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Research dossier · Places & Architecture

Cotting–Smith Assembly House

historic building in Massachusetts, United States

Architectural plans, a scale model, maps and brass measuring instruments
Places and architectureInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionSep 3, 2026
Entity authorityQ5175615 ↗
Source-derived summary

The Cotting–Smith Assembly House was built in 1782 and is located at 138 Federal Street in the Federal Street District in Salem, Massachusetts, United States. It is owned by the Peabody Essex Museum. Built as a Federalist Clubhouse in which balls, concerts, lectures, and other events might be held. George Washington attended a dance here. The original architect is unknown, but the house was later remodeled by Samuel McIntire for use as a private residence. The house is in the Federal style and is part of the Federal Street District, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The building can be rented for special events.

Editorial summary

This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Cotting–Smith Assembly House” as historic building in Massachusetts, United States. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.

Editorial reviewA strong orientation record where physical form, institutional use and historical geography need to be read together. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1782—that can be checked directly. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. The account is most persuasive where Cotting, Smith and Assembly can be independently traced.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

The subject matters to the places & architecture register because the source frames it as historic building in Massachusetts, United States. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.

Evidence profile

Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 3, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q5175615. Authority coordinates are 42.521, -70.904. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1782.

Critical limits

Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.

Best used for
  • Historic place names
  • Jurisdictional context
  • Routes into maps and plans
Verify next

Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Cotting–Smith Assembly House”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Cotting–Smith Assembly House primary sources, Cotting–Smith Assembly House archive and Cotting research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Cotting–Smith Assembly House”?
  2. Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
  3. Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Cotting–Smith Assembly House” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.