{"nrhp_refnum":"90000039","name":"Childs, Mayor Edwin O., House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"340 California St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Newton","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.36482728900006,"lon":-71.20261002599995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1990-02-16","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Politics/Government","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story stucco Craftsman-style house at 340 California Street in the Nonantum village of Newton, Massachusetts, built in 1915 and designed by the firm Brainerd & Leeds.","why_significant":"It is significant for its association with Edwin O. Childs, a well-regarded public servant who lived there throughout his adult life and was Newton's longest-serving mayor. It is also a well-designed Craftsman house by the noted firm of Brainerd and Leeds. The nomination cites criteria B and C.","narrative":"Built in 1915 at 340 California Street in Newton's Nonantum village, this two-story stucco house reflects the Craftsman style. It has a slate hip roof, an off-set chimney and a three-bay shed wall dormer that forms the second story. The symmetrical facade centers on a classically detailed entry with narrow sidelights and a flat-roofed, balustraded porch on squared piers. The house sits on a knoll among old beech trees, though the original lot has been subdivided. It was designed by Brainerd and Leeds, who also designed the Newton Y.M.C.A. and Day Junior High School. The house is tied to Edwin O. Childs (1876-1950), who served as Newton's mayor from 1914 to 1930 and again from 1936 to 1939. A Democrat who championed the poor, he chose to live in working-class Nonantum rather than a more fashionable part of the city. He lived here throughout his adult life.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Brainerd & Leeds","architectural_style":"Craftsman","criteria":["B","C"],"status_note":"Present use is residential; condition is described as good, with no major alterations and no outbuildings.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:04.390521-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/3/7923/63792303/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/90000039.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/90000039/f724f7d8e6-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/90000039/f724f7d8e6-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"User:Magicpiano","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NewtonMA_MayorEdwinOChildsHouse.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_MayorEdwinOChildsHouse.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63792303","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayor_Edwin_O._Childs_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6797629"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/childs-mayor-edwin-o-house-90000039/"}