{"nrhp_refnum":"85003273","name":"Heath, Charles, House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"12 Heath Hill","address_restricted":false,"city":"Brookline","county":"Norfolk County","state":"MA","lat":42.32598945700005,"lon":-71.14215109199995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1985-10-17","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["national","state","local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 2½-story clapboard single-family house at 12 Heath Hill in Brookline, Massachusetts, built in 1855-1856 by Charles Heath. The architect is not known.","why_significant":"The house meets criteria B and C. It was built by Charles Heath, a descendant of one of Brookline's wealthiest 19th-century families, known for military and civic affairs. It is also an unusual blend of styles, with a vernacular interpretation of Carpenter Gothic.","narrative":"Built in 1855-1856 at 12 Heath Hill in Brookline, this 2½-story clapboard house was constructed by Charles Heath, probably as a wedding present for his son Charles Henry, who married Lucy Wilson Ripley. Both father and son were Boston brokers. The Heath family was among the town's wealthiest in the 19th century and was known for military and civic service. The house later left the family but was bought back for the wife of Sidney Heath, Charles Henry's brother. Its design mixes several styles. The low-pitched roof and vertical boarding in the gable recall Swiss Chalet, the clipped gable on the ell is a medieval touch, and the floor plan is closer to Italianate. Bargeboards, belt and string courses, the corner portico and window lintels reflect a vernacular Carpenter Gothic, while the first-floor window hoods and portico railings follow Gothic Revival. The architect is unknown. The result is a restrained yet decorative house unlike any other in Brookline, with irregular massing, three chimneys and a two-story ell.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Charles Heath (builder/original owner); architect information not available","architectural_style":"Carpenter Gothic Influence","criteria":["B","C"],"status_note":"Residential use; the form records the building as unaltered, unmoved, with no outbuildings.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:57.227714-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/65/7923/63792365/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/85003273.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85003273/a2009ec634-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85003273/a2009ec634-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"User:Magicpiano","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BrooklineMA_CharlesHeathHouse.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_CharlesHeathHouse.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63792365","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Heath_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5078877"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/norfolk-county/heath-charles-house-85003273/"}