Davis, Thomas Aspinwall, House
Why it's listed
This 2½-story clapboard house at 29 Linden Place in Brookline was built in 1844 for Thomas Aspinwall Davis, a jeweler turned politician who briefly served as Mayor of Boston and died in 1845. It was among the first houses in Linden Place, a subdivision Davis platted in 1843 on family land, the first such development sold in Brookline. Deed restrictions kept buildings thirty feet back from the streets and limited the lots to dwellings. The house has an octagonal cupola between two chimneys, a long rear ell, and Gothic Revival bargeboards and drip mouldings over the windows. Its original front gallery was probably removed when the house was moved in 1903 to make room for twelve new houses; it was also converted to two-family use then. Later owners included a notorious builder and a tobacco merchant. The house is considered the only one of its kind in Brookline.
Significance in brief: The house was one of the earliest built in the 1843 Linden Place subdivision, Brookline's first such planned residential development, laid out by Davis, a former Mayor of Boston. It is also an unusual example of Gothic Revival/Italianate design and the only house of its kind in Brookline, with its octagonal cupola and large rear ell.
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 85003260, listed October 17, 1985. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 29 Linden Pl., Brookline |
|---|---|
| County | Norfolk County |
| Listed | October 17, 1985 |
| Reference number | 85003260 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Italianate and Gothic Revival elements |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Politics/Government, Architecture |
| Level of significance | National, State, Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Present use is two-family residential; the house was converted from single-family use in 1903 and now sits closely flanked by three-deckers. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.33222, -71.11687 (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 85003260.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7787176
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.