Orvis Road Historic District

Orvis Road in Arlington, Massachusetts, is a planned residential street of twenty-six single- and two-family houses built between 1918 and 1930. The homes face a landscaped grassy median planted with trees and flowering shrubs, the only such residential thoroughfare in the town. Houses combine Craftsman and Colonial Revival features, including bungalows and stucco two-family buildings, and most keep their original porches, entryways and garages. The street was platted in 1918 on land that had been part of John P. Squire's market garden farm, at a time when farmers were increasingly selling land to developers. Close to Massachusetts Avenue, a major route to Boston, it suited middle-income commuters using public transit or their own cars, and the ca. 1920 garages reflect the importance of the automobile. The neighborhood was recognized for its architectural quality, its cohesion, and its role in Arlington's suburban growth in the early twentieth century.