Built 1815 (1815) Opened 1815 Added to NRHP 28 February 1973 | NRHP Reference # 73000173 Area 400 m² | |
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Location 454-456 Court St., Portsmouth, New Hampshire Similar Water Country, Strawbery Banke, The Music Hall, USS Albacore (AGSS‑569), South Meetinghouse | ||
Shapley town house top 5 facts
The Shapley Town House is a historic house at 454-456 Court Street in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. This three-story brick double house was built c. 1815 by Captain Reuben Shapley, a ship's captain and merchant. Although it was one of a number of brick buildings built in the wake of an 1813 fire that devastated Portsmouth's downtown area, its construction as a double house is distinctive. From the outside it looks like a single-family residence except for its two entrances, an apparently deliberate decision. The halves of the house are separated by a brick firewall extending the full depth and height of the house. Window sills and other trim on one side are in marble, while these elements on the other side are of wood. It is one of the city's best-preserved Federal buildings.
The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.