{"nrhp_refnum":"78000459","name":"Colby Hall","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"141 Herrick Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Newton Centre","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.32595575200003,"lon":-71.19154351999998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1978-01-30","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Education","Architecture","Religion"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Colby Hall is a three-story stone building with an attached chapel at 141 Herrick Road, Newton Centre, Massachusetts, on the Andover Newton Theological School campus. The hall was constructed in 1886 for the Newton Theological Institution; the designer is unknown.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the building is architecturally unique, combining Second Empire and Romanesque Revival elements. It is also historically significant to the Newton community and to the Baptist denomination, as the main teaching building of the oldest Protestant graduate theological school in the United States. Samuel Francis Smith wrote the words to \"America\" in 1832 while a student at the institution.","narrative":"Colby Hall is a three-story building of light buff, rough-cut stone with sandstone trim, set on a hilltop on the Andover Newton Theological School campus in Newton Centre. Built in 1886 for the Newton Theological Institution, it joins a mansard roof with pedimented dormers, typical of the Second Empire style, to Romanesque-derived detailing such as round and elliptical arched windows. A five-stage tower with a conical slate roof and cross dominates the north facade. A chapel, believed built in 1866 and dedicated in 1897, connects at the south side. The designer is unknown. The hall was listed for its architectural character and its role in the history of the school, the oldest Protestant graduate theological school in the country, where most living graduates studied. Samuel Francis Smith wrote the words to \"America\" in 1832 while a student there. The nomination reports the building unaltered and in good condition, with the hall unused since 1960 and the chapel in daily use.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Second Empire and Romanesque Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"Described as unaltered and in good condition; the chapel is used daily by the seminary, while the larger hall has been unused since 1960.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:54.854953-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/11/7959/63795911/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/78000459.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78000459/90cc496749-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78000459/90cc496749-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 3.0","author":"John Phelan","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Colby_Hall,_Newton_Centre_MA.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">John Phelan</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Colby_Hall,_Newton_Centre_MA.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"86001749","name":"Newton Theological Institution Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/massachusetts/newton-theological-institution-historic-district-86001749/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63795911","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colby_Hall_(Newton,_Massachusetts)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5142027"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/colby-hall-78000459/"}