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Nomination for White, Benjamin, House

The case file that argued this property on to the National Register: 1,113 words across 8 pages, filed in 1985. Reproduced in full, word for word.

Source document Held by the National Archives in Record Group 79 as reference 85003242, where it exists only as a scan with no text layer. The words below were read off that scan by machine, so the occasional stray character is the recogniser's and the typewriter's. Nothing is summarised, corrected or written by this site. See the catalogue record, or return to the property.

The nomination, in full

Bibliography, boundary description, and the people who prepared and reviewed the nomination.

- FORM B - BUILDING MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Office of the Secretary, State House, Boston - - In Area no. Form no. 127/437A -1 - 1. Town Brookline MRA Address 203 Heath Street Name_ Benjamin White House Present use Residential 2. Photo (3x3" or 3x5") Staple to left side of form Photo number Present ownerR.M. E M.A.B. Whittemor 3. Description: Date 1790 SOME OLD BROOKLINE HOUSES Source_by Nina Fletcher Little - - Style Georgian-Federal 4. Map. Draw sketch of building location in relation to nearest cross streets and other buildings. Indicate north. Architect Information not available Exterior wall fabric Clapboard Outbuildings (describe) Garage Other features 2½ stories; hip roof; shed roof dormers; dentilled cor- nice: pedimented front & side doors; pilasters at entrance; queins. Altered Yes" Date Moved Yes* Date 5. Lot size: 43,201 sq. ft. One acre or less.

Over one acre Approximate frontage 240' Approximate distance of building from street 90' * 1868 - Chimneys removed; house moved 6. Recorded by Larkin and Benka back from Heath Street & turned to front west; westerly hall of Organization BHC lower floor attached to stable and carriage house. Date Jan. 1980 1946 - 1½-story, 40'X24' addition for attached garage; rear govertorn down Newton Quadrengle & house moved to location of torn down WTM Raffrences: 19/322870/4687590 Map #: 31 27M7_77 7. Original owner (if known)_ Benjamin White Original use Subsequent uses (if any) and dates 8. Themes (check as many as applicable) Residential - stable and carriage house on lower floor.

Aboriginal Agricultural Architectural The Arts Commerce Communication Community development Conservation Education Exploration/ settlement Industry Military Political Recreation Religion Science/ invention Social/ humanitarian Transportation 9. Historical significance (include explanation of themes checked above) The Benjamin White Hause, #203 Heath" Street, is one of three buildings on Heath Street built before 1825. Benjamin White, the first cousin, once removed of John Heath, who built 30 Heath Street for his son c.1791, The land on which it was built was owned by the Corbin family at the end of the 17th century; by the middle of the loth century, the White family, whose holdings extended from north of the Worcester Turnpike (now Route 9) onto Heath, Warren, and Clyde Streets, held this land.

After the Civil War, the Cabot family pur- chased the property, moved the building back from Heath Street, turned and attached it to a large barn. ahå the main house was moved onto the site of' In 1947, the barn was demolished the barn. The house is a square 2 1/2 storyr clapboard structure with quoined: corners, hip roof, a dentilled cornice, and pedimented side and front doors. When the house was moved and turned so that it fronted west, the chimneys were taken out, and the westerly half of the lower floor was converted. into a stable and carriage house. The original front door was replaced by a window, and an entrance was made from the old side door. In her book, Some Ola Brookline Houses, Nina Fletcher Little states that the interior remodelling undertaken in 1947 was unfortunate since so little of the original woodworke remains today.

The exterior, how- ever, has, in general, been well preserved; the modillioned pedimented entrance echoes that one found at #30 Heath Street. 203 Heath Street meets NR criteria A,B, and C, being a Georgian/Federal style homestead belonging to the Whites, a prosperous family during the veriod dominated by farming. 10. Bibliography and/or references (such as local histories, deeds, assessor's records, early maps, etc.) Some Old Breokline Houses by Nina Fletcher Little, p. 106 Theodore Jones, Land Ownership in Brookline. Permits-1946 Harriet Woods, Historical Sketches of Brookline- p.332 John Curtis- History of Brookline, pp.106-109. NPS Form 10-900-a (3-82) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form Continuation sheet Item number OMB No. 1024-0018 Exp.

10-31-84 For NPS use only recelved date entered Page Muitiple Resource Area Thematic Group Name State Brookline MRA MASSACHUSETTS Nomination/Type of Review 81. Iwitchell, Ginery, House 82. Walnut Hills Cemetery 83. White, Benjamin, House 84. White Place Historic District 85. Dutch House (The) 86. Spooner, William, House Entared in the fkeeper Matdoaal Jegister Attest fKeeper Enteced in thc Maodoaal legister Attest Extered ie tha National Register Attest HKeeper Entared 1n the National Begister Kive SOv1ot Attest fa/Keeper Attest Subabantiza RevIer Keeper Attest Keeper Attest Keeper Attest Keeper Attest Keeper Attest Date/Signature AelamByun 10/12185 Selm Sya 10/0135 AbmsAyan 10/2/85 delanaBya 1412185 Fettick Anduus 1/24/56 Bitt.

Sauage 1-24-86 85003242 WASO Form - 177 ("'R" June 1984) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES EVALUATION/RETURN SHEET White, Benjamin, House (Brookline MRA) Norfolk County MASSACHUSETTS resubmission nomination by person or local government owner objection appeal Substantive Review: Isample Reviewer's comments: Lrequest Eataced 1a.ci.naa.l Lappeal Working No.. 4 1985 Fed. Reg. Date: 2/ 382 Date Due: -3)85 10/19/8 Action: ACCEPT 10-17-53 _ RETURN -REJECT - Federal Agency: -NR decision Recom./Criteria_ Reviewer Discipline_ Date_ _ see continuation sheet Nomination returned for: _technical corrections cited below substantive reasons discussed below 1. Name 2. Location 3. Classification Category Ownership Public Acquisition 4. Owner of Property 5. Location of Legal Description 6.

Representation in Existing Surveys Has this property been determined eligible? yes no 7. Description Condition excellent good fair deteriorated ruins unexposed Check one unaltered altered Describe the present and original (if known) physical appearance summary paragraph completeness clarity alterations/integrity dates boundary selection Status Accessible Present Use Check one -original site moved date 8. Significance Period Areas of Significance-Check and justify below Specific dates Statement of Significance (in one paragraph) Builder/Architect summary paragraph completeness clarity applicable criteria justification of areas checked relating significance to the resource context relationship of integrity to significance justification of exception other 9. Major Bibliographical References 10.

Geographical Data Acreage of nominated property Quadrangle name UTM References Verbal boundary description and justification 11. Form Prepared By 12. State Historic Preservation Officer Certification The evaluated significance of this property within the state is: national state local State Historic Preservation Officer signature date title 13. Other Maps Photographs Other Questions concerning this nomination may be directed to _ Signed - Date. Phone: _ Comments for any item may be continued on an attached sheet Befüh, Itemte 10u50 203 Heatn st. Brookliue MHC T-3/ 7/67 10-I 1839 White, Berjamin, Heue Brookleue (MA) MRA 203Heathst Benj whiTz 1790 Brookline (MA)MRA LLEGE VIIA ROAD unld CHRISTIAN SCIENC 203 HeathSt. (127/437A-1) SANITORIUM Benamin white House BROOKLINE, (MA) MRA Hap Jan's scale 2*=200)T. E3 E HIGHI SERVICE STAMDPIPE BRK.

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