Douglass, Alfred, House
Why it's listed
Set at the end of a wooded access road in Brookline, this shingled and stucco house at 157 Clyde Street was designed by Charles Patch and built around 1909-1910 for Alfred Douglass, a retired New York merchant. Douglass bought the former Gardiner estate, demolished the old house, and built a new main house called Fernwood along with this building, which originally served as a two-family house for domestic staff. Its Medieval Revival character shows in the gable roof, three-gable front, bargeboards with finials and drops, banded windows, and a hooded entrance with large carved brackets. Olmsted Brothers handled the landscape. In 1930 Sidney Winslow, who had bought the estate in 1924, hired Putnam and Cox to convert it to a single-family home, adding a top floor, baths, new dormers, and a three-story stair hall extension. It was listed as a fine example of its style and as a significant part of an early twentieth century country estate.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is a fine example of the Medieval Revival style and a significant structure on an early 20th century Brookline country estate. It was built for Alfred Douglass as servants' quarters and a two-family house for his estate, Fernwood. It meets 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 85003261, listed October 17, 1985. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 157 Clyde St., Brookline |
|---|---|
| County | Norfolk County |
| Listed | October 17, 1985 |
| Reference number | 85003261 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Charles Patch (architect); Olmsted Brothers (landscape); Putnam and Cox (1930 alterations) |
| Architectural style | Medieval Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Architecture |
| Level of significance | National, State, Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Present use is residential; altered in 1930 from a two-family to a one-family house. |
| Acreage | 2 |
| Coordinates | 42.31931, -71.14787 (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 85003261.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4722554
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.