House at 118 Greenwood Street
Why it's listed
This 2½-story house on Greenwood Street in Wakefield, Massachusetts, dates to about 1875 and remains a dwelling. It faces west with its gable end toward the street and is a rare local example of the Stick style. Stick-like bracing fills the gable, which is also ornamented with saw-tooth edged board and batten siding. A row of recessed bosses forms a stringcourse, second-floor windows on the west have hooded surrounds on brackets, and a columned porch carries similar brackets. A one-story bay and the transverse north and south gables repeat the saw-tooth stickwork. The house stands on former Reuben Green farm land, later the farm of Judge Nash and then the Boynton family, in the neighborhood called Boyntonville. That area passed from Charlestown to Malden to Wakefield, and its population grew after the railroad arrived. The house was already standing by 1892, when surrounding lots were laid out for sale. Restoration of its siding and trim was under way when recorded in 1985.
Significance in brief: The house is a well-preserved example of Stick style design, a style that is rare in Wakefield. It keeps its integrity and is considered significant at the local level under architectural criteria. It also sits on land tied to the Reuben Green and Nash farms and the Boynton family, within the Greenwood neighborhood.
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 89000702, listed July 6, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 118 Greenwood St., Wakefield |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | July 6, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89000702 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Stick Style |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Present use is a dwelling; condition is fair, with siding and trim stripped and restoration in process. |
| Acreage | 0.2 |
| Coordinates | 42.47447, -71.06948 (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 89000702.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5913900
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.