Marsh, Edwin W., House
Why it's listed
Number 17 Marsh Street in southwest Quincy is a modest Greek Revival house built around 1851 for Edwin Wilson Marsh, grandson of Wilson Marsh, whose coach lace business operated from the federal period house at the corner of Marsh and Quarry Streets. The house remained in the Marsh family for more than seventy years before passing in the 1920s to the Emery family. It is a simple five-bay, gable-roofed building with bold corner pilasters and wide gable returns. A bracketed door surround was added later in the Italianate manner, probably in the 1860s or 1870s, and a one-story rear ell was added by 1876. A 1929 one-car garage does not contribute to the property's character. The house is regarded as a well-preserved example of the vernacular cottages that Quincy builders produced in the mid-nineteenth century. It sits in a neighborhood of modest homes built between 1850 and 1890 as the granite industry expanded.
Significance in brief: The house is considered one of the best-preserved examples of a modest, vernacular Greek Revival residence, a type once common in Quincy in the mid-nineteenth century. It keeps its integrity of design, location, materials, feeling and association. It also reflects a neighborhood tied to the growth of the granite industry and to the Marsh family.
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 89001356, listed September 20, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 17 Marsh St., Quincy |
|---|---|
| County | Norfolk County |
| Listed | September 20, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89001356 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition described as good; present use is a single family dwelling. |
| Acreage | 0.3 |
| Coordinates | 42.24318, -71.00554 (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 89001356.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5346890
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.