House at 81-83 Gardner Street
Why it's listed
This small double house at 81-83 Gardner Street in Newton Corner dates to the mid-nineteenth century. It is a clapboard workers' cottage with its gable end facing the street and entrances on the side. The upper bedroom level, built with kneewall construction, is lit by a pair of windows. Ornament is absent, which is typical of modest workers' housing, and the house is plain, inexpensive and soundly built. It remains in very good condition with no recorded major alterations. The house belongs to a cluster of early workers' dwellings in the Gardner and School Streets neighborhood. Cottages of this type are found in other Boston-area communities such as Cambridge and in early industrial villages across southern New England, but Newton Corner and Nonantum have a relatively large number. Such cottages were associated mostly with Irish workmen who arrived shortly before the Civil War. Thomas Dunn, a gardener, lived here until about 1900. The house was listed for its architectural character and its link to local working-class settlement.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is an excellent, well-preserved example of the small end-gabled workers' cottage that appeared in Newton by the 1830s and continued to be built after the Civil War. It sits in a cluster of early workers' housing in the Gardner and School Streets neighborhood. Such cottages were associated with Irish workmen who came to Newton Corner just before the Civil War.
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 86001836, listed September 4, 1986. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 81--83 Gardner St., Newton |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | September 4, 1986 |
| Reference number | 86001836 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Vernacular |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State, Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Present use is dwelling; condition is very good, with no major alterations and no outbuildings. |
| Acreage | 0.1 |
| Coordinates | 42.35989, -71.19224 (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 86001836.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14715596
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.