Located near the village center, the Captain Nathaniel Lord House is an excellent example of the Federal style. It is three stories tall, clad in clapboard siding, and topped by a flat roof with an octagonal cupola. The facade is symmetrical with the entrance located in the center. An entry porch, a later addition, shelters the front door, which is framed by sidelight windows and topped by an elliptical fanlight. Above the entrance on the second floor is a flat topped Palladian window (a three-part window with a large central sash bordered by two narrower ones). The third floor windows are smaller than the lower floor windows, giving the building an illusion of greater height. The cornice has delicate dentils. There are secondary entrances on the north and south elevations with entry porches similar to the main facade but smaller. A three-story rear ell was added in 1859. The interior features a freestanding elliptical staircase. Kennebunkport was an important shipping and shipbuilding center in the early nineteenth century. The War of 1812 brought these industries to a standstill and Captain Lord utilized the unemployed ship carpenters to build his home. The house remained in the Lord family until 1972. It is also in the Kennebunkport Historic District.
Year Listed: Individually, 1973; Historic District, 1976
For more information: https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/AssetDetail?assetID=9862a864-e43b-4755-bbb6-14166e3d6ae6