House at 7 Salem Street
Why it's listed
This house at 7 Salem Street in Wakefield, Massachusetts, dates from about 1855 to 1857 and is still used as a dwelling. It is a 2 1/2-story building with cross gables and a side-hall plan, combining Greek Revival and Italianate elements. The arched gable window and paired brackets under the gable roof are Italianate, while the earred surrounds are Greek Revival. The form is common in Wakefield, but the earred front door surround and tall first-floor windows are rare in the town. They suggest a builder from outside the area, a pattern-book design, or a copied example from another town. The 1857 resident, John S. Eaton, was ticket agent for the Boston and Maine Railroad. Rail service, which began in 1844, helped turn Wakefield from a rural farming community into a manufacturing center and later a commuter suburb. The house has been altered only modestly, with a replaced porch rail and new door around 1920, and it keeps its integrity.
Significance in brief: The house has a form common in Wakefield, but its earred front door surround and tall first-floor windows are rare locally. These features may point to a non-local builder or a pattern-book source. It also reflects Wakefield's growth as a railroad town, through its 1857 resident, a Boston and Maine Railroad ticket agent.
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 89000683, listed July 6, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 7 Salem St., Wakefield |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | July 6, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89000683 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Italianate (transitional Greek Revival/Italianate) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Present use is a dwelling; condition is described as fair. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | Common District |
| Coordinates | 42.50840, -71.07084 (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 89000683.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5914468
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.