National Register of Historic Places

Porter, General, House

Portsmouth, Rockingham County, New Hampshire
Listed
October 10, 1985
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
85003359

About this property

The General Porter House is a historic house at 32-34 Livermore Street in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Built about 1751, it is a well-preserved example of a Portsmouth gambrel-roofed double house, and has been home to a number of prominent individuals. Now housing residential condominiums, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. The General Porter House is located on the east side of Livermore Street, a short residential street facing Haven Park south of downtown Portsmouth. It is a 2+1⁄2-story wood-frame structure, with a gambrel roof and clapboarded exterior. A "Portsmouth double house", it is five bays wide and two deep, with additions on either side, and an ell to the rear. The main entrance is at the center of the facade, topped by a rounded pediment and flanked by pilasters. The roof is pierced by five dormers, all but the center one with gabled roofs. The center one matches the entry trim in having a rounded roof. The right-side projecting has a secondary entrance, also flanked by pilasters. The house was built c. 1751 by Matthew Livermore, who was New Hampshire's first formally-educated lawyer, and was a representative to New Hampshire's provisional government during the American Revolutionary War. The house has been moved twice, both times in the 19th century. Another major owner was Samuel Coues, a leader of the shipbuilding industry in Portsmouth during the 19th century, and leader of the American Peace Party in the 1840s. Its most recent notable resident was General Fitz John Porter, a United States Army general who served in the Mexican–American War and the American Civil War. The building was converted into condominiums in 1983, at which time the doorways were reconfigured, removing one in the left projection. National Register of Historic Places listings in Rockingham County, New Hampshire

Location

32--34 Livermore St.
Portsmouth, Rockingham County, New Hampshire
43.07345, -70.75398

Categories

COMMERCEPOLITICS/GOVERNMENTARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Haven-White House
Industrial
0 mi
Wentworth, Gov. John, House
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0 mi
South Meetinghouse
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0.1 mi
Langdon, Gov. John, Mansion
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0.2 mi
Portsmouth Cottage Hospital
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0.2 mi

Questions about this property

When was Porter, General, House listed on the National Register?

Porter, General, House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 10, 1985.

What type of historic resource is Porter, General, House?

Porter, General, House is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Porter, General, House?

The period of significance for Porter, General, House is recorded as the industrial era.

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