Richards, James Lorin, House
Why it's listed
Built in 1901 for businessman James Lorin Richards, this Newtonville property began as a single estate with a main house at 47 Kirkstall Road and a carriage barn at 22 Oakwood Road. Both are now separate residences. The L-plan, 2-1/2-story house sits under two broad gambrel roofs, with fieldstone walls on the first story and wood shingles above. Panelled oriel windows, polygonal oriels, a deep semi-circular veranda on stone piers and a stone porte-cochere give it a strong horizontal emphasis. The carriage barn repeats the fieldstone walls and gambrel roof and includes an unusual stone polygonal bay. Both buildings are attributed to Newton architect Samuel J. Brown. Richards, born in 1858, made a fortune in tobacco, then became a leader in Boston street railways, gas companies and the New Haven Railroad. The property was listed for its architecture, as an unusually intact Shingle Style house and carriage barn by a known architect.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house and carriage barn are an unusually intact pairing of Shingle Style buildings and the work of a known architect, probably Samuel J. Brown. It also notes the house was built for James Lorin Richards, a Boston business leader active in street railways and gas utilities.
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 86001871, listed September 4, 1986. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 47 Kirkstall and 22 Oakwood Rds., Newton |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | September 4, 1986 |
| Reference number | 86001871 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | probably Samuel J. Brown |
| Architectural style | Shingle Style |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State, Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition is listed as excellent. Both buildings are now used as separate residences, and the carriage barn was converted to a residence with fenestration altered in the 1950s. |
| Acreage | 1 |
| Coordinates | 42.34383, -71.20345 (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 86001871.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6138231
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.