Nightengale House
Why it's listed
Built around 1855 at 24 Quincy Street in southwest Quincy, this one-and-a-half story wood-clapboard house reflects the shift in mid-19th-century taste from Greek Revival to Gothic Revival design. Its five-bay, gable-roofed form carries steeply pitched dormers and pointed arched windows under the end gables, alongside Greek Revival corner pilasters, a wide frieze board, and an entrance framed by narrow sidelights under a plain entablature. The foundation and entrance steps are granite. The house is one of few workers' cottages of its type in South and West Quincy to survive without severe alterations. It was probably built for Thomas J. Nightengale, a carpenter, and later passed to his son Jerimiah, a farmer. The street grew mainly after 1870, when granite-quarry workers, many of them Scandinavian immigrants, settled the neighborhood. Listed for its architecture at the local level, the house is now a two-family residence in good condition, with a one-story rear addition and a twentieth-century garage.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is among the best preserved residences of its period in southwest Quincy. It is a well-executed vernacular example of the transition from Greek Revival to Gothic Revival style, and one of few such workers' cottages to survive without severe alterations. It meets Criterion 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 89001370, listed September 20, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 24 Quincy St., Quincy |
|---|---|
| County | Norfolk County |
| Listed | September 20, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89001370 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival (with Gothic Revival features) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition good; present use is a two-family residence, originally a single-family dwelling. Only a one-story rear addition is noted as a major alteration. |
| Acreage | 0.1 |
| Coordinates | 42.24245, -71.00588 (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 89001370.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7033787
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.