Hibbard, Benjamin, Residence
Why it's listed
Built around 1850 at 5-7 Gerry Street in Stoneham, the Benjamin Hibbard House is a two-story, four-bay double house sheathed in clapboards under a pitched roof. Its style is transitional between Greek Revival and Italianate. Windows have projecting frames and 6/6 sash, the entries are centered on the facade beneath a single open porch, and decoration includes paneled pilasters and a bracketed cornice. The house was built beside the South School (1856) in the Summer-Pond Street area, a neighborhood of laborers and shoemakers from about 1820 to 1915. It is one of only two well-preserved double workers' houses in Stoneham and represents the variety of workers' housing in that district. Benjamin Hibbard, a horsecar driver, lived here in the 1870s and 1880s; other residents are unknown. The house retains integrity of location, design, setting, materials and workmanship, and no major alterations are recorded. It is now used as apartments.
Significance in brief: It is one of only two well-preserved double workers' houses in Stoneham. It represents a housing type from the town's major period of significance and retains integrity of location, design, setting, materials and workmanship. It meets criterion A.
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 84002642, listed April 13, 1984. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 5-7 Gerry St., Stoneham |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | April 13, 1984 |
| Reference number | 84002642 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Transitional Greek Revival / Italianate |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Presently used as apartments; no major alterations recorded. |
| Acreage | 0.2 |
| Coordinates | 42.47509, -71.09979 (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 84002642.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4888810
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.