Nomination for Port Royal House

From the form

The catalogue entry the section above was filed under.

FHR-8-300 (11-78) United States Department of the Interior Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form See instructions in How to Complete National Register Forms Type all entries-complete applicable sections 1. Name historic The Port Royal House For HCRS use only received MAR 1 9 1982 date enteredAPR 1 5 1982 Nickerson Homestead and/or common 2. Location street & number 606 Main Styeet city, town Chatham N/A not for publication N/A vicinity of congressional district Twelfth state Massachusetts 3.

Classification code 025 county Barnstable code 001 Category district 4 building(s) .structure - site object Ownership public X private both Public Acquisition in process - being considered syatus occupied - unoccupied X work in progress Accessible - yes: restricted - yes: unrestricted no Present Use _ agriculture commercial educational entertainment government : industrial military X museum park private residence religious scientific transportation other: 4. Owner of Property name Mrs. John Nickerson (Jane M.) street & number" 427 Stöney Hill Road city, town North Chatham NA vicinity of 5. Location of Legal Description state Massachusetts courthouse, registry of deeds, etc. Barnstable County Registry of Deeds Main Street street & number Barnstable city, town 6.

Representation in Existing Surveys Inyentory of the Historic Assets of the .Commonwealth has this property been determined elegible? state Massachusetts - yes X date January, 1979 _federal X - state - county . local depository for survey records Massachusetts Historical Commission city, town Boston state Massachusetts 7. Description Condition X excellent _ good fair . deteriorated ruins unexposed Check one Xnaltered - altered Check one X original site _moved date Describe the present and original (if known) physical appearance

Description of the property

The Port Royal House The Port Royal House stands within its original setting, over- 1ooking a major traffic intersection and the Veteran's Park with its Civil War monument. The building is approached by three low terraces and is generously setback from the street and from its neighboring structures. Port koyal was bullt in 1863 in the Tuscan Villa style. The small but imposing two-story house is rectangular in plan with a horizontal emphasis achieved by its flat roof, full-length front veranda, and heavy horizontal trim. The building is wood frame with clapboard siding. The overall design includes a pronounced root overhang which is supported by ornately carved paired brackets; a panelled" entabla- ture and panelled corner pilasters complete the basic surface or- namentation. Original porch and roof balustrades and a balustra- ded fence have since been destroyed.

The building has a simple three-bay facade with a center door- way. A one-story veranda across the front has a smaller-scale reproduction of the main entablature, supported by four fluted Doric columns on panelled pedestals. The center entrance has double glazed doors framed by panelled pilasters and a bold seg- metal arched entablature with paired brackets. Above the door- way is a single window with a segmental arched cornice. The outer windows on the facade are paired and have flat cornices. Ine side elevations, two bays wide, and the rear elevation have ymmetrical single windows. Common to all of the house's windows are original 2/2 sash, heavy cornices on paired brackets, shouldered architraves, and small sill brackets.

A one-story ell centered at the rear of the building (added soon after the original construction) has a flat roof, 2/2 windows with plain architraves, and much smaller and simpler paired entabla- ture brackets. An original outhouse also repeats the primary motifs in its flat roof, corner pilasters and simple sawn paired brackets. The interior of the house is largely unaltered, boasting ornately inlaid floors, tremendous door and window frames, graining, tir cellings, a dumbwaiter, and a door to the roof which gives an ex- ceptional view of the town.

From the form

The catalogue entry the section above was filed under.

