Sherborn Center Historic District
Why it's listed
Sherborn Center is an 85-acre village core in Sherborn, Massachusetts, where four main roads meet. Its development began with the First Parish Church's first meetinghouse in the early 1680s, and the area became the town's religious, political, educational and social heart. Of thirty-one properties, twenty-five contribute to its character. Most buildings are wooden and no more than two and a half stories tall. They include Federal houses by local builders Bowen Adams and Ebenezer Mann, Greek Revival dwellings and a Greek Revival church with an octagonal steeple. The Italianate Town Hall of 1859 was designed by Elbridge Boyden. Others are the Italianate-style George H. Clark villa, the Tudor Revival Dowse Memorial Building of 1914, the Central Burying Ground founded in the late 1680s, and Cyrus Dallin's Memory Statue. Stone walls and the semirural setting preserve the character of a New England hamlet from early settlement to the mid 20th century.
Significance in brief: The district has been the focus of Sherborn's religious, political, educational and social life since the 1680s. It keeps much of its rural village character and has well-preserved 19th and early 20th century buildings. It also includes work by local master builders Ebenezer Mann and Bowen Adams.
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 86000495, listed January 3, 1986. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Roughly bounded by Zion's Ln., Conrail RR tracks, Farm and Sawin Sts., and Washington and N. Main Sts., Sherborn |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | January 3, 1986 |
| Reference number | 86000495 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1680-1925 |
| Architect / builder | Ebenezer Mann, Bowen Adams, Hiram Jones, Elbridge Boyden, Pray, Hubbard and White, Alexander Rice Esty (probable), Cyrus Dallin (sculptor), William Ware Dinsmore |
| Architectural style | Federal, Greek Revival, Italianate, Georgian, Tudor Revival, Georgian Revival and Victorian styles |
| Criteria |
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| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Education, Politics/Government, Architecture, Religion, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Most buildings are well preserved; a few modern commercial buildings are intrusions, and the Straw Hat Factory has lost its architectural integrity. Sawin Academy was demolished in 1962. |
| Acreage | 85 |
| Coordinates | 42.24162, -71.37008 (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 86000495.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7494716
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.