Baxter-King House
Why it's listed
Set well back from Adams Street on a 3.1-acre lot, this L-shaped wood-clapboard villa was built around 1860 by James Baxter Jr. on land his family had held since 1785. Its dominant feature is a square Italianate tower between two gable-roofed wings, topped by a low hip roof with paired brackets and modillions. Other details include an elaborate entry porch, hooded arched windows with drip moldings, pedimented double dormers with decorative roundels, and an octagonal tower on the Sturtevant Road side. A gable-roofed carriage house with a cupola is later and noncontributing. The house passed to Baxter's daughter Helen, who married Theophilus King, a Boston leather businessman and Granite Trust Company president, and later to their son Delecevare King, also a bank leader. The house is described as the finest high-style Italianate residence in Quincy and a well-preserved example of the estates along Adams Street.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it the most elaborate and best high-style Italianate house in Quincy. It is also tied to the Baxter and King families, who developed Adams Street as an area of residential estates in the later 19th century. It meets 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 89001953, listed November 13, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 270 Adams St., Quincy |
|---|---|
| County | Norfolk County |
| Listed | November 13, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89001953 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | James Baxter Junior (builder); architect unknown |
| Architectural style | Italianate |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Present use is a single-family residence; condition is listed as fair. |
| Acreage | 3.1 |
| Coordinates | 42.25335, -71.01604 (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 89001953.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4873827
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.