{"nrhp_refnum":"98000990","name":"Brandeis University President's House","other_names":["Leland Powers House"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"66 Beaumont Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Newton","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.26086281000005,"lon":-71.19534769799998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1998-08-19","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Community Planning and Development","Education","Social History","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story Craftsman-style (expanded bungalow) house at 66 Beaumont Avenue in the Grove Hill Park area of Newtonville, Newton, Massachusetts, originally built for Leland Powers and later used as the Brandeis University president's residence.","why_significant":"The house is significant for community planning and development as part of Newton's early 20th century suburban growth, and for social history as the home of Leland Powers and then of Abram Leon Sachar, Brandeis University's founding president. It is also significant architecturally as a graceful example of Craftsman design with Arts and Crafts interior features. It is judged significant at the local level.","narrative":"Set on a sloping 0.8-acre lot in Newtonville's Grove Hill Park, this two-story Craftsman house at 66 Beaumont Avenue was built for Leland Powers, an attorney and public servant. It has an L-plan, stucco walls under a wide hipped roof, bracketed rafter ends, flanking sun porches, a carved door bonnet and shutters with an unusual diamond-and-triangle cutout. Inside, gumwood paneling, a carved staircase and Grueby Faience fireplace tiles designed by Addison B. LeBoutellier reflect the Arts and Crafts movement. The house reflects the early 1900s suburban growth of Newton, a neighborhood subdivided in 1882 and 1895 but built up only after 1900. In 1948 it became the residence of Abram Leon Sachar, first president of Brandeis University, where he lived for more than forty years. The house served as a place for entertaining and fund-raising during the university's early years. It retains its original plan and Arts and Crafts character.","period_of_significance":"1913-1920, 1948-1990","architect_builder":"W. Northrop Dudley","architectural_style":"Late 19th/Early 20th Century Movement: Expanded Bungalow/Craftsman style","criteria":["A","B","C"],"status_note":"Still used as a single dwelling and for university functions; interior renovations in 1994 added accessibility and a catering kitchen.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:04.964147-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/32/7961/63796132/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/98000990.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/98000990/88f5228ff2-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/98000990/88f5228ff2-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"User:Magicpiano","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NewtonMA_BrandeisUniversityPresidentsHouse.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_BrandeisUniversityPresidentsHouse.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63796132","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brandeis_University_President%27s_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4956637"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/brandeis-university-presidents-house-98000990/"}