293 Lafayette Street MHC Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System
Scanned Record Cover Page
Inventory No: SAL.2077
Historic Name: Spencer,John House
Common Name:
Address: 293 Lafayette St 1
CityFrown: Salem
Village/Neighborhood: South Salem
Local No: 33-427
Year Constructed: c 1896
Architect(s):
Architectural Style(s): Colonial Revival;queen Anne
Use(s): Single Family Dwelling House
Significance: Architecture
Area(s): SAL.GP:Lafayette Street,238-310
SAL.HT:Lafayette Street Historic District
Designation(s): Local Historic District(8/12/1985)
Building Materials(s): Roof:Slate
Wall:Asphalt Shingle;Wood;Glass;Wrought Iron
The Massachusetts Historical Commission(MHC)has converted this paper record to digital format as part of ongoing
projects to scan records of the Inventory of Historic Assets of the Commonwealth and National Register of Historic
Places nominations for Massachusetts. Efforts are ongoing and not all inventory or National Register records related to
this resource may be available in digital format at this time.
The MACRIS database and scanned files are highly dynamic; new information is added daily and both database
records and related scanned files may be updated as new information is incorporated into MHC files. Users should
note that there may be a considerable lag time between the receipt of new or updated records by MHC and the
appearance of related information in MACRIS. Users should also note that not all source materials for the MACRIS
database are made available as scanned images. Users may consult the records,files and maps available in MHC's
public research area at its offices at the State Archives Building,220 Morrissey Boulevard, Boston,open M-F, 9-5.
Users of this digital material acknowledge that they have read and understood the MACRIS Information and Disclaimer
(http://mhc-macris.nettmacrisdisclaimer htm)
Data available via the MACRIS web interface,and associated scanned files are for information purposes only.THE ACT OF CHECKING THIS
DATABASE AND ASSOCIATED SCANNED FILES DOES NOT SUBSTITUTE FOR COMPLIANCE WITH APPLICABLE LOCAL,STATE OR
FEDERAL LAWS AND REGULATIONS.IF YOU ARE REPRESENTING A DEVELOPER AND/OR A PROPOSED PROJECT THAT WILL
REQUIRE A PERMIT,LICENSE OR FUNDING FROM ANY STATE OR FEDERAL AGENCY YOU MUST SUBMIT A PROJECT NOTIFICATION
FORM TO MHC FOR MHC'S REVIEW AND COMMENT.You can obtain a copy of a PNF through the MHC web site(mtay sec state ma us/mhcl
under the subject heading"MHC Forms'
Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Massachusetts Historical Commission
220 Morrissey Boulevard, Boston, Massachusetts 02125
www.sec.state.ma.us/mhc
This file was accessed on:
Monday, May 23,2016 at 10:22 AM
SALEMFHSTORfCAI.COMAfISSIONGUIDF. "MNOTEB00%
DOORS, DOORWAYS, PORTICOS
Rev. 3/15/95
Salem Historical Commission Guidelines
1. Historically appropriate door openings including doors,glass,pediments,hoods,moldings,steps,and all hardware should be
retained.
2. The enlargement or reduction of historical or original door openings to fit new stock door sizes is not permitted.
3. The stylistic period or periods a building represents should be respected. Original doors and door hardware should not he
discarded when they can be repaired and reused in place. If replacement doors are necessary, die replacements should
duplicate die material,design,and hardware of the older or original doors.
4. Residential doors should be made of wood. Pine and fir are most commonly used for exterior doors. Metal doors on houses
are not acceptable.
5. The arrangement of door panels is a significant architectural feature and varied from period to period. Replacement doors
should have the appropriate panel arrangement for the date of the house's construction.
6. Generally,it is not appropriate to introduce a new door opening into the principal or font elevation. The appropriateness of
new side or rear doors depends on their design. (See#7).
7. The elaborateness of the entrance is related to the design of the house. Simple houses tend to have relatively plain doorways
while more ornate houses have more highly decorated doorways. Therefore,when a replacement doorway is necessary on the
principal facade or new doorway is being added on a side or rear facade,it should harmonize with the style of the house as far as
the type and extent of detail. Large sheets of glass are not generally in keeping with the character of a historic house.
8. Doorways above ground floor level which provide secondary egress must be individually evaluated. In general,approval will
result only when visibility from the street is minimal. The application of exterior staircases to buildings is generally not
acceptable.
9. Porticos, porches, steps, railings that are appropriate to the building and its development should be retained. Porticos or
additions reflecting later architectural styles are often important to the building's historical integrity.
10. Deteriorated porticos,porches,steps,and tailings should be repaired,where necessary,with materials that duplicate the original
as closely as possible.
11. Front steps should be made of granite or wood. Brick,flagstone,or concrete steps were not used historically in Salem and are
not appropriate.
Salem's Architectural Traditions
Very few original l7th century doors have survived from due Massachusetts Bay area but those remaining show drat early doors were
constructed of outer vertical boards an inch or more in thickness which were battened on the reverse with shutter lengths laid
horizonuully. As architectural historian Abbott Lowell Cummings describes,these layers were fastened together with nails,whose
heads formed an exterior diamond pattern. This pattern could be subtly reinforced by lines scored in the surface of die wood,
connecting the individual nailheads. The doors,hung with long strap hinges,opened hrward. A rabbet was carved into the posts or
other frame members to receive the door.'
As Salem entered die Georgian period(c. 1720-1780),framed and paneled doors replaced the 17th century battened doors. Early
Georgian door trim consisted of flat casings which evolved into simple architraves. Later developments included the rise of flat caps,
followed by projecting heaths,complete entablatures,and finally pediments.
Entry halls were often lit by a series of top lights forming a transom over the door. Aller the Revolution,side lights were added to
provide greater illumination to the larger halls and more elaborate stairways that were built.
The number of panels on Georgian doors vary. Early doors often had between seven and ten panels arranged in various
combinations(see photos),but toward the end of the 18th century the six-panel door,with two nearly square upper panels and four
13