Barker, George A., House
Approximate location: the National Park Service places this pin arbitrarily within the property, not at a surveyed point (stated accuracy ±12 m).
Why it's listed
Built in the late 1870s by George A. Barker, this Stick Style house at 74 Greenleaf Street stands on a corner lot one block from Quincy Center. Barker was a partner in Henry Barker and Sons, one of Quincy's largest granite firms, founded by his father and run with his brothers, who lived on the same street. The firm helped promote granite paving blocks and built the country's first granite sawing machines in the late 1860s. The house shows the style's exposed stick-work, angular trim, diagonal braces, bracketed overhanging eaves and patterned boards under the eaves, beneath a steep double hip slate roof with shed dormers and a large chimney. Front and side porches carry matching ornament. A granite wall from about the turn of the century borders the Greenleaf and Putnam Street sides and contributes to the property; a 1927 two-car garage does not. It is one of two elaborate, well-preserved Stick Style examples in Quincy.
Significance in brief: It is one of two well-preserved, elaborate Stick Style houses in Quincy and keeps its integrity of design, materials and workmanship. It is also tied to Quincy's granite industry through the Barker family, whose firm was among the largest in the city. The form cites Criteria A and 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 89001345, listed September 20, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 74 Greenleaf St., Quincy |
|---|---|
| County | Norfolk County |
| Listed | September 20, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89001345 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Built by George A. Barker; architect unknown |
| Architectural style | Stick Style |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition listed as good, with no major alterations. Present use is a mental health facility; the original use was a single-family dwelling. |
| Acreage | 0.4 |
| Coordinates | 42.25681, -71.00391 (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 89001345.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5535920
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.