House at 5 Lincoln Road
Why it's listed
Built around 1852 on a small corner lot in Brookline, this Italianate house at 5 Lincoln Road was probably first owned by Samuel Crafts, who inherited a large parcel of land from his aunt and helped found the Harvard Congregational Society. Crafts rented the house to E.S. Ritchie in 1855, and Ritchie owned it by 1857. Ritchie made philosophical instruments and built a magnetic observatory on nearby Gorham Avenue for the U.S. Navy's Bureau of Navigation. The house is one of four Italianate houses on the street and is older than two of the others. It shows typical features of the style: deep eaves, double brackets, rounded windows, heavy cornices over the windows, and square porch supports. It keeps its asymmetrical L-shaped plan, picturesque massing, triple windows and one-story polygonal bays. Alterations include conversion to a two-family house in 1928 and a dormer added in 1939.
Significance in brief: The house is one of four Italianate houses on its street and keeps its asymmetrical L-shaped plan and picturesque massing. It also retains details such as bracketed eaves, bracketed window heads, triple windows, polygonal bays and round-arched windows. Historically it was later owned by E.S. Ritchie, a maker of scientific instruments who built a magnetic observatory nearby.
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 85003290, listed October 17, 1985. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 5 Lincoln Rd., Brookline |
|---|---|
| County | Norfolk County |
| Listed | October 17, 1985 |
| Reference number | 85003290 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Italianate |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | National, State, Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still in residential use; converted to a two-family house in 1928 and given a dormer in 1939. A small garage stands on the lot. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.33396, -71.12543 (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 85003290.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5914429
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.