{"nrhp_refnum":"85003243","name":"White Place Historic District","other_names":[],"category":"district","location":{"address":"White Pl. between Washington St. and Davis Path","address_restricted":false,"city":"Brookline","county":"Norfolk County","state":"MA","lat":42.33187550000005,"lon":-71.1198711716417,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1985-10-17","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Commerce","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["national","state","local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A small residential historic district of about 4 acres on White Place in Brookline Village, Brookline, Massachusetts, made up of 36 houses, barns and sheds built between about 1835 and 1905.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the street is one of Brookline's largest concentrations of mid-19th-century vernacular architecture, dominated by Italianate-influenced cottages and workers' housing. It developed as Brookline Village became the town's commercial and civic center. Its visual uniformity and worker cottage type are described as unmatched in the town.","narrative":"White Place is a narrow residential street in Brookline Village, Massachusetts, lined with 36 houses, barns and sheds built between about 1835 and 1905. Samuel A. Walker, a real estate auctioneer, laid out the street on former White family land in the late 1840s and 1850s. To encourage development, he moved several older houses to it, some reportedly built from timbers of the demolished Punch Bowl Tavern. Charles Follen and James Seamans also built here. Most buildings are modest Italianate-influenced cottages, later joined by triple-deckers from 1890 to 1905. Many were rental housing for laborers and journeymen. Small lots, similar building heights, and the street's isolation, with railroad tracks on one side and a steep embankment on the other, kept its appearance consistent. It did not become a through street until 1911. The district was listed for its mid-19th-century vernacular architecture and workers' housing, which grew with Brookline Village's rise as the town's commercial and civic center.","period_of_significance":"1854-1890","architect_builder":"Charles Follen (probable designer of 17 and 21-3 White Place); Samuel A. Walker (developer who moved older houses to the street); James Seamans (builder of houses, barns and stables)","architectural_style":"Italianate-derived vernacular cottages, with Picturesque, late Georgian, Greek Revival and Colonial Revival details, and triple-deckers","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Many buildings have been renovated, rehabilitated or restored after an urban renewal demolition threat was defeated. Some alterations, such as aluminum and vinyl siding, have removed details. A few businesses operate at the west end.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:57.603265-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/98/7924/63792498/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/85003243.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85003243/f56ee09923-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85003243/f56ee09923-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"User:Magicpiano","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BrooklineMA_WhitePlace.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">User:Magicpiano</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BrooklineMA_WhitePlace.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63792498","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Place_Historic_District_(Massachusetts)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7995211"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/norfolk-county/white-place-historic-district-85003243/"}