House at 20 Morrison Road
Why it's listed
This 2½-story Colonial Revival house at 20 Morrison Road in Wakefield, Massachusetts, dates from about 1890 and is clad in clapboards. It sits behind a white fence on a lot shaded by fir trees. Its most distinctive feature is a semi-circular portico supported by Doric columns, which is unusual in a town where Colonial Revival buildings tend to be more conservative. Other details include a broad doorway with wide leaded sidelights, an open side porch with a turned balustrade, windows with 8/1 sash under hood lintels with a row of guttae, and three pedimented dormers. The land once belonged to the estate of Dr. Charles Jordan and was sold off in the 1880s and 1890s for the Wakefield Park development. A later owner was Cyrus Wakefield, nephew of the rattan manufacturer for whom the town was renamed in 1868; the house was probably held as an investment. It was listed for its architecture and local development history.
Significance in brief: The form describes it as one of the more elaborately detailed Colonial Revival houses in town, notable for an unusual semi-circular portico on Doric columns. It is also tied to the 1880s-90s Wakefield Park development and to Cyrus Wakefield, nephew of the town's namesake. It is judged to meet Criteria A and 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 89000724, 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 Morrison Rd., Wakefield |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | July 6, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89000724 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition listed as fair; present use is a dwelling; a c.1920s garage is noncontributing; no major alterations noted. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.50139, -71.08972 (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 89000724.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5914101
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.