{"nrhp_refnum":"85003294","name":"Houses at 76-96 Harvard Avenue","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"76--96 Harvard Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Brookline","county":"Norfolk County","state":"MA","lat":42.33711685700007,"lon":-71.12492869799996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1985-10-17","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Community Planning and Development","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["national","state","local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A row of eleven attached brick houses at 76-96 Harvard Avenue in Brookline, Massachusetts, built in 1903 to designs by Stephen Brennan and Sidney Vaughan for original owner Benjamin Whitney.","why_significant":"The row is cited as a fine example of Georgian Revival rowhouses with intact detailing. It reflects one response to rising housing demand on limited land during Brookline's rapid early 20th-century growth. It is also one of few examples of the academic Georgian variation with a piano nobile, similar to London and Beacon Hill townhouses. It was the first non-single-family frame building on the street.","narrative":"Eleven attached brick houses at 76-96 Harvard Avenue in Brookline were built in 1903 from designs by Stephen Brennan and Sidney Vaughan. Building permit records name Benjamin Whitney as owner, though he probably sold the buildings soon after completion. The row has regular facades and balanced proportions, with a classical cornice, limestone lintels and sills, wrought iron balconies and wood paneled vestibules. It was the first building on the street that was not a single-family frame dwelling, and it opened the way for larger buildings that followed. The houses were rented rather than owner-occupied, with tenants including lawyers, an accountant, a pianist, insurance salesmen and a broker. Five of the eleven were owned in 1907 by Dr. Francis F. Whittier. Several were later converted to three apartments each. The row is considered a fine Georgian Revival example, answering demand for housing on limited land and echoing London and Beacon Hill townhouses.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Stephen Brennan & Sidney Vaughan","architectural_style":"Georgian Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Some houses (#s 76, 78, 80, 88 and 92) were converted to three apartments each in the 1940s and 50s; the row is otherwise described as having intact detailing.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:56.36413-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/71/7923/63792371/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/85003294.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85003294/8b58fe0e9a-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85003294/8b58fe0e9a-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"User:Magicpiano","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BrooklineMA_76-96HarvardAvenue.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_76-96HarvardAvenue.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63792371","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Houses_at_76%E2%80%9396_Harvard_Avenue","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5915954"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/norfolk-county/houses-at-76-96-harvard-avenue-85003294/"}