{"nrhp_refnum":"05000879","name":"Home for Aged Couples","other_names":["Elizabeth Carleton House"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"409, 419 Walnut Ave. and 2055 Columbus Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Boston","county":"Suffolk County","state":"MA","lat":42.31362738400003,"lon":-71.09477408799995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2005-08-11","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A campus of three institutional brick buildings, a maintenance shed and a puddingstone boundary wall at 409, 419 Walnut Avenue and 2055 Columbus Avenue in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood of Boston, built between 1892 and 1937 for the Home for Aged Couples.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the buildings are outstanding examples of architectural craftsmanship and design by prolific local and nationally known architects. The Walnut Building is a well-preserved Colonial Revival institutional building, the Columbus Building is considered one of John A. Fox's finer works, and the Badger Building was designed by Coolidge, Shepley, Bulfinch and Abbott. The campus also shows the growth of an institution that expanded under Dr. Carleton's stewardship.","narrative":"Home for Aged Couples is a 2.89-acre campus in Boston's Jamaica Plain neighborhood, facing Franklin Park across Walnut Avenue. Three main brick buildings were erected for the institution between 1892 and 1927, along with a 1937 maintenance shed, all enclosed by a Roxbury puddingstone wall. The 1892 Walnut Building is a Colonial Revival design with yellow brick quoins and cast iron porches. The 1910 Columbus Building, designed by John A. Fox, is Jacobethan in style, with limestone trim, octagonal turrets and a slate roof. The 1927 Badger Building, a Georgian Revival design by Coolidge, Shepley, Bulfinch and Abbott, held dining and infirmary space. The complex grew from a single former residence into purpose-built facilities that separated housing, dining and medical care for elderly couples. The nomination values the group for its craftsmanship, its architects and its largely intact character. Several buildings stood vacant and in need of repair, and renovation was under way.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"John A. Fox (Columbus Building); Coolidge, Shepley, Bulfinch and Abbott (Badger Building and 1927 alterations); Walnut Building architect not identified","architectural_style":"Late 19th and 20th Century Revival: Colonial/Classical Revival (Walnut Building), Jacobethan Revival (Columbus Building), Georgian Revival (Badger Building, Maintenance Shed)","criteria":[],"status_note":"The Walnut Building has been continually occupied. The Columbus and Badger buildings and the garage have been vacant and neglected for many years. The Columbus Building is being renovated, the Badger Building is being mothballed, and the connecting corridors were demolished in 2004-2005.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:04.608759-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/0/7970/63797000/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/05000879.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/05000879/3ec1121e13-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/05000879/3ec1121e13-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Jameslwoodward","credit_html":"Jameslwoodward, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Home_for_Aged_Couples_Boston_MA_03.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63797000","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_for_Aged_Couples","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14715553"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/suffolk-county/home-for-aged-couples-05000879/"}