House at 52 Oak Street
Why it's listed
This 2 1/2-story house at 52 Oak Street in Wakefield's Greenwood section was built between about 1890 and 1900, and appears on an 1889 map as pre-1896. It faces south, and a driveway runs through a porte cochere. Clapboard covers the exterior, and a carriage barn stands on the lot. The design mixes two styles. Queen Anne features include the turreted tower, corner oriel, wide rounded bay windows, fish scale shingle and a large front porch. Colonial Revival details include paired hip-roof dormers, a balustraded hip roof, and porch columns paired on high plinths that extend into the porte cochere. It is considered one of the purest and best preserved high-style Colonial Revival houses in Greenwood. Henry H. Savage, a Boston broker and later a developer, built it. He planned a large subdivision north of Oak Street that was never fully realized, and Gerard Street was not laid out until 1925. The house remains in excellent condition with no major alterations.
Significance in brief: The house is described as one of the purest and best preserved examples of high-style Colonial Revival domestic building in Greenwood, and one of few on the east side of Main Street. It combines Queen Anne massing with Colonial Revival details. It also reflects Savage's planned subdivision north of Oak Street, which depended on car transportation.
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 89000700, listed July 6, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 52 Oak St., Wakefield |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | July 6, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89000700 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Henry H. Savage (builder); architect listed as NA |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Present use is a dwelling; condition is listed as excellent with no major alterations. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.49503, -71.06334 (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 89000700.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5914392
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.