{"nrhp_refnum":"90000011","name":"Gray Cliff Historic District (Boundary Increase)","other_names":["See Also:Gray Cliff Historic District"],"category":"district","location":{"address":"The Ledges and Bishopsgate Rds.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Newton","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.333393626500055,"lon":-71.18401457267129,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1990-02-16","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Community Planning and Development","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A residential neighborhood known as The Ledges in Newton Centre, Newton, Massachusetts, adjoining the existing Gray Cliff Historic District to the east. It has ten houses dating from 1861 to 1947 and two vacant lots, covering about 9.25 acres.","why_significant":"The area continues the steep, rocky ledge topography and high architectural standards of the original Gray Cliff district. It also shows early 20th century development, as large estates were subdivided for a growing population. It includes work by several popular local architects, including Henry J. Carlson, Edward B. Stratton and James Ritchie.","narrative":"Known as The Ledges, this group of ten houses and two vacant lots in Newton Centre extends the Gray Cliff Historic District eastward. Steep rocky ledges and craggy outcroppings shape the setting. The land was once the estate of Robert Bishop, who established it in the early 1860s; his house at 40 The Ledges Road, built in 1861 and remodeled around the 1890s, is the oldest in the area. The Ledges Road was laid out between 1906 and 1912, subdividing the estate as the city grew. Most houses date from the first half of the 20th century and show Colonial Revival, Tudor Revival, Renaissance Revival and Craftsman styles. Several were designed by well-regarded local architects: Henry J. Carlson designed his own home at 91 Bishopsgate Road, Edward B. Stratton designed the Bosson House at 9 The Ledges Road in 1915, and James Ritchie designed his second house at number 10 in 1928. The district was recognized for its topography, architecture and suburban development.","period_of_significance":"1860s-1940s","architect_builder":"Henry J. Carlson (Coolidge and Carlson); Edward B. Stratton; James Ritchie","architectural_style":"Colonial Revival, Tudor Revival, Renaissance Revival and Craftsman","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Present use is residential; general condition is described as excellent. Two lots are vacant.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:03.806284-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/82/7915/63791582/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/90000011.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/90000011/10541e3595-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/90000011/10541e3595-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"User:Magicpiano","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NewtonMA_GraycliffsRoadHD.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_GraycliffsRoadHD.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63791582","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gray_Cliff_Historic_District","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5598162"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/gray-cliff-historic-district-boundary-increase-90000011/"}