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 MA 02116 - Photo (3"x3" or 3"x5", black and white) Indicate address of property on back of photo. Staple 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 bufldings between inventoried property and nearest intersection(s). Indicate north (SEE ATTACHED MAP) UTM REFERENCE USGS QUADRANGLE SCALE 19.318450.4690080 NEWTON, MA 1:25,000 AREA FORM NO. 5685, 5686 Newton, Mass. MRA Town NEWTON (Newtonville) Address 47 Kirkstall Rd/22 Oakwood Rd Historic Name James Lorin Richards House Use: Present two residences Original res. & carriage barn DESCRIPTION Date 1901 Source Water Dept. Records... Style_ Shingle Style Architect prob. Samuel J.
Brown Exterior Wall Fabric wood shingles/fieldstone Outbuildings_ Carriage barn converted to residence (22 Oakwood Rd) Major Alterations (with dates) fenestration altered on 22 Oakwood (1950s) Condition Excellent Moved no Date Acreage 44,786 sq. ft. (1.03 acres) Setting early 20th-century hillside residential neighborhood Recorded by Bruce Fernald; Peter Stott Organization Newton Historical Comm. Date October 1980; April 1986 NATIONAL REGISTER CRITERIA STATEMENT(if applicable) This property, built as the house (47 Kirkstall Road) and carriage barn (22 Oakwood Road) of a single estate, are now two separate residences. Both are characteristic high-style examples of the Shingle Style as interpreted by a popular Newton architect, Samuel J. Brown.
As unusual intact assemblage of Shingle Style house and carriage barn, as well as being the work of a know architect, the James Lorin Richards House and Barn meet criterion C of the National Register of Historic Places. ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE Describe important architectural features and evaluate in terms of -other buildings within the community. Contained under two broad gambrel roofs, the L-plan 2-1/2-story house features first-story walls of fieldstone with wood shingle wall areas Panelled rectangular oriel windows are a prominent design element on the first-story elevations. Polygonal oriels and triple windows are employed at the second story. A distinctly horizontal emphasis in this design is reinforced by a deep semi-circular veranda which extends off the west elevation. The veranda contains stone piers and is embellished by segmental arched bracing with keystone mouldings.
Stone piers are also employed for the porte-cochere on the south elevation. commands a sloping site at the top of Kirkstall Road. HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE Explain the role owners played in local or state history and how the building relates to the development of the community. James Lorin Richards (1858-1955), for whom this house was built in 1901, was born in East Longmeadow, Mass. Although he made his fortune in the tobacco business by the age of 40, he was best known as a pillar of the Boston business community, at one time serving on the boards of thirty-three separate companies at the same time. Although he never attended college, he was a trustee of Wesleyan and Northeastern universities. Richards probably moved to the Boston area in the 1890s.
Street railways were then rapidly expanding throughout Eastern Massachusetts as electric power dramatically increased their popularity and utility. Richards became active in their formation and was a director of six such companies, as well as president of the Norumbega Park Company, which built Auburndale's famous riverside amusement and recreation area at the terminus of the Commonwealth Avenue Street Railway. Richards probably was instrumental in the eventual merger of these lines into the Middlesex and Boston Street Railway Company. Headquarters of the line was in Newtonville, and Richards became its became Chairman of the Board. For 35 years he was a director of the New Haven Railroad. BIBLIOGRAPHY and/or REFERENCES "James L. Richards," Boston Daily Globe 4 January 1955, p. 9. The Newton Graphic, Beautiful Newton: The Garden City of the Commonwealth, pp. 151, 164.
8/85 lef l INVENTORY FORM CONTINUATION SHEET MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Office of the Secretary, Boston Commmity : Newton, Mass. MRA Form No: 5685 5686 Property Name: 47 Kirkstall/22 Oakwocd Indicate each item on inventory form which is being continued below. ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE, cont. Like the house, the carriage barn has fieldstone walls surmounted by a broad gambrel roof. Because this structure is located on a steeply sloping lot, it has an additional half story beneath the main elevation at the southwest corner. A polygonal bay window constructed of stone is an feature of this design. Recent alterations to the structure include metal casement windows and a plate glass window. As president of the Norumbega Park Company, Richards commissioned Newtonville architect Samuel J. Brown (1853-1926) to design the Shingle Style buildings.
It is likely that Richards later engaged Brown to design his own estate on Kirkstall Road. HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE, cont. Richards was also "one of the pioneers in the utility industry." one time, he was president of five greater Boston gaslight companies, was probably connected their merger into the Boston Consolidated Company, of which he was chairman at the time of his death. Staple to Inventory form at bottom NPS Form 10-900-8 (3-82) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form Continuation sheet Item number AB No.1024-00 p. 10-31-8 For NPS use only recelved 7/2 3/s1 date entered Page Multiple Resource Area Thematic Group D6E Name State Newton MRA Middlesex County, MA Nomination/Type of Review 101. Rawson Estate jatsonai roslator Keoper Attest 102.
Richards, James Lorin, House Entered in the fseeper Ragist Date/Signature AelaraBgun 914/46 AeloeBjun 114/86 103. Riley, Charles, House 104. Sacco--Pettee Machine Shops 105. Salisbury, Jonas, House 62 Walnut Park Attest Entered in the Mational Regiater fikeeper Attest in the wia ResistAiseeper Attest Enter Mat: fKeeper gter Selauboue 94186 Kelveßze1222310 deluusbju 914/86 Attest 106. Salisbury, Jonas, House 85 Langley Rd. Entored In the Knts Repist feeper delorenByan 214/86 Attest Sabstantíve Xoriew Defermined E1186 107. Silver Lake Cordage Company DOE/OWNER OBJECTIONOM/ ifeeper Patudo Andus 9/4/56 Attest sexno Savuge 9/4/86 108. Simpson House Entered in the National Register AelaresAzen 5/1186 109. Smith, S. Curtis, House Attest Entered in the. Tettonal Fegist tkeeper DeloreBgun911186 110.
Smith--Peterson House Attest fseeper Attest DelreDyan 911166 86001871 WASO Form - 177 ("R" June 1984) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES EVALUATION/RETURN SHEET Richards, James Lorin, House (Newton MRA) Middlesex County MASSACHUSETTS resubmission nomination by person or local government owner objection appeal Substantive Review: Reviewer's comments: -sample request Working No. Fed. Reg. Date: 3 1986 Date Due: S/r/r6- 2/6/86 intered in the Action: LACCEPT -. 9-4-86 Hatlonal Registar -RETURN -REJECT- Federal Agency: _ 2/3/ -appeal -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 J summary paragraph - completeness clarity applicable criteria justification of areas checked relating significance to the resource context relationship of integrity to significance J 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 title date 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 22 Oakwood Ave., Newtonville Neg. 80-5-17/10 Newton, Mass, MRA Richurds, Janosforin Heese K Newton, Mass. MRA 47 Kirksta1l/22 Oakwood, (James L. Richards House) Inv. #s 5685, 5686 K 37 100 CHARLESDEN PK.
39 SECTION 22 BLOCK 21 ROAD KIRKSTALL SELOOR 24 BLOCK PHEASANT ROAD 14 12 SECTON 22 ROA 500 OAK WOOD N 95.408% ROAD SECTION 22 BLOCK 26 Clty of Newton Assessor's Maps. Sheet 58 Metric Serles. 1979 Scale: UTM gr1d 11ne interval - 100 meters (328 feet) Newton, Mass. MRA 47 Kirkstal1/22 Oakwood, Newtonville (James L. Richards House) 22-27-11 & 14 ....