House at 9 White Avenue
Why it's listed
This shingle-clad house at 9 White Avenue in Wakefield's Lakeside neighborhood was built in 1903-04 and remains a dwelling. Its Georgian Revival design is described as one of the best high-style examples in the area west of Lake Quannapowitt, where similar houses were built as infill between 1890 and 1910 but were usually less well detailed. The boxy form has a high hip roof, a slight second-story overhang above a wooden stringcourse, and a bracketed oriel. The symmetrical three-bay front has a center entrance porch with paired colonettes, twin gable dormers linked by an oval window, and a veranda and side porch. The house was the home and studio of Edward Gleason, a photographer known for landscapes and portraits of children, who also commuted to a Boston office. It is recorded as retaining its original design, materials and setting, and as having no major alterations.
Significance in brief: The form calls it one of the best examples of rather high style Georgian Revival domestic building in the Lakeside area, well preserved and highly detailed. It was also the home and studio of Edward Gleason, a locally known landscape and portrait photographer. It is considered significant at the local level under criterion C.
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 89000677, listed July 6, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 9 White Ave., Wakefield |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | July 6, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89000677 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Georgian Revival (also described as Colonial Revival) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition is described as good, with no major alterations and no outbuildings; present use is a dwelling. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.51154, -71.07143 (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 89000677.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5914525
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.