Fiske House
Why it's listed
Built in 1798 for merchant Simeon Spaulding, Jr., this Federal style house stands at the corner of Billerica Road and Chelmsford Street in the center of Chelmsford. It is a square-plan, brick-ended house of 2 1/2 stories with a five-bay facade, tapering pilasters and a fanlighted center entrance with a keyed round arch that the nomination calls highly unusual in New England. Inside are nine fireplaces, old wallpaper and hand-carved molding. A barn with cupola, a well house and sheds survive on the grounds. The house replaced an earlier one owned by Major John Minot. After Spaulding's high costs forced sales and repurchases, it served as the Lafayette House tavern from 1835 and passed to the Fiske family in 1839, remaining with them until 1977. It was listed as one of the first Federal style houses in Northern Middlesex County and for its central position in town.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is one of the first Federal style houses in Northern Middlesex County and occupies a prominent position in the center of Chelmsford. It also had 137 years of association with the Fiske family and has an interesting ownership history, including use as the Lafayette House tavern from 1835.
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 77000171, listed December 9, 1977. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 1 Billerica Rd., Chelmsford Center |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | December 9, 1977 |
| Reference number | 77000171 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1798 |
| Architectural style | Federal |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Recently purchased by a bank, with plans to keep the house and outbuildings and possibly convert them to commercial use; a later letter reports a fire on December 30, 1978 damaged the roof but left the structure sound. |
| Acreage | 1.8 |
| Within district | Chelmsford Center Historic District |
| Coordinates | 42.59664, -71.35130 (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 77000171.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5455185
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.