{"nrhp_refnum":"86001783","name":"Claflin, Adams, House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"156 Grant Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Newton","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.334413408000046,"lon":-71.18722510499998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1986-09-04","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Social History"],"significance_levels":["state","local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A large suburban dwelling at 156 Grant Avenue in Newton Centre, Newton, Massachusetts, built about 1890 to designs by architect Samuel Brown, set atop a small hill on a 1.35-acre lot.","why_significant":"It is associated with Adams Claflin, president of the Boston & Suburban Electric Company and later the Middlesex and Boston Street Railway, and a major figure in Newton's street railway development. It is also an outstanding example of the very large Colonial Revival suburban houses in Newton and the work of Samuel Brown.","narrative":"Built around 1890 on a small hill in Newton Centre, this large shingled house at 156 Grant Avenue combines Colonial Revival and Shingle Style design. It has a cross-gable form with steep gambrel roofs, varied dormers, porches, balconies and bay windows, and walls clad in staggered-butt wood shingles. Colonial Revival details include a Palladian window in the rear gable, fanlight tracery and a pedimented entrance porch. The architect, Samuel Brown, also worked on structures at Norumbega Park and designed many large suburban houses around Newton and Boston. Adams Claflin first rented the house and later bought it, probably between 1895 and 1907. He led the Boston & Suburban Electric Company, owned considerable Newton real estate, and became president of the Middlesex and Boston Street Railway in 1907. His father, William Claflin, was a governor of Massachusetts. The house is listed for these associations and for its architecture. A carriage house at 142 Grant Avenue once accompanied it.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Samuel Brown","architectural_style":"Colonial Revival/Shingle Style","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Listed in excellent condition and used as a dwelling; a two-story wing was added to the side elevation at an unknown date.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:01.243227-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/10/7914/63791410/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/86001783.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86001783/ca48ebb6ec-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86001783/ca48ebb6ec-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"User:Magicpiano","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NewtonMA_AdamsClaflinHouse.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:NewtonMA_AdamsClaflinHouse.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63791410","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adams_Claflin_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4680313"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/claflin-adams-house-86001783/"}