Newton Railroad Stations Historic District Explained

Newton Railroad Stations Historic District
Nrhp Type:hd
Nocat:yes
Location:Newton, Massachusetts
Built:1886–1891
Architect:Henry Hobson Richardson
Shepley, Rutan & Coolidge
Architecture:Richardsonian Romanesque
Added:March 25, 1976
Refnum:76002137

The Newton Railroad Stations Historic District in Newton, Massachusetts is composed of three geographically separate historic railroad stations and one baggage/express building on the former Boston and Albany Railroad Highland branch, which was converted to MBTA Green Line D branch in 1959.

The four buildings in Newton are the only extant stations of thirteen designed by H.H. Richardson and his successors Shepley, Rutan, and Coolidge in Allston/Brighton, Newton, and Brookline for the Boston and Albany's Newton Circuit between 1881 and 1894.[1] Most originally had their grounds designed by landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, but none of the landscaping has survived.[2]

On March 25, 1976, the district was added to the National Register of Historic Places as the Woodland, Newton Highlands, and Newton Centre Railroad Stations, and Baggage and Express Building.

Structures

The District consists of four structures:

Designed by Richardson (likely with significant input from Shepley, Rutan, and Coolidge); constructed in 1886. Now used for storage for an adjacent golf course; the modern station is some distance away.

Designed by Shepley, Rutan, and Coolidge; constructed in 1887. Now houses a private business, with eaves providing shelter for the modern station.

Designed by Shepley, Rutan, and Coolidge; constructed in 1891. Now houses a restaurant, with eaves and canopy providing shelter for the modern station.

See also

Notes and References

  1. 990324 . Architecture for the Boston & Albany Railroad: 1881–1894 . Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians . Jeffrey Karl . Ochsner . 47 . 2 . June 1988 . 10.2307/990324 .
  2. Book: Roy, John H. Jr. . A Field Guide to Southern New England Railroad Depots and Freight Houses . Branch Line Press . 2007 . 9780942147087 . 198–200, 261, 274.