Thaxter, Celia, House
Why it's listed
Built probably in 1856 at the corner of California and Nevada streets in Newton, this front-gabled Italianate house has bracketed eaves and well-preserved ornate wood trim. A wing on the eastern side was remodeled in the Victorian era, most likely while Charles Binney lived here, adding a high roof and a curving, awning-roofed veranda. The house is best known as the home of poet Celia Laighton Thaxter and her husband Levi Lincoln Thaxter, who settled in what was then a semi-rural setting. Visitors included major literary figures of the mid-19th century, among them Whittier, Lowell, Hawthorne, Howells and Longfellow. Celia Thaxter wrote her first published poem here in 1860. She spent much of her time away because of family illness and an unhappy marriage, and the house was sold at auction about 1880. The Binney family, whose business was umbrellas, lived there by 1884. It remains a residence in fair condition.
Significance in brief: It was the home of the poet Celia Laighton Thaxter and her husband Levi Lincoln Thaxter, and it is tied to Newton's literary history. Writers such as Whittier, Lowell, Hawthorne, Howells and Longfellow visited, and Thaxter wrote her first published poem here in 1860. The form says it meets criteria A and B.
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 86001892, listed September 4, 1986. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 524 California St., Newton |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | September 4, 1986 |
| Reference number | 86001892 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Italianate/Late Victorian |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Literature, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State, Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as a present residence in fair condition; a wing and veranda were added in the late 19th century. |
| Acreage | 0.4 |
| Coordinates | 42.36155, -71.20917 (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 86001892.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5058023
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.