Farlow Hill Historic District

Farlow Hill is a residential district of 37 houses and one vacant lot in the easternmost part of Newton Corner, close to the Boston/Brighton line. It occupies the former forty-acre estate of businessman and philanthropist John Farlow, which was subdivided by a syndicate after his death in the mid-1890s. Plans were drawn by the engineering firm of Aspinwall and Lincoln, and the curving streets follow the contours of the hill, giving many houses wide views. Most homes were built between the 1880s and the 1930s, many designed by architects such as Kilham & Hopkins, Chapman & Frazer, Brainerd & Leeds and John Barnard. Craftsman, Colonial Revival and Tudor Revival styles predominate, built of fine materials on large landscaped lots. Restrictions on cost, use and location of houses were part of the original development. The district was listed for its reflection of Newton's upscale early twentieth century suburban growth and its architectural quality, and it remains in excellent condition as a residential neighborhood.