It is located at 18 Broad Street, Salem, Massachusetts and is open to the public under the auspices of the nonprofit Pickering Foundation.

The original house was two stories tall, with a single room on each floor, and an entry bay.

In 1751, Deacon Timothy Pickering raised a rear lean-to up to a full two stories, which is how the house exists today.

Many of the house's external features date from this alteration, including the roof finials, round windows in the gables, cornice brackets, and exterior entry porch.

In 1948, Boston architect Gordon Robb carried out interior restoration work to reintroduce more Colonial Revival features.