House at 89 Rawson Road and 86 Colburne Crescent
Why it's listed
Built in 1900 near the top of Aspinwall Hill in Brookline, this Shingle Style house was designed by the firm Chapman and Frazar for Thomas H. Shepard, a partner in the Shepard & Morse Lumber Co. of Boston. A stable followed in 1904. The 2½-story house has a complex gable roof, shed and hip-roofed dormers, a two-story bay, two side porches, tall chimneys and a rubble stone foundation. Its design is praised for the way it seems to grow from the ground, with curved stone walls echoing the shingled walls and rooflines. Other Shingle Style features include uniform shingle cladding, banded windows, broad gable ends and a strong horizontal emphasis. The original site plan survives, including a large Shingle Style carriage house to the northwest, a heavily landscaped rise, a high retaining wall and a stepped pedestrian path from the street. The carriage house and stable were later converted to an apartment and garage. The property was listed for its architecture.
Significance in brief: The house is presented as a fine example of the Shingle Style, closely fitted to its hillside site and designed in the organic manner associated with H. H. Richardson and his successors. The property also keeps its original physical plan, with a large Shingle Style carriage house northwest of the main house. It is described as one of the most successful Shingle Style designs among Brookline houses surveyed so far.
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 85003302, listed October 17, 1985. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 89 Rawson Rd. and 86 Colburne Crescent, Brookline |
|---|---|
| County | Norfolk County |
| Listed | October 17, 1985 |
| Reference number | 85003302 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Chapman and Frazar |
| Architectural style | Shingle |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | National, State, Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Present use is a single-family residence; the carriage house and stable were later converted to an apartment and garage. The form states the house is not altered or moved. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.33489, -71.13335 (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 85003302.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5914487
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.