Woodland, Newton Highlands, and Newton Centre Railroad Stations, and Baggage and Express Building
Also known as: Woodland Railroad Station; Newton Highlands Railroad Station
Why it's listed
Three railroad stations and a baggage building in Newton, Massachusetts, survive from a group of twelve built for the Boston and Albany Railroad's Highlands Branch in the mid-1880s. Woodland (1884), Newton Highlands (1885) and Newton Centre (1886) were designed through the office of Henry Hobson Richardson, with landscaping by Frederick Law Olmsted that no longer survives. Only Woodland is known to be Richardson's own work; the other two are believed to have been completed by Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge after his death. Built of rough-cut stone under broad, low slate hip roofs, the buildings show Richardsonian Romanesque character. The Highlands Branch helped Newton grow as a commuter suburb of Boston. Most other stations were torn down after the MBTA took over service. Woodland has been used for golf club storage since the 1950s, while the other stations and the baggage building have found commercial and transit uses. The three stations are significant as the remaining examples of the original twelve.
Significance in brief: The stations are the three remaining of the original twelve Newton stations designed through the office of Henry Hobson Richardson for the Boston and Albany Railroad. Only Woodland is known to be by Richardson himself; the others are believed to be by his successor firm Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge. The Highlands Branch helped Newton develop as a Boston suburb.
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 76002137, listed June 3, 1976. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 1897 Washington St., 18 Station Ave., 80 and 50 Union St., Newton |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | June 3, 1976 |
| Reference number | 76002137 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1884-1886 |
| Architect / builder | Richardson; Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge |
| Architectural style | Richardsonian Romanesque elements |
| Areas of significance | Transportation, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Woodland is deteriorated and used as a golf club storage shed; Newton Highlands is used by an auto parts business; Newton Centre station holds an office and MBTA passenger shelter; the baggage building houses a taxi company. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.32586, -71.20818 (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 76002137.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7020344
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.