboards and overall integrity remain beneath later siding.
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 83000798, listed June 30, 1983. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 158 Auburn St., Cambridge |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | June 30, 1983 |
| Reference number | 83000798 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Federal |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Present use is residential; it has minor alterations, including asphalt siding over the original clapboards and windows changed from 6-over-6 to 2-over-2. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.36333, -71.10493 (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 83000798.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4803114
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.