Salem Architecture
in the 17^th and 18^th Centuries

A glimpse of Salem's exceptional architectural heritage is presented below. Most of these houses have furnished period interiors and are open to the public.

John Ward was a currier believed to have fled the plague in England about 1660. This First Period house was built at 38 St. Peter Street on a one-room plan. A one-room plan expansion was added before 1732 and an additional wing added during the 18th-century. The house was acquired by the Essex Institute in 1910 and moved to its current location during a two-year restoration which was one of the first of its kind in this country. The first floor rooms give a glimpse of 17th-century New England furnishings and domestic life.

The Crowninshields were one of Salem's liveliest and most ambitious families. This Georgian Colonial house was built by Captain John Crowninshield before his family rose to prominence and was home to four generations of Crowninshields up to 1832. The well-known Salem diarist, Reverend William Bentley, lodged here with the Crowninshields from 1791 to 1819.

This Georgian Colonial house was built by Richard Derby for his son, Elias Hasket Derby (America's first millioniare), and new wife, Elizabeth Crowninshield. It is the oldest brick house in Salem. Richard Derby began as a Captain for the "codfish aristocrats" whose fortunes were built on fishing and trade. Richard's son, John, carried the first news of battles of Lexington and Concord to England aboard the Quero which sailed from Salem Harbor April 26, 1775. The building overlooks the wharves and warehouses built around the same time.

This Georgian dwelling was designed by Samuel McIntire and built as a residence for Elias Hasket Derby, but the building was left unfinished when Derby purchased another residence in 1782. The building was used as a warehouse for Revolutionary privateers until purchased by boatbuilder Benjamin Hawkes in 1801 and converted into a two-family home.

The first owner of this house, Jerathmiel Peirce, and his partner, Aaron Waitt, developed one of the largest India trades in the United States. Samuel McIntire remodeled this early Federal dwelling in 1810 in what is believed to be his first major commission.

Built by John Gardner during Salem's most prosperous era, this elegant Federal town house is widely admired in the published history of American architecture for its imposing but balanced and restrained facade. The lavish interior and exterior wood ornamentation were designed by Salem's master builder and carver, Samuel McIntire, at the height of his powers.