Ward, Joshua, House

The Joshua Ward House stands at 148 Washington Street, directly opposite Front Street, at the entrance to Salem's downtown area. The building is one of Salem's earliest and most distinguished brick mansions. Its original lot, which had a commanding view of the harbor, was slightly over 1/2 acre. The lot has since been reduced to its present size of 7,818 sq. feet. Because of land fill and new street patterns, it now faces Front Street and downtown Salem. At present the location of the house is strategic;it is situated at the gateway of Salem's award-winning urban renewal area, and provides an essential stability to the downtown area.

Joshua Ward, a prominent Salem resident, purchased the property on August 1l, 1781, re- moved an existing house, and built the present mansion between 1784 and 1787. According to James Duncan Phillips, the Salem historian, "The Joshua Ward house stood well back from the street and was terraced up in front. It had a beautiful view looking directly down the harbor." The house is a square, three story, Federal style building with brick masonry laid in Flemish bond. Molded brick is used extensively in the cornice, the water table, and in the two broken string courses which define the second and third floor levels. The unusual broken hip roof originally carried a balustrade at the break in levels. Iwo tall inside end chimneys rise at both the north and south elevations.

The 5 bay wide facade faces east toward Washington St. Fenestration is varied from story to story, typical of Federal design. The first story windows are 8/8; the second story windows are narrower and 6/6; the third story windows are the smallest, and 6/6. All are framed by wide, molded architraves, painted white.

/ARCHITECT 1784-1787 STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE The Joshua Ward House is significant as the only remaining harborfront mansion built during the height of Salem's importance as a seaport. The interior of the mansion was designed by the renowned Salem architect, Samuel McIntire, and includes the earliest surviving example of a McIntire box stairway. The house originally had a prominent view of the Salem Harbor and South River. These waterways have since been filled in, and the area has developed into Salem's central business district; the Ward House now dominates the southern entrance to the downtown area.

Unfortunately, the additions and billboards in the front of the building camouflage it, but possible removal of the st ore front and restoration of the terraced lawn would add value to the houses' definition of the entrance to the area. The site was once owned by George Corwin, the infamous Sheriff of Essex associ- ated with Salem's witchcraft trials in 1692. Joshua Ward, a prosperous merchant, ship- owner, and a re nowned patriot purchased the property, and built the house between 1784- and 1787. It was a dwelling through the mid-19th Century. Dr. Joseph E. Fisk, a dentist, added the storehouse in 1855, which was subsequently connected to the larger building and used as a boarding house and a hotel from 1891-1937. It was known as the Fisk House, Washington House, and New Washington House.

The storefront addition of 1921 completed the conversion to a commercial property. The Ward House is historically significant because George Washington stayed there in room #34 on the second floor (northeast chamber) during his visit to Salem on October 29, 1789. After describing the festivities of that day, Bently wrote: The General then retired to the House of Mr.