McKay, Donald, House
Why it's listed
Built in 1844 at 78-80 White Street in East Boston, this gable-fronted frame house was the home of Donald McKay, who lived there with his family until 1877. McKay, born in Canada, opened a shipyard in East Boston in 1843 and designed packet vessels before turning to clipper ships in 1850. He built thirty clippers there, including the Flying Cloud of 1851, famed for a 89-day passage from New York to San Francisco. His yard drew skilled craftsmen and laborers and reshaped the neighborhood. The house is a vernacular Greek Revival design, with a broad gable end facing the street, symmetrical openings and moulded window and door enframements. Its most distinctive feature is a flat-roofed side porch with thirteen square columns, said to honor the thirteen colonies. Later changes include an Italianate bay, dormers, a rear addition, an enclosed porch and asphalt shingle siding. A nineteenth century barn stands on the rear part of the lot, and a granite retaining wall fronts the property.
Significance in brief: The house is tied to Donald McKay, a nineteenth century shipbuilder who influenced international maritime design and engineering and drove the growth of East Boston. It is also a fine and unusual example of vernacular Greek Revival architecture, notable for its thirteen-column side porch.
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 82004450, listed June 2, 1982. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 78-80 White St., Boston |
|---|---|
| County | Suffolk County |
| Listed | June 2, 1982 |
| Reference number | 82004450 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 (specific date 1844) |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival (vernacular), with a later Italianate bay |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Engineering, Transportation, Architecture |
| Level of significance | National |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as occupied, in private residential use, in good condition but altered. |
| Acreage | 0.3 |
| Within district | Eagle Hill Historic District |
| Coordinates | 42.38050, -71.03675 (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 82004450.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5294844
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.