Significance Period - prehistoric 1400-1499 1500-1599 1600-1699 1700-1799 X 1800-1899 1900- Areas of Significance - Check and justify below _ archeology-prehistoric community planning .archeology-historic conservation agriculture economics architecture education art engineering X commerce exploration/settlement communications industry invention Builder/Architect Unknown landscape architecture law literature military music philosophy politics/government _ religion science - sculpture social/ humanitarian theater -transportation - other (specify) Specific dates 1863 Statement of Significance

Statement of significance

(in one paragraph) The Port Royal House is a remarkably intact representation of Cape Cod's maritime prosperity in the nineteenth century. The building is associated with several distinguished families and is an excellent example of the Tuscan Villa style in the region; thus it meet criteria B and C of the National Register of Historic Places. In 1862 Captain Seth Eldridge, a sailing master of Chatham, saw a house in Port Royal, Jamalca, which he so admired that he orocured the plans and had such a house built for himself ir Chatham the following year (1863). In l te huse was bought from Eldridge's estate by Emma Nickerson, whose husband John "followed the sea. in early life" and afterwards became a carpen- ter. The house has remained in the ownership of the well-known Nickerson family (local merchants) ever since.

When Port Royal was built, the center of Chatham was located several miles east on the Coast by the "Twin Lights". However, an 1877 storm cut so deeply into the shoreline that many buildings were moved away from the area of the lighthouses to the part of town in which the Port Royal House stands. This area of Main Street became, and continues to be, the hub of local activity, presently containing the town shopping center, three churches, town hall, and a fine range of over a dozen nineteenth century architectural styles. The Port Royal House is one of the most clearly stated examples of the Tuscan Villa style extant on the Cape Cod and has remained virtually unchanged in its 117 years of life. 9. Ma 'or B'b iographica References Files of: Chatham Historical Commission P.O. Box 46 Chatham, MA 02633 Deyo, Simeon, History of Barnstable County, Voll. II. (New York: H.W. Blake and Co., 1890).

The rest of the file

Bibliography, boundary description, and the people who prepared and reviewed the nomination.

Geographical Data Acreage of nominated property 1/4 AURAOE Ae iL Quadrangle name Chatham Quadrangle scale 1:24 000 UMT References UIM NOT VERFED A191 42,010,20 L416/1,417,3,01 Zone Easting Northing CLL LuLL LILILLL ELI LLLLLL LMLIL liii Easting Northing DLu FLIJ LLul LLLu LLILL LIILuJ HLyLLLy Verbal boundary description and justification See attached Assessor's map. List all states and counties for properties overlapping state or county boundaries state NA code county code state code county code 11. Form Prepared By Jack Clarke, Cape Cod Planning and name/ttte Wendy Frontiero, Preservation Planner with Economic Development Commission organization Massachusetts Historical Commission date November, 1980 street & number 294 Washington Street telephone 727-8470 city or town Boston state Massachusetts 02108 12.

State Historic Preservation Officer Certification The evaluated significance of this property within the state is: national state Vocal As the designated State Historic Preservation Officer for the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (Public Law 89 665), I hereby nominate this property for inclusion in the National Register and certify that it has been evaluated according to the criteria and procedures set forth by the Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service State Historic Preservation Officer signature Vatu LWeslroski title Executive Director, Massachusetts Historical Conmission date 2/25/82 For HCRS use only 1 hereby certity that this property is includedini theNetted Rethe delor for Keeper of the Natonal RegisterK National Register date 4/15/82 Attest: date Chief of Registration GPO 938 835 Nickerson Homestead, "Port Royal House" Town of Chatham Assessor's map, page 15E Town Hall, Chataham, MA August 1980 15 1 - 84 TOUR EAMLLY 1403/522 SHOP RuvGR YOING 2x22/222 N GUrLEY 72t/252 WERSTER 944/241 - 0434 CHERNiL 2215/268 4 GLEASO: 2899 s-ALsuE 1712,050 - FLDRI26E

bÉNI 223.22 FL3NE DUF- 0 Zh:uz SIMCY:TSCH 277l6s4s MCHOLS 1363 43L WORTH 2741 205 wakst 19 Trausey 52L6 'ç lincia CHATMAM CONSERVATUN EoundaTion euc. FRANK 1814/226 HULDERRANDT 22.07/261 Re 5036i VILLIAMS 2995/199 LAtr0y 627IZ LA. ätilese_ DUGAN'S POND NICKERSON 1593/282 PATRIBu CAcHthst Picd SAMBSAN 31050 1s Gug 124/5 60 RAIm HUGHES 75931228 50615%E 2iz/0 MILLER MANTRASKe 165/161 D Fiansteeer CHOReN 100-26 REE steuel WARDWELL 1226/435 'l3t 85 606MainSt. Nmickersnttomestad, "Port Royal Honse" 103 M.DEDM: 19/32 18 ZARENTS #TYPKAL 2473 092/00 N 877 2212/2 RAVICW PG.155 Nickerson Homestead, "Port Royal House" Town of Chatham Assessor's map, page 15E Town Hall Chatham, MA 02633 August, 1980.

