House at 68 Maple Street
Why it's listed
Built in the late 1840s, this small Italianate house at 68 Maple Street in Newton Corner sits atop a bluff that once offered a view of the Charles River. Its boxy form is topped by a low-pitched hip roof, and the walls are clad in rusticated flush boarding meant to imitate stone masonry. The most striking feature is the set of oversized brackets, shaped as acanthus-decorated consoles, under the eaves, porch and bay window. Their exaggerated scale suits the building's plain, vernacular design. Henry M. Bates, a Boston banker, lived here. The house reflects the influence of A.J. Downing's publications, which promoted the Italian villa as fitting for rural scenery, and it is one of several notable examples in the Charlesbank area. During the 1850s, Boston commuters built many similar residences on Newton Corner's hillsides. It was listed as a rare early example of the heavy, square, hipped-roof Italianate type in Newton. A porch was removed in the twentieth century, and the house remains a dwelling in good condition.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it an outstanding and rare Newton example of an early Italianate dwelling of the square, hipped-roof, heavy type, meeting Criterion C. Its oversized acanthus-decorated brackets are the main distinctive feature of an otherwise simple vernacular building. It is also one of several notable Italian villa examples in the Charlesbank area, built when Boston commuters settled Newton Corner's hillsides.
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 86001963, listed September 4, 1986. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 68 Maple St., Newton |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | September 4, 1986 |
| Reference number | 86001963 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Italianate |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State, Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition described as good; present use is a dwelling. A garage stands on the property and a porch was removed in the 20th century. |
| Acreage | 0.2 |
| Coordinates | 42.36009, -71.18217 (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 86001963.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5914442
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.