Daniel Pinkham's house at 400 The Hill is one of the finest Federal period houses on Portsmouth's north side. Built c. 1813–15 by Daniel and Isaac Pinkham in the wake of Portland's devastating 1813 fire, it is celebrated as one of the finest Federal period houses surviving on the city's north side.
The three‑story wood‑frame structure wears a low-pitch hip roof and a clapboarded exterior; its main facade stretches five bays across with a centered entrance. Look closely: the windows are simply trimmed, and the third floor has noticeably smaller windows. The front entry is flanked by Adamesque pilasters with rope molding and is crowned by a semicircular fanlight window.
Inside, original cornices, doors, and other woodwork remain, likely bearing the work of Isaac Pinkham, a noted local cabinetmaker presumed to have decorated the interior. The house acquired late 19th‑century Victorian touches on its exterior, and in the 1970s it became part of a cluster of houses known as The Hill, a group created as the result of a road works project. The Daniel Pinkham House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.
Notice the surrounding cluster on The Hill, just south of Deer Street and north of downtown Portsmouth.