Day Estate Historic District

Six large brick houses on the southern and western edges of a block in West Newton make up this small district, built in 1929 and 1930 on land once part of banker Henry B. Day's estate. Day assembled the block shortly after Commonwealth Avenue opened. As the 1920s building boom peaked, the estate was subdivided, and the lots were developed by Noble & Nutting and the Cragie Realty Trust. Most of the houses were designed by William J. Freethey, with one by Newton architect Hawley W. Morton. Five are Tudor Revival, with slate roofs, limestone trim, half-timbering in places, and casement windows. The house at 1395 Commonwealth Avenue shows French-derived features. The group illustrates how large estates were broken up for expansive residential development and how Commonwealth Avenue changed formerly remote parts of central Newton. The Day house itself and three modern houses lie outside the boundary. The houses remain in residential use and are in good condition.