{"nrhp_refnum":"86000490","name":"Assington","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"172 Forest St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Sherborn","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.22684756500004,"lon":-71.34091637036295,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1986-01-03","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Community Planning and Development","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Assington is a large stuccoed estate house at 172 Forest Street in South Sherborn, Massachusetts, built 1929-1930 on about 30 acres overlooking the Charles River. It was designed by Boston architect William T. Aldrich.","why_significant":"The nomination calls Assington the last and grandest of Sherborn's high-style early 20th century estates. It retains integrity of setting, design, materials and workmanship. It is tied to a nationally known architect and to Sherborn's growth as a haven for wealthy Bostonians.","narrative":"Assington is a palatial estate house at 172 Forest Street in South Sherborn, Massachusetts, set on a rise above the Charles River. Built between 1929 and 1930 for George and Muriel Saltonstall Lewis, it was designed by Boston architect William Truman Aldrich. The stucco house has a large main block and an east wing, slate hip roofs, quoins, an arcaded west porch and a distinctive three-story bow front on the south facade. Its form recalls mid-18th century English country houses, particularly the work of James Wyatt. Formal gardens and a long tree-lined allée, laid out by the Lewises, Aldrich and landscape architect Inno Chenti, run from the house to the river. A tea house, caretaker's house and service buildings from about 1930 survive. Assington was listed as the last and grandest of Sherborn's early 20th century estates, valued for its architecture, its integrity and its link to the town's role as a retreat for wealthy Bostonians.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"William T. Aldrich (William Truman Aldrich); landscape architect Inno Chenti","architectural_style":"Neo-Palladian","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Present use is residence; no major alterations. Land along the Charles River has been deeded to the Trustees of Reservations as conservation land.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:56.856294-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/7/7918/63791807/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/86000490.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86000490/964b2f1fa5-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86000490/964b2f1fa5-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"User:Magicpiano","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SherbornMA_Assington.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:SherbornMA_Assington.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63791807","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assington_(Sherborn,_Massachusetts)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4808897"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/assington-86000490/"}