House at 1 Morrison Avenue
Why it's listed
Built around 1890 at the corner of Morrison Avenue in Wakefield, this two-and-a-half-story dwelling is a Tudor Revival house with shingled walls and a hipped roof topped by copper cresting. A wide verandah wraps around the south and west sides. A shallow transverse gable, a dormer, a gabled porch entry and a two-story bay on the west give the plan the asymmetry the style favored, while barge boards and half-timbering on the porch add Tudor details. Few Tudor Revival houses exist in Wakefield, and this is considered one of the finest. The house sits on land once owned by J. S. Merrill, who laid out part of Park Avenue and Summit Street to Morrison Avenue in 1883 during early development of Wakefield Park. Merrill later joined Charles Hanks in assembling over 100 acres, divided into generous lots for new suburban residents. The house remains in good condition and has not been significantly altered.
Significance in brief: The house is one of the relatively few Tudor Revival houses in Wakefield and is described as one of the highest-style examples. It is also part of the Wakefield Park suburban development, laid out on land once owned by J. S. Merrill. It meets criterion C at the local level.
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 89000722, listed July 6, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 1 Morrison Ave., Wakefield |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | July 6, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89000722 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Tudor Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Recorded in good condition, in use as a dwelling, with no major alterations and no outbuildings. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.50107, -71.08776 (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 89000722.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5914065
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.