House at 39 Converse Street
Why it's listed
Built around 1880, this house at 39 Converse Street in Wakefield, Massachusetts, is a Queen Anne style dwelling that sits on a raised lot behind an embankment and faces south. It rises 2½ stories under a hipped roof with a transverse gable. Its roof peak has an unusual arrangement, with a louvered opening and a shed-roof dormer holding a sunburst fanlight. Patterned shingle bands, a rope-molding stringcourse, fish-scale shingles and brackets at the garrison overhang decorate the exterior, and a shell mosaic on the east frieze appears on at least one other Wakefield house. The design departs from the conventions of its day and seems to be the work of an inventive designer-builder. Converse Street was laid out by 1875, and the area developed quickly as the population grew. The Wakefield Building and Real Estate Association bought much of the farmland, laid out lots, financed houses and supplied plans, and this house may be one of its products. It retains its original character and was recognized for its architecture.
Significance in brief: It is a well-preserved Queen Anne house whose unusual details suggest an imaginative, unconventional designer or builder. It was probably built during the speculative development of Converse Street in the 1880s and may be an example of the Wakefield Building and Real Estate Association's work. 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 89000718, listed July 6, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 39 Converse St., Wakefield |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | July 6, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89000718 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition listed as fair; present use is a dwelling, with no major alterations recorded. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.49976, -71.08540 (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 89000718.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5914295
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.