{"nrhp_refnum":"86001749","name":"Newton Theological Institution Historic District","other_names":["See Also:Colby Hall"],"category":"district","location":{"address":"Roughly bounded by Braeland Ave., Ripley St. and Langley Rd., Bowdoin School Access Rd., and Cypress St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Newton","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.32567428600004,"lon":-71.18991530609249,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1986-09-04","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Education","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state","local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 44.7-acre historic district in Newton Centre, Newton, Massachusetts, made up of the Andover-Newton Theological School campus on Institution Hill and a small residential neighborhood at the foot of Herrick Road. Buildings date from 1829 to the present.","why_significant":"The Newton Theological Institution, founded in 1825, was one of several important educational and cultural institutions in 19th-century Newton and was the first important outside educational institution to locate in the town. The district also contains outstanding examples of 19th-century domestic and institutional architecture, including Federal, Mansard, Romanesque Revival, Italianate, Queen Anne and Colonial Revival buildings.","narrative":"South of Newton Centre's commercial district, Institution Hill holds the campus of the Andover-Newton Theological School and a small residential neighborhood along Herrick Road. The seminary began in 1825 as the Newton Theological Institution, founded by the Massachusetts Baptist Education Society, and is considered the country's oldest Baptist seminary. In 1829 the society bought an 85-acre property including a mansion built in 1790. Farwell Hall (1829, with a third story and Mansard roof added in 1857) was the first permanent building, followed by Colby Hall (1866), a granite Mansard and Romanesque Revival building already listed individually, and Sturtevant Hall (1873). The nearby houses show Italianate, Mansard, Queen Anne, Stick and Colonial Revival design, built for Boston commuters, local entrepreneurs and people tied to the school. The school drew scholars such as Samuel Francis Smith, who wrote the words to \"America\" as a student. The district is recognized for its role in Newton's educational history and for its 19th-century architecture.","period_of_significance":"1825-present","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Federal, Mansard, Romanesque Revival, Italianate, Queen Anne, Stick, Colonial Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"General condition is stated as excellent; present use is institutional and residential. The inventory lists 28 buildings, 14 of them non-contributing, plus one vacant lot.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:02.29846-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/42/7920/63792042/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/86001749.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86001749/4723f70b04-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86001749/4723f70b04-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Daderot","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dabney_Hall,_Andover_Newton_Theological_School_-_IMG_0354.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Daderot</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dabney_Hall,_Andover_Newton_Theological_School_-_IMG_0354.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63792042","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newton_Theological_Institution_Historic_District","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7020392"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/newton-theological-institution-historic-district-86001749/"}