Bayley House
Why it's listed
Built in 1883-84 at 16 Fairmont Avenue in Newton Corner, this brick and shingle house was designed by the Boston firm Peabody & Stearns for a Mr. Bayley of Porter, White & Bayley. It belongs to a group of large suburban residences raised on Mount Ida after the Civil War, and it may stand on the site of an earlier Brackett family house. The design draws on the quasi-Medieval side of Queen Anne architecture, with an irregular mass, a broken roofline, steep gables with half-timbering, and polychromatic masonry of red pressed brick, brownstone and terra cotta. The plan abandons center-hall symmetry, and each ground floor reception room was styled in a different historical period. The house originally faced Centre Street, but after part of the lot was sold and built upon, its main orientation shifted to Fairmont Avenue. Its listing rests on its value as a local example of the eclectic work of Peabody & Stearns, a nationally known firm.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues that the house is an important local example of work by the celebrated firm Peabody & Stearns. It shows the eclecticism that dominated Boston-area building from the late nineteenth to early twentieth century. It is also one of the large suburban residences built on Mount Ida in the late 1800s.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 86001771, listed September 4, 1986. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 16 Fairmont Ave., Newton |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | September 4, 1986 |
| Reference number | 86001771 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Peabody & Stearns (architect); built by a Mr. Bayley of Porter, White & Bayley |
| Architectural style | Medieval Revival (quasi-Medieval Queen Anne influenced by John Ruskin) |
| Criteria |
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| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State, Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition described as good; still used as a dwelling; southeast porch has been enclosed. |
| Acreage | 0.8 |
| Coordinates | 42.34906, -71.18883 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 86001771.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4874574
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.