{"nrhp_refnum":"86001747","name":"Newton Highlands Historic District","other_names":[],"category":"district","location":{"address":"Roughly bounded by Lincoln and Hartford Sts., Erie Ave., and Woodward St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Newton","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.32006404650008,"lon":-71.21057501397704,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1986-09-04","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Community Planning and Development","Transportation","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state","local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A residential historic district of about 16 acres and fifty properties, centered on Hartford and Lincoln streets just west of the village center in Newton Highlands, Newton, Massachusetts. It was laid out in 1870 and built up mainly between 1870 and 1907.","why_significant":"The district is the earliest suburban development in Newton Highlands and the earliest on the Highland Branch railroad, laid out in response to suburban rail service. Its promoters and builders shaped the village. Many Lincoln Street houses are local interpretations of high-style designs built for modest incomes. The form cites criteria A, B and C.","narrative":"Newton Highlands Historic District is a compact residential neighborhood of about 16 acres and fifty properties, set on a sandy plateau west of the village center. Developers Samson D. Whittemore and Charles W. Farnham bought a 38-acre tract in 1870 and laid out most of the street system, in response to suburban rail service on the Highland Branch. Local builders such as Samuel A. Walker then put up speculative housing, and construction boomed after rail upgrades and streetcar lines arrived in the 1890s. Over 80 percent of the buildings date from 1870 to 1900. Queen Anne and Colonial Revival houses predominate, alongside Italianate, Gothic, Stick and Shingle Style examples. Two institutions anchor the eastern end: the Hyde School of 1895, damaged by fire in 1981, and the granite Congregational Church of 1907. The district is regarded as the earliest suburban development in the village, and its architecture reflects modest-income interpretations of fashionable designs.","period_of_significance":"1870-1907","architect_builder":"Builders and architects named include Samuel A. Walker, Charles C. Pottle, Hartwell & Richardson, Coolidge & Carlson, Clark & Crosby, and George F. Newton; developers Samson D. Whittemore and Charles W. Farnham.","architectural_style":"Queen Anne and Colonial Revival predominate, with Italianate, Tuscan villa, mansard, Carpenter Gothic, Stick Style, Shingle Style and Romanesque examples","criteria":["A","B","C"],"status_note":"General condition stated as good; primarily residential. The 1895 Hyde School was roofless after a 1981 fire, with rehabilitation for senior housing proposed in 1986.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:01.890137-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/36/7920/63792036/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/86001747.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86001747/4997d247ca-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86001747/4997d247ca-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 3.0","author":"John Phelan","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:House_on_Lincoln_St,_Newton_Highlands_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:House_on_Lincoln_St,_Newton_Highlands_MA.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63792036","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newton_Highlands_Historic_District","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7020259"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/newton-highlands-historic-district-86001747/"}