BlockThe nomination, in full
Bibliography, boundary description, and the people who prepared and reviewed the nomination.
FORM B - BUILDING MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION 80 BOYLSTON STREET BOSTON, MA 02116 - Photo (3'x3' or 3"x5", black and white) Indicate address of property on back of photo. Stable to left side of form. Sketch Map: Draw map showing property's location in relation to nearest cross streets and/or geographical features. Indicate all buildings between inventoried property and nearest intersection(s). Indicate north (SEE ATTACHED MAP) UTM REFERENCE USGS QUADRANGLE SCALE 19.317530.4690370 NEWTON, MA 1:25,000 AREA FORM NO. | 5620, NV-34 Newton, Mass. MRA Town NEWTON (Newtonville) Address 170 Otis Street Historic Name Use: Present Original residence residence DESCRIPTION Date 1870-71 Source O'Gorman; architect'splans Style Mansard Architect Hammatt Billings Exterior Wall Fabric clapboard Outbufldings garage Major Alterations (with dates) deck and altered in souzhdedi.
fenestration Condition retains iron cresting; good. Moved no Date Acreage 50,427 sq. ft. (1.16 acres) Setting wooded hillside in residential neighborhood Recorded by Organization Date Peter H. Stott Newton Historical Comm. April 1986 NATIONAL REGISTER CRITERIA STATEMENT (if applicable) As an important example of the mansard style in Newton by a nationally known architect, Hammatt Billings, as well as for its associations with the Claflin family, this house meets criteria B and C of the National Register of Historic Places. ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE Describe important architectural features and evaluate in terms of other buildings within the community.
This two-storied mansard house is one of the few known examples in Newton of the work of Hammatt Billings (1818-1874), a mid-century Boston architect, responsible for the Boston Museum (1845) and the original Wellesley College buildings (1875), Italianate and Second Empire designs, major structures which roughly span the architect's activity. architect's original watercolor drawing of the house (elevation and floor dated September 1869, is still in the house. Billings authority James O'Gorman notes that "the structure was a stylistically updated version of towered villas the Billingses were designing in the fifties, with mansard roofs and applied Neo-Grec details" (p. 69). HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE Explain the role owners played in local or state history and how the building relates to the development of the community.
According to Billings' own drawing, the house was built for Newtonville resident and real estate developer, William Claflin (1818-1905), whose own house, "The Old Elms," was built fifteen years earlier. In 1869, Claflin his two-year career as Governor, and this house, which he built for his daughter and her husband, Charles Ellis, was completed in 1870 or '71, while he was still in office. Charles Warren Ellis (1837-1907) was a former New York businessman who came to Boston to become a member of the produce exchange. In 1862 he married Emma, eldest daughter of William Claflin. The family later moved into the center of the village, to 25 Highland Avenue, where they were living at the time of Ellis's death. In the 1880s, George L. Clark, who was in the dry goods business in Boston, lived here. In the 1890s, the house was acquired by J.
Richard Carter (1849-1923), founder in 1871 of the wholesale paper business, Carter, Rice & Co., which grew to become one of the largest wholesale paper firms in the nation. He closely associated himself with many Boston business associates, but also in Newton he served as President of the Newton Club and treasurer of the Newton Kindergarten School. In 1902 he is recorded as living on Mt. Vernon Street, and his son Hubert house. The family retained ownership of the house until the 1950s. BIBLIOGRAPHY and/or REFERENCES James F. O'Gorman, "H. and J.E. Billings of Boston: from Classicism to the Picturesque," Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians XLII (March 1983), pp. 54-73. Newton, Garden City of the Commonwealth (The Newton Graphic, 1902). "Charles warren Eliis," Boston Evening Transcipt 4/28/1907. 8/85 1of1 INVENTORY FORM CONTINUATION SHEET Commumity : Newton, Mass.
MRA Form No: 5620 MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Office of the Secretary, Boston Property Name: 170 Otis Street Indicate each item on inventory form which is being continued below. ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE The most striking feature of the building is the 2-1/2-story mansard tower, projecting from the center of the principal (west) facade. It retains its original iron cresting and slate fishscale shingles; an entry porch at its base, with slotted brackets and a deck balustrade, shelters the principal entrance. An early sketch for the house prepared by Billings, shows that this tower was originally proposed to be a full story higher than it was eventually built.
A two-story pavilion immediately to the south of the tower is balanced the opposite (east) house by a similar pavilion; a wing the house The residence retains a much of its original ornament including segmental windows with carved bosses, Eastlake- inspired brackets, and pediment and architrave surrounds. Staple to Inventory form at bottom 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 onty recelved 7/23/86 date entered Page Multiple Resource Area Thematic Group Name State Newton MRA Middlesex County, MA Nomination/Type of Review 61. House at 170 Otis Street 62. House at 173--175 Ward Street 63. House at 203 Islington Road 64. House at 215 Brookline Street 65. House at 2212 Commonwealth Avenue 66.
House at 230 Melrose Street 67. House at 230 Winchester Street 68. House at 3 Davis Avenue 69. House at 307 Lexington Street 70.
House at 309 Waltham Street Date/Signature Intered in the feeper Aelrußgan 9418 National Register Attest Intered 10 tle National legister Theeper AloueByan 914/4e Intered in the Lational Register Attest fKeeper Intered in the Matimal Pegister Attest fikeeper Attest Oiseeper Entered in the Haticnal Register Intered In the National Register Attest f'Reeper Entered in the National Register Attest Fieeper Eniored In the Matiorel Register Attest Entered in the National Register Attest 6Keeper Attest 6Keeper Irtered Nati nal in the Register Attest SeloreByan 914/86 DelreByenslttrs Kelreßyen914164 Dele Byu 914/8 Selor Sycu 9/4/86 Ailirußyen 911166 Aelvreßyen 9/4156 delorenByan 9/4186 WASO Form - 177 ("R" June 1984) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES EVALUATION/RETURN SHEET 86001819 House at 170 Otis Street (Newton MRA) Middlesex County MASSACHUSETTS resubmission nomination by person or local government owner objection appeal Substantive Review: -sample Reviewer's comments: Jrequest 23 1086 Working No.
Fed. Reg. Date: 2/337 Date Due: 8/21/86 -216/56 Entered in thaction: LACCEPT 9-4-86 National Registar -RETURN _REJECT_ Federal Agency: - -appeal J 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 J 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 J 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:- GPO 918-450 Comments for any item may be continued on an attached sheet Newton, Mass. MRA 170 Otis St., Newtonville yeuseat Inv. #5620, NV 34 by Berkey estige Prints APR 1986 17G 17H 17 D OPOOL 17F SECTION 24 BLOCK 12 16 178 17A STREET OTIS 16 17 STREET --R8T CALVIN RD AVENUE FOREST CITZ OE NEVION GRAYLOCK ECTION TEMER EASERTTASTI 10 NEMTON 14A 14 HIN SEMI TASELENT - COY SECTION 24 BLOCK 13 20 21 SECTIO BLOE ROAD City of Newton Assessor's Maps. Sheet Metric Sertes. 1979 Scale: UTM grid line interval = 100 meters (328 feet) Newton, Mass. MRA 170 Otis St., Newtonville 24-13-14