Nobility Hill Historic District

Nobility Hill is a compact residential neighborhood on a hilltop west of Stoneham's Central Square, centered on Cedar Avenue, Chestnut Street and Maple Street. It holds 33 contributing houses, mostly wood-frame, 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 stories, built between the 1860s and 1920s in Italianate, Second Empire, Queen Anne, Stick, Shingle, Colonial Revival and Craftsman styles. Five houses are individually listed. Development began in 1858 with the John Hill estate, followed by the large estates of shoe and tannery families. Surveyor Amasa Farrier's subdivision of small lots signaled a move toward modest suburban homes, and later residents included shoemakers, bankers, carpenters and Boston commuters. The district is considered locally significant for architecture and for community development, since it shows the town's industrial and suburban eras more fully than any other area. Mid-20th-century demolition of the Mawhinney and Tidd estates brought ranch houses, a church and garages, which are excluded as noncontributing, though a stone wall and gate from the Tidd estate remain.