House at 23-25 Prout Street
Why it's listed
This two-family house at 23-25 Prout Street in west Quincy dates from about the 1880s. Barnabas Clarke, an investor in the granite industry, built it as part of a small subdivision he platted in the 1870s on land once known as Bass' Common. Clarke rented the houses to workers from the nearby quarries. In 1907 he sold this property to another investor, Theophilus King. Architecturally, the building is a 'Quincy Cottage,' a one-and-a-half story, gable-roofed rectangular block with a projecting central entrance and twin dormers. This example has shed-roofed dormers, walls of saw-toothed shingles and clapboards, Greek Revival style pilasters framing the main block, and brackets under the eaves. It has no outbuildings and no recorded major alterations, and its condition is good. It was listed for its association with granite-industry workers' housing and as one of the best preserved examples of a once-common local house type.
Significance in brief: The house is tied to the Quincy granite industry and to the growth of workers' housing in the late 19th century. It is described as one of the finest intact examples of the 'Quincy Cottage,' a vernacular house type once common in the city. 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 89001367, listed September 20, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 23--25 Prout St., Quincy |
|---|---|
| County | Norfolk County |
| Listed | September 20, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89001367 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Barnabas Clarke (builder); architect unknown |
| Architectural style | Quincy Cottage |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Industry, Community Planning and Development, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition good; no major alterations; in use as a single family dwelling at the time of the survey. |
| Acreage | 0.1 |
| Coordinates | 42.24382, -71.01513 (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 89001367.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5914154
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.