House at 152 Suffolk Road
Why it's listed
Built around 1900 on Suffolk Road in Chestnut Hill, this stucco house with a tile roof and a loggia is an example of the Mediterranean manner of the Colonial Revival style. A carriage house stands on the 1.6-acre suburban lot, and the house has had no major alterations and remains in very good condition. Early twentieth-century Newton saw Georgian and Medieval Revival designs joined by other styles, but Mediterranean houses appeared only in limited numbers, apparently because they were thought too exotic. That scarcity underlies its listing for architectural significance. The land once belonged to the Lee family, descendants of a sea captain who bought 163 acres in the 1820s. By the late nineteenth century, the nearby commuter railroad station made the area attractive to wealthy Boston commuters. Clement S. Houghton, who worked on State Street in Boston, owned the house in 1907. The architect is unknown.
Significance in brief: The form argues the house is one of few local examples of the Mediterranean manner of the Colonial Revival style, meeting Criterion C. Houses of this type were built in limited numbers in Newton, apparently because they were considered too exotic. The house also reflects the growth of Chestnut Hill as a commuter suburb for wealthy Bostonians.
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 86001818, listed September 4, 1986. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 152 Suffolk Rd., Newton |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | September 4, 1986 |
| Reference number | 86001818 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Spanish Colonial Revival (Mediterranean manner of the Colonial Revival) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State, Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Present use is a dwelling; condition is described as very good, with no major alterations. |
| Acreage | 1.6 |
| Within district | Old Chestnut Hill Historic District |
| Coordinates | 42.32867, -71.17198 (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 86001818.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5913955
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.