House at 90 Prospect Street
Why it's listed
This 2½-story stucco house at 90 Prospect Street in Wakefield was built in 1913 in the English Cottage style. Local architect Harland Perkins designed it. It has a tiled hipped roof with a transverse hipped wing, a deeply recessed central entry supported on pillars, and irregular window placement that includes basket-arched triple casements. The entrance faces away from the street and is reached by a circular drive. Elizabeth Boit, a co-founder and business manager of the Harvard Knitting Mills, had it built for her niece. The mills employed hundreds of Wakefield residents from 1889 until at least 1944. The house formed a compound with 88 Prospect Street and 127 Chestnut Street, facing inward toward formal gardens, greenhouses and a playhouse. It is the only compound of its kind in town. Together with its two neighbors, it shows the variety of detailing possible within the English Cottage style, and it retains its original design and setting.
Significance in brief: It is one of three English Cottage stucco houses in a row on Prospect Street, all designed by Harland Perkins, showing the range of forms the style could take. It was part of a residential compound built for Elizabeth Boit and her family, described as the only compound of its kind in town. Boit co-founded the Harvard Knitting Mills, a major local employer.
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 89000736, listed July 6, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 90 Prospect St., Wakefield |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | July 6, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89000736 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Harland Perkins (architect); built for Elizabeth Boit |
| Architectural style | English Cottage |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed in good condition with no major alterations; still used as a dwelling, with a contributing garage. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.50362, -71.08602 (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 89000736.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q278195
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.