2L NATIONAL REGIST EVALUATION / RETURN SHEET Property: PORt ROVAl House State, County:M4, Barnstable Federal Agency: OF HISTORIC PLACE resubmission nomination by person or local government owner objection appeal Substantive Review: Reviewer's comments: United States Department of the interior National Park Service 42004943 Working No. 3.18 82-809 Fed. Reg. Date: 2L.Xi Date Due: 71532 5-2-82 Action: ACCEPT- 4/15/82 Entered the RETURN National 20t REJECT_ photos maps. - sample - request - appeal - NR decision Recom. /Criteria - Reviewer_ Discipline- Date -see continuation sheet -Nomination returned for: -technical corrections cited below -substantive reasons discussed below 1. Name 2. Location x3. Classification cehogory Dwnership Status XPubitc Aooulettion X Aacezetblo 4. Owner of Property Prosom Uco 5. Location of Legal Description 6.

Representation in Existing Surveys nas thie property boon dotormined oligibr? - 1oe - no 7. Description wltle exceltent good fair - deteriorated ruins - unexposed Chock ene -_ unaitered - aitered Check one -- original site - moved date "bo tleo procand and ertatnel (1l knowm) phryoteel up arence summary paragraph completeness clarity alterations/integrity dates boundary selection 8. Significance Pertor Arces ef Siguilicane Spocite deter Bratoment el Stenitleenco (in eno peragranh boek and juetify beler btltor Archies summary paragraph completeness clarity applicable criteria justification of areas checked relating significance the resource to context relationship of integrity to significance justification of exception other 9. Major Bibliographical References 10. Geographical Data Agreage of nominated property - buedrangle name.

UNIT Reterences Varbel boundery doecrbation and pratihication 11. Form Prepared By 12. State Historic Preservation Officer Certification The eveluated signiticance of thie property wtthin the state is: petional - etate cervetien Officer elgneture 13. Other Maps Photographs Other Questions concerning this nomination may be directed to _ Signed - - Date- Phone: 202272-3504 Comments for any Item may be continued on an attached sheet CHATHAM, MA Port Royal House South and east elevations photo by Clair Baisly, neaative at Chatham Historical Commission, P.O. Box 46, Chatham #10F2 Baisly, 1978 for Chatenn H15torial Commistien Main facabe s.E-at Momorial Frlangle O aebont 1870-73 7 CHATHAM, MA Port Royal House South and east elevations (ca. 1870) Photographer unknown, original at Chatham Historical Commission P.O.

Box 46, Chatham #ZOFZ PetRayelhren Park 606 main 8t chathamitislorical Cofy Phite guafh BENJAMIN G. SAWIN POSTCARDS 945-2661 PHOTOGRAPHY MORRIS ISLAND ROAD CHATHAM, MASSACHUSETTS 02633 ENTRIES IN THE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES STATE MASSACHUSETTS Date Entered APRIL 15, 1982 Location Name Lafayette-Durfee House Port Royal House Harlow, Sgt. William, Family Homestead Fall River Bristol County Chatham Barnstable County Plymouth Plymouth County Notified Honorable Margaret M. Heckler Honorable Gerry E. Studds Honorable Edward M. Kennedy Honorable Paul E. Tsongas Mid-Atlantic Regional Office North Atlantic Regional Office State Historic Preservation Officer Mrs. Patricia L. Weslowski Executive Director, Massachusetts Historical Commission 294 Washington Street Boston, Massachusetts 02108 For further information, please call the National Register at (202) 272-3504