Sweetser, Warren, House
Why it's listed
Built in 1842 for Warren Sweetser, a Stoneham businessman and twice postmaster, this Greek Revival house is regarded locally as the town's finest surviving example of the style. Its gable end faces the street in a temple form, with a fully enclosed pediment, corner pilasters, a deep entablature and a porch on Ionic columns. Around 1890 the house was converted to two apartments, adding a stair tower, Colonial Revival dormers and Queen Anne woodwork with stained glass, while much of the 1842 detail remained. Once surrounded by commercial buildings on Main Street, it was threatened with demolition after a developer bought the lot in 1999. A local preservationist moved it, first to a temporary site and in 2003 to 90 Franklin Street, where it sits among nineteenth-century houses. A rear service wing was removed, and the house was rehabilitated. It qualifies for its architecture at the local level, with the move noted as a special consideration.
Significance in brief: Considered Stoneham's finest remaining Greek Revival house, it has a temple-form facade with an enclosed pediment, corner pilasters and an Ionic porch. Its interior keeps both 1842 woodwork and elaborate Queen Anne and Colonial Revival work from the 1890s. It was relisted individually under Criterion C at the local level after being moved to avoid demolition.
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 05000466, listed May 26, 2005. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 90 Franklin St., Stoneham |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | May 26, 2005 |
| Reference number | 05000466 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1842-1955 |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Moved in 2003 to avoid demolition and rehabilitated to the Secretary of the Interior's Standards; current function is multiple dwelling. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.47750, -71.09610 (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 05000466.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7970513
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.