House at 94 Grandview Avenue
Why it's listed
This single-family house at 94 Grandview Avenue in Quincy, Massachusetts, dates to the 1890s and belongs to Wollaston Heights, a neighborhood of large suburban homes laid out on farmland bought by the Wollaston Land Associates in 1869. The area was marketed to affluent Quincy businessmen and Boston commuters, and buyers of house lots received free railroad passes. The house appears to have been built by Horace C. Briggs, a Boston broker, and by 1915 it belonged to Charles A. Alden, also a Boston broker. Both could take the Old Colony Railroad from Wollaston Depot. Architecturally, it is considered the best preserved of several Queen Anne houses in the neighborhood. Its features include a round corner tower, a complex roofline, projections on every elevation, varied windows, tall chimneys, a Palladian window in the gable, and a porch carried on double columns over a granite base. Wood shingles cover the walls, and no major alterations are recorded.
Significance in brief: The house is described as the best preserved of several similar Queen Anne houses in Wollaston Heights, with a corner round tower, complex roof, Palladian gable window and a porch on double columns. It also reflects the growth of Quincy's first affluent suburban neighborhood, where Boston brokers and local businessmen lived and commuted by rail.
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 89001339, listed September 20, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 94 Grandview Ave., Quincy |
|---|---|
| County | Norfolk County |
| Listed | September 20, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89001339 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Architect unknown; appears to have been built by Horace C. Briggs |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition reported as good; still used as a single family dwelling, with no major alterations and no outbuildings. |
| Acreage | 0.3 |
| Coordinates | 42.26277, -71.01840 (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 89001339.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5914507
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.