The Henry J Crippen House is significant for its architecture and for its association with a Concord community leader who was prominent during the last three decades of the nineteenth century. The property at 189-191 North Main Street is of local architectural importance as Concord's finest surviving example of the French Second Empire style in masonry, as expressed in domestic form. The well-preserved building is notable for its integrated design, indicative of the era's high-style building, and for its craftsmanship, choice of materials, and ornate detail. The building is significant as the principal surviving physical manifestation associated with Henry J Crippen, the prominent financier, and community figure, who resided at 191 North Main Street from 1879 until his death in 1893. - NRHP 7 November 1983