Hollis, Thomas, Historic District
Why it's listed
Washington Street in central Holliston, Massachusetts, forms the spine of a 143-acre district of homes, shops and civic buildings stretching about a mile between Winter and Highland Streets. The road was laid out in the 1730s, and the district contains the sites chosen in 1724 for the town's first meetinghouse and burial ground. Most of what survives dates from the early 1800s to the Civil War, when boot, shoe and straw goods manufacturing brought wealth and population growth. Prosperous merchants, professionals and manufacturers built substantial houses along the road, including two dozen Federal homes and about thirty Greek Revival houses, many with columned porticos. Fewer Italianate, Gothic and Second Empire houses followed. The earliest building is the Isaac Foster House, built about 1727. A major fire in 1875 led to rebuilding of commercial blocks. The district counts 115 contributing and 59 noncontributing resources and keeps a high degree of architectural integrity.
Significance in brief: The district preserves the architecture of a mid-19th century New England linear village, with Federal, Greek Revival, Italianate and Gothic houses built for Holliston's prominent merchants, professionals and manufacturers. It also contains the sites of the town's first meetinghouse and burial ground, chosen in 1724. Its growth reflects the town's boot, shoe and straw goods manufacturing and population boom.
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 89001786, listed October 30, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Washington St. from Winter to Highland Sts., Holliston |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | October 30, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89001786 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival, Italian Villa, Gothic Revival, Early Republic/Federal, Second Empire, Colonial Revival, Colonial/Georgian |
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still a residential, civic and commercial focus of Holliston, with some houses converted to office use. |
| Acreage | 143.2 |
| Coordinates | 42.19940, -71.43013 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
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 89001786.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7790760
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.