Higginson, Col. Thomas Wentworth, House
Why it's listed
Built in 1880 at 29 Buckingham Street in Cambridge, this small wood-frame house was the home of Thomas Wentworth Higginson, who lived there until his death in 1911. Higginson was born in Cambridge in 1823, graduated from Harvard at seventeen, and became a Unitarian minister. He was an abolitionist and a leading proponent of women's suffrage, an early contributor to the Atlantic Monthly, and commander of the first Black regiment in the Union Army during the Civil War. He is also remembered for discovering and encouraging Emily Dickinson. Architecturally, the house is a modest example of the Queen Anne style that moves beyond the Stick Style, with picturesque features and shingles. The entrance porch has a latticed arch, curved pedimental relief, steep pitch and bracket supports, and the second floor and gable are shingled. A Dutch front door and nine-over-nine window sashes are also noted. A one-story addition was made in 1888, and the house has been documented by the Historic American Buildings Survey.
Significance in brief: It was the home of Thomas W. Higginson, an abolitionist, reformer, author and Unitarian minister, who lived there from 1880 until his death in 1911. It is also noted as a modest Queen Anne house that moved beyond the Stick Style to picturesque features and shingles. The reviewer cited criteria B and C.
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 82001948, listed April 13, 1982. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 29 Buckingham St., Cambridge |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | April 13, 1982 |
| Reference number | 82001948 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Literature, Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Present use is residential; a one-story addition was made in 1888 and the building has not been moved. |
| Acreage | 1 |
| Coordinates | 42.38052, -71.13016 (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 82001948.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5141793
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.