Unique Homes MA

Antique & historic homes for sale in Newburyport, MA

Newburyport's High Street corridor holds the country's finest concentration of Federal merchant houses — current listings classified by era and architect.

Newburyport’s Federal-period merchant houses line High Street and the adjacent waterfront streets (Pleasant, Green, Federal, and State), making up the country’s most intact Federal-era streetscape outside Beacon Hill. The town’s mercantile boom of 1790–1820 funded the elegant three-story brick mansions with semi-elliptical fanlights and Palladian windows that define the style, and they’re still a pleasure to walk past.

  • Federal dominates the historic district, often documented in MACRIS as work attributed to local builders or to Asher Benjamin’s published pattern-book designs
  • Greek Revival picks up after 1830 along the secondary streets
  • A modest First Period survival from the pre-1725 settlement era persists in pockets near the Powow River

The Historical Commission maintains the local historic district and reviews exterior changes, and the MACRIS inventory documents over 1,800 properties in the city.

Map

Current listings (47)

National Historic Landmark

Federally designated as nationally significant — the highest U.S. historic recognition. Section 106 review applies to federal undertakings affecting the property.

National Register

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Owners may qualify for the 20% federal Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit on certified rehabilitation work.

State Register

Listed on the Massachusetts State Register of Historic Places.

Local Historic District

Inside a Local Historic District. Exterior changes visible from a public way require approval from the local historic district commission.

Local Landmark

Individually designated by the town as a local landmark. Exterior alterations require commission approval.

MACRIS Inventory

Documented in MACRIS, the state historic inventory. Informational only — no regulatory constraints.

Article 85 (Boston)

Subject to Boston Article 85 demolition-delay review, which can pause demolition of buildings 50+ years old for up to 90 days.

Ch. 91 Waterways License

An active MassDEP permit for a dock, pier, seawall, or other structure on or over a Massachusetts waterway. Many older licenses are not digitized; this record is provided for reference only.

Massachusetts Great Pond

A Great Pond under M.G.L. Ch. 91 — the Commonwealth retains public rights to fish and navigate these state-designated waters. Private docks and other waterfront structures require a Waterways License from MassDEP.

Likely Great Pond

The MLS listing describes this property as being on a Great Pond, which would be a state-designated water body under M.G.L. Ch. 91. GIS data did not independently confirm the pond name — verification needed.