Jordan, Dr. Charles, House
Why it's listed
This Queen Anne house at 9 Jordan Avenue in Wakefield was built around 1885 on a hilltop lot facing east. It rises two and a half stories beneath a hipped roof, an uncommon choice in a town where gable roofs were the norm. Transverse gables, a northwest corner tower and an oriel in the east gable add complexity to the plan. Porches on the east and south sides rest on Italianate pillars with panelled brackets, and the walls are enlivened by decorative shingle work, panelling and a stringcourse. Dr. Charles Jordan, a physician who retired to open and run a pharmacy, bought farm land on the west side of town in the 1880s as Wakefield Park began to develop. He built the house on the southern edge of his land, on a street then called Mt. Pleasant Avenue. His son later headed the Wakefield Jordan Furniture Company, a wicker manufacturer. The house is valued as a well-preserved, locally unique example of high style Queen Anne design.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it a very high style example of Queen Anne architecture with design features unique in Wakefield, and notes it is very well preserved. It also reflects the development of the Wakefield Park area by physician and pharmacist Dr. Charles Jordan. It is argued to meet Criterion C at the local level.
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 89000716, 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 Jordan Ave., Wakefield |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | July 6, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89000716 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition is listed as fair, with no major alterations; present use is dwelling. |
| Acreage | 0.5 |
| Coordinates | 42.49860, -71.08512 (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 89000716.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5304022
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.