{"nrhp_refnum":"90000048","name":"Kessler, William F., House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"211 Highland St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Newton","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.34781227800005,"lon":-71.21634080699994,"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 1.5-story Craftsman-style single-family house at 211 Highland Street in Newtonville, Newton, Massachusetts, built in 1913 by local builder Frank E. Kneeland of Newton Centre.","why_significant":"The form argues the house is a well-detailed, little-altered early example of the rustic Craftsman style. It also represents Newton's suburban expansion in the 1920s, which brought infill of established areas along with new subdivisions. It is cited under criteria A and C.","narrative":"This 1.5-story shingle-clad house at 211 Highland Street in Newtonville was built in 1913 for Mr. and Mrs. William F. Kessler (spelled Keesler in the narrative text) by Frank E. Kneeland, a local builder from Newton Centre. Little is known about the family, though city directories list Mr. Kessler as a salesman. The house is an example of the rustic Craftsman style. A gable roof with exposed rafter ends covers it, and a large dormer with varied rooflines breaks the front slope. The roof extends forward to shelter a verandah carried on heavy brick and fieldstone piers. The entry has sidelights, with a multi-pane three-part window on one side and a bow window on the other. A brick and fieldstone chimney rises along the left side. The house is little altered and retains its integrity, and it reflects Newton's suburban growth in the early twentieth century, when established neighborhoods were filled in alongside new subdivisions.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Architect unknown; built by local builder Frank E. Kneeland of Newton Centre","architectural_style":"Craftsman","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Condition is described as good, with present use residential and no major alterations, outbuildings, or moves recorded.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:05.127989-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/94/7915/63791594/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/90000048.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/90000048/83f8f85764-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/90000048/83f8f85764-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"User:Magicpiano","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NewtonMA_WilliamFKesslerHouse.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_WilliamFKesslerHouse.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63791594","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_F._Kessler_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q8008817"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/kessler-william-f-house-90000048/"}