Winship, Charles, House
Why it's listed
Set on top of a hill at 13 Mansion Road in Wakefield, this 2½-story Colonial Revival house was built between 1901 and 1906 for Charles Winship. It is the mansion that gave Mansion Road its name, after the house was later converted to a school and surrounding land was sold for houses, turning its drive into a street. Architecturally it is described as the town's most ambitious Colonial Revival building. Features include a flared hip roof topped by a balustrade, a two-story pedimented portico on paired fluted columns, fluted corner pilasters, Palladian windows flanking a glassed entry, and pedimented dormers. Winship and Elizabeth Boit founded the Harvard Knitting Mills, which moved to Wakefield in 1889 and operated until after his death in 1931. The mills made underwear, provided on-site health care and shared profits with employees through a bonus plan. The house is listed for its architecture and its link to this local industry.
Significance in brief: The house is described as Wakefield's most ambitious Colonial Revival building, with elaborate detailing. It was the home of Charles Winship, who with Elizabeth Boit founded and ran the Harvard Knitting Mills, a major local employer from 1889 to 1944. The nomination finds it locally significant under Criteria A 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 89000717, listed July 6, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 13 Mansion Rd., Wakefield |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | July 6, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89000717 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Industry, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Present use is a dwelling; condition is listed as fair. A one-story shed on the property is noted as non-contributing. |
| Acreage | 1 |
| Coordinates | 42.49751, -71.08557 (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 89000717.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5083654
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.