The Point is the part of Salem most people picture when they think of dense, working neighborhoods. The city's 2013 Point Neighborhood Vision and Action Plan, prepared with the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, describes about 195 acres of the city, with Dodge Street on the north edge and Salem, Chase, Cedar and Cypress Streets on the south. Congress Street and Lafayette Street are the main roads.
Most of the buildings here hold more than one household, and that shapes almost every plumbing question. This page explains what that means in plain terms, using the figures the city and its planners have published.
Verified local facts.
What the planning documents say about housing in The Point.
- The 2013 plan counts 4,107 residents in the 2010 Census, about 33 people per acre against about 8 citywide. It calls The Point the densest neighborhood in Salem.
- It counts 1,738 housing units. By building type, apartment buildings make up 63 percent, three-families 21 percent, two-families 11 percent, condominiums 3 percent and single-family houses 3 percent.
- About 75 percent of the housing was built before 1940, compared with 57 percent across the city.
- Most of the neighborhood is zoned for multifamily housing.
- The city's 2022 Housing Roadmap says The Point has a larger share of older, more affordable rental housing than other parts of Salem.
We quote these numbers as published. The plan's own text and one of its tables disagree about how many homes are owner-occupied, so we do not repeat an owner-occupancy figure here.
Our angle.
Plumbing in a building with several households.
The housing mix above is general information, and it does not tell us what is inside any wall. But the way multi-unit buildings are laid out does suggest useful questions, which apply to any building with several apartments.
One line, several households.
In many multi-unit buildings, kitchens and bathrooms on different floors share vertical drain and vent pipes. A clog in a shared line can show up in a different unit than the one that caused it.
Who calls and who pays.
Whether the owner, a property manager or a tenant arranges a repair depends on the lease and the cause. Telling the owner first, and writing down what you saw, usually saves time.
Shared hot water.
Some buildings have one water heater or boiler for several units, and others have one per apartment. Knowing which you have tells us who to ask when the hot water stops.
Basement and meter access.
Main shutoffs and meters are often in a shared basement. Learn who holds the key before there is a leak at night.
Not sure which unit has the problem?.
Call and describe what you see. We can help you work out whether it is your fixture, a shared line or something the owner should handle.
Services.
Common calls, and where to read more.
Slow or backed-up drains are the most common reason people in older multi-unit buildings call. Our drain cleaning page explains what a plumber does with a cable or a jetter. If the same drain keeps backing up, a camera inspection can show whether the problem is the line itself.
Hot water problems are the second large group. If a tank leaks or will not heat, see water heater repair and water heater replacement. For a stain on a ceiling or a bill that jumps, leak detection explains how a hidden leak is traced without opening walls unless it is needed.
Waterfront setting.
Water, tides and the Point.
The Point sits on Salem's harbor. The city's Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness report names the Derby Street and Point areas among the neighborhoods that will be affected first by coastal and tidal flooding, and lists Palmer Cove in that group. That is a city planning finding about the area, not a statement about any particular basement.
In practical terms, if you have a basement or ground-floor unit, it is worth knowing where your floor drain goes and whether a sump pump is installed. When heavy rain meets a high tide, drains can run slowly. If water is coming up through a floor drain, stop using water in the building and call. Do not pour chemicals into a standing backup.
Getting oriented.
Parks and streets we use as landmarks.
The plan names four parks inside the neighborhood, Mary Jane Lee Park, Lafayette Park, Palmer Cove Park and Playground, and Peabody Street Park. The Harborwalk, built in 2010, connects The Point to the South River. We use landmarks like these to describe where a problem is, so if you are not sure how to give directions, they are a good start.
Prepare.
Before you call: a short checklist.
Find the shutoff.
Know where the water shuts off for your unit, and for the building if you are the owner.
Stop the water use.
If a drain is backing up, stop running sinks, showers and washing machines.
Note the unit.
Tell us which floor and unit, and whether neighbors have the same problem.
Tell the owner.
Let the owner or property manager know, and keep their number handy.
Standards.
Code and permits.
Plumbing work in Massachusetts follows 248 CMR 10.00, the state plumbing code, and the city handles permits. In a building with several households, ask the owner who is arranging permitted work, and ask Inspectional Services at 978-619-5641 what applies. That is the standard we follow, and it protects every unit in the building.
Limits of the research.
What we could not confirm.
We would rather say what we do not know than guess. We could not confirm the pipe materials, the age of the sewer lines, or the condition of plumbing inside any building in The Point. The planning documents describe building types and ages, not pipes. We also could not verify search demand for this neighborhood name, so we treat it as unknown.
Map of The Point, Salem, MA.
The Point on the Salem waterfront.
The Point is built around Congress and Lafayette Streets near downtown, next to Palmer Cove and the Harborwalk that links it to the South River.
FAQs.
Plumbing questions in The Point.
Yes. We serve Salem, including The Point between Dodge Street and Salem Street, and the same phone line covers every street. Call to confirm your address.
Start with the owner or property manager, since the lease usually decides who arranges repairs. If you cannot reach them and water is running, shut off the water you can control and call us to talk it through.
In many buildings, shared drain lines carry waste from the upper floors past the lowest unit, so a blockage low in the line tends to show up on the ground floor first. A plumber can confirm with a camera. Stop using water above you until it is cleared.
The city's resilience report names the Derby Street and Point areas as vulnerable to tidal flooding, which is a planning finding for the area. It does not say your building floods. Ask a plumber about floor drains and a sump pump if you have a lower level.