back leads to a secret staircase which leads up to the attic. Many interesting features of the original mansion remain, including unusual forms of wall insulation, original beams and rafters, and extensive Georgian paneling. The Nathaniel Hawthorne Birthplace is now immediately adjacent to the House of the Seven Gables, and access to it is granted with the regular admission fee. Although it is indeed the house in which Hawthorne was born and lived to the age of four, the house was sited a few blocks away on Union Street when he inhabited it. In 1994, the Seamans Visitor Center was opened at the historic site. The visitor center was named in honor of the Seamans family; Donald C. Seamans was responsible for the building project when he was president of the House of the Seven Gables Settlement Association. On March 29, 2007, the House of the Seven Gables Historic District was designated a National Historic Landmark District. As of 2022, The House of the Seven Gables opened to the public in April 1910 and has seen millions of visitors since. See also List of historic houses in Massachusetts List of the oldest buildings in Massachusetts List of the oldest buildings in the United States List of National Historic Landmarks in Massachusetts National Register of Historic Places listings in Salem, Massachusetts National Register of Historic Places listings in Essex County, Massachusetts References Notes Further reading Goodwin, Lorinda B. R. "Salem's House of Seven Gables as Historic Site." In Salem: Place, Myth, and Memory, edited by Dane Anthony Morrison and Nancy Lusignan Schultz. UPNE, 2005. External links House of the Seven Gables, official site Listing and photographs at the Historic American Buildings Survey Official audio tour of the House of the Seven Gables by UniGuide at SoundCloud House of the Seven Gables at Destination Salem House of the Seven Gables at Atlas Obscura Houses completed in 1668 Historic house museums in Massachusetts National Historic Landmarks in Massachusetts Museums in Salem, Massachusetts Nathaniel Hawthorne Houses in Salem, Massachusetts National Register of Historic Places in Salem, Massachusetts Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts British colonial architecture in the United States Colonial architecture in Massachusetts 1668 establishments in Massachusetts Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Essex County, Massachusetts