Putnam Street Historic District
Why it's listed
This residential district on the north slope of West Newton Hill, overlooking the village center, contains twenty properties on Putnam, Winthrop, Shaw and Temple Streets. Most of the land was laid out for house lots in 1866 by the West Newton Land Company, which oriented the development toward a public park. Nearly three-quarters of the buildings went up between 1865 and 1885 in the Mansard, Stick or Queen Anne styles, giving the area an unusually consistent character. Winthrop Street has six Mansard houses from 1866 to 1872, including a former church parsonage. Putnam Street's larger houses include two Stick Style homes from 1877 and the 1885 Howard House, the district's best Queen Anne example. The oldest building is a Gothic cottage at 34 Temple Street, dating from about 1849. Early residents included bankers, merchants and a prominent local building contractor. Two later buildings do not contribute, but most houses remain well preserved and the neighborhood keeps its 19th-century feel as a commuter suburb.
Significance in brief: The district is an unusually uniform group of Mansard, Stick and Queen Anne houses that reflects the post-Civil War growth of West Newton as a commuter suburb. Most of it was laid out in 1866 by the West Newton Land Company and retains much of its 19th-century character. It is argued to meet criteria A and C.
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 86001760, listed September 4, 1986. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Roughly bounded by Winthrop, Putnam, Temple, and Shaw Sts., Newton |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | September 4, 1986 |
| Reference number | 86001760 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1860-1890 |
| Architectural style | Mansard, Stick Style and Queen Anne |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | State, Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Residential use; general condition fair to good, with most buildings well preserved and two non-contributing post-1907 structures. |
| Acreage | 7.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.34537, -71.22843 (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 86001760.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7262354
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.