Saco-Lowell Shops Housing Historic District
Why it's listed
Fourteen houses on two small blocks near Oak Street in Newton Upper Falls make up this district, which is the only known enclave of twentieth-century workers' housing in Newton. Eight of the houses are small brick dwellings built in 1919 and 1920 for the Saco-Lowell Shops, the textile machinery company that grew from Otis Pettee's 1831 works and was Newton's largest employer by the 1890s. The company proposed the development in 1919, using a plan by Maurice Roscoe of The Housing Company. The houses are brick variants of the Colonial style, with gabled, gambrel and lean-to roofs, segmental window openings and small scale. Larger two- and three-family buildings add Greek Revival-type entry surrounds with sidelights and cast stone lintels. Six older wood-frame houses and the surrounding mix of nineteenth-century and later housing differ in character. The district is significant for its workers' housing and for its architecture.
Significance in brief: It is the only known enclave of twentieth-century workers' housing in Newton, built near the Saco-Lowell Shops factory. The brick houses are also notable as variants of the Colonial style, with gabled, gambrel and lean-to roofs unified by brick construction, small scale and segmental window openings. The nomination cites 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 90000016, listed February 16, 1990. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Oak, William, Butts, and Saco Sts., Newton |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | February 16, 1990 |
| Reference number | 90000016 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1919-1920 |
| Architect / builder | Maurice Roscoe, managing architect, The Housing Company |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival (brick variants with gabled, gambrel and lean-to roofs) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Present use is residential; general condition is described as good. |
| Acreage | 2.2 |
| Coordinates | 42.30771, -71.21990 (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 90000016.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7396883
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.