House at 20 Hancock Road
Why it's listed
This two-story, four-bay house at 20 Hancock Road in Wakefield dates to about 1860-75 and was moved to its present site when Hancock Street was laid out after the Second World War. Its gable roof, footed window sills, dentil cornice and paired arched windows in the gable field are high style for the area. The robust Greek Revival door surround, with a six-light transom and three-quarter-length sidelights, may have been added when the house was relocated. The building's unusual form suggests it may originally have served another purpose, possibly as servants' quarters or a carriage house for the Lucius Beebe estate at 142 Main Street. Beebe lived there from 1855 to 1884 and was a longtime trustee of the library that bears his name. The house was judged locally significant for its architecture, and its move was accepted because of that significance. It remains a dwelling in good condition, with clapboard walls and a small c. 1950 shed.
Significance in brief: It displays high-style Italianate elements and a very fine Greek Revival door surround, and its two-story, four-bay form is unusual for the period. It is considered locally significant under criterion C. It also meets the moved-building exception because of that significance, and it retains integrity of design, materials, workmanship, feeling and association.
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 89000671, listed July 6, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 20 Hancock Rd., Wakefield |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | July 6, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89000671 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Italianate |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Present use is a dwelling; condition is listed as good. A c. 1950 small shed and a mid-20th-century screened porch are noted. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.51826, -71.07324 (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 89000671.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14715573
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.