Jones, Thomas W., House
Why it's listed
Built in 1878 at 34 Warren Street, this two-story Second Empire house was the home of Thomas W. Jones, a Stoneham shoe manufacturer. It has a T-shaped plan, a granite foundation, clapboard siding and a patterned slate roof. Open bracketed porches, a bracketed cornice, gable screens, paneled pilasters and oriel windows decorate the exterior, and the carriage house survives. John Spencer, a local housewright who also built frame shoe factories, including Jones's, was the builder. Jones began his shoe career in 1850 and later built Stoneham's last large shoe factory, which employed about 275 people. The house is described as the town's finest Second Empire example and as typical of homes built by the second generation of local shoe manufacturers. It stands in Lincolnville, an area west of Main Street that was developed only in the early 1880s after earlier large estates. Jones was the last wealthy man to build there. It was listed for its architecture and its association with Stoneham's shoe industry.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it Stoneham's finest example of the Second Empire style, with its original features and carriage house intact. It is also tied to Thomas W. Jones, a prominent local shoe manufacturer, and was built during the town's greatest prosperity. It is argued to meet criteria A, B and 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 84002716, listed April 13, 1984. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 34 Warren St., Stoneham |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | April 13, 1984 |
| Reference number | 84002716 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | John Spencer, builder |
| Architectural style | Second Empire |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Industry, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still a private residence; the form reports no major alterations and says the house retains integrity of location, design, setting, materials and workmanship. |
| Acreage | 0.4 |
| Coordinates | 42.47533, -71.10187 (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 84002716.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7794760
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.