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. 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 19.318030. 4692060 NEWTON, MA 1:25,000 AREA FORM NO. 2016 Town Address Newton, Mass. MRA NEWTON (Nonantum) 524 California Street Historic Name Celia Thaxter House Use: Present Original Residence Residence DESCRIPTION Date C.1856 Source Thaxter biography Style Italianate/Late Victorian Architect.
unknown Exterior Wall Fabric Asphalt shingles Outbuildings Garage Major Alterations (with dates) Wing, veranda(late 19thcent.) Condition Fair Moved Acreage Setting Date -- - 16,144 sq. ft. (less thon l acre) Corner lot at California and Nevada streets Recorded by Kathlyn Hatch Organization Newton Historical Comm. Date December 1976 NATIONALREGISTER CRITERIA STATEMENT (if applicable) home of the poet Celia Laighton Thaxter and its associations with Newton's literary history, the Celia Thaxter House meets criteria A and B of the National Register of Historic Places. ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE Describe important architectural features and evaluate in terms of other buildings within the community. The initial section of the Thaxter residence, probably constructed in 1856, is a front-gabled Italianate house with bracketed eaves.
A wing, at the eastern side of the house, was remodeled in the Victorian era, most likely which curves around to the Nevada Street side of the house. Most of the building's ornate wood trim is well preserved. HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE Explain the role owners played in local or state history and how the building relates to the development of the community. Celia Laighton Thaxter (1835-1894) moved to Newtonville with her husband Levi Lincoln Thaxter in 1856. Mrs. Thaxter's poetry, which dealt with household topics and natural phenomena -- particularly of the Maine and New Hampshire seacoasts -- was widely acclaimed in contemporary literary circles. The Thaxters moved freely in a world of Boston literary friendships that included John Greenleaf Whittier, James Russell Lowell, Nathaniel Hawthorne, William Dean Howells, and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
Eneit nareage Levi Lincoln Thaxter (1824-1884) married Celia Laighton in 1851. Thaxter had been born in Watertown, where his parents lived at the time of their marriage. After moving to Boston, the Thaxters decided to make their home nearby in Newtonville, in what was then a semi-rural setting on California Street. Many of the major literary figures of the mid-19th century visited the Thaxter residence. It was here that Celia Thaxter wrote her first published poem in 1860. BIBLIOGRAPHY and/or REFERENCES Atlases 1907, 1895, 1886, 1874. City Directories 1907-1868. Frank P. Stearns, Sketches from Concord and Appledore (1895), pp. 223-252. M.F. Sweetser, King's Handbook of Newton (1889), p. 159. Rosamund Thaxter, Sandpiper: The Life and Letters of Celia Thaxter (Revised edition, 1963).
8/85 1ol INVENTORY FORM CONTINUATION SHEET Commmity : Form No: MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Office of the Secretary, Boston Newton, Mass. MRA 2016 Property Name: Celia Thaxter House Indicate each item on inventory form which is being continued belaw. HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE, cont. Rosamund Thaxter, in her biography of Celia Thaxter, wrote: "It was not until five years after their marriage that Levi Thaxter acquired a house of his own. The land, on the corner of Nevada and California streets in Newtonville, Massachusetts, was probably given him by his father. California Street was a long boulevard bordered by Maple trees, and Nevada Street, crossing it, can down to the Charles. From the back windows of the new house a lovely view of the river could be seen, and in another direction lay the hills of Waltham.
Between the house and river a small bridge crossed a little glen in sight of which was a rolling dam and grist mill...." (p.52). Mrs. Thaxter spent a large part of her time away from Newtonville because of illness in her family and an unsuccessful marriage. The house was described by her as "forlorn and shabby" in an 1877 letter. It was sold at auction three years later and the Thaxter family moved to Maine. Charles E. Binney, whose business was umbrellas (in Boston), apparently bought the house. His family had moved in by 1884. Binney left Newton around 1900, after which the house was sold and rented. Staple to Inventory form at bottom NPS Form10-900-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 received date entered 1/23/86 Page Multiple Resource Area Thematic Group Nam e State Newton- MRA Middlesex County, MA Nomination/Type of Review 111. Souther, John, House 112. Staples--