{"nrhp_refnum":"86001823","name":"House at 2212 Commonwealth Avenue","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"2212 Commonwealth Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Newton","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.34683708500006,"lon":-71.25248366499994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1986-09-04","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state","local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A small Gothic Revival dwelling at 2212 Commonwealth Avenue in Auburndale, Newton, Massachusetts, built around 1845 by an unknown architect. It has board and batten walls and sits on a low hill above Commonwealth Avenue.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the house meets Criterion C as Auburndale's only surviving Gothic cottage and one of few board and batten Gothic Revival houses left in Newton. Its picturesque character comes from board and batten siding, a crenellated enclosed porch and wood brackets at the eaves. It resembles a design in A.J. Downing's The Architecture of Country Houses.","narrative":"Built around 1845 on a low, tree-shaded hill overlooking Commonwealth Avenue in Auburndale, this small house is a rare surviving example of Gothic Revival cottage design in Newton. Its walls are board and batten, and its picturesque look comes from a crenellated enclosed porch and wood brackets under the side eaves. The design resembles one of the plans in A.J. Downing's The Architecture of Country Houses. An ell was added in 1875 and remodelled in 1900, when dormer windows were also added. Despite these changes the house remains well preserved and is still a dwelling. It was listed because it is Auburndale's only remaining Gothic cottage and one of only a few board and batten Gothic houses left in the city. Later in the 19th century it belonged to Nathan Mossman, who served as Newton's overseer of the poor. The architect is unknown, and no outbuildings remain on the property of just under one acre.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Gothic Revival","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Condition described as very good; still used as a dwelling, with additions in 1875 and 1900.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:00.932401-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/42/7908/63790842/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/86001823.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86001823/8dbe7ee57a-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86001823/8dbe7ee57a-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"User:Magicpiano","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NewtonMA_2212CommonwealthAvenue.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_2212CommonwealthAvenue.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63790842","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_at_2212_Commonwealth_Avenue","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5914128"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/house-at-2212-commonwealth-avenue-86001823/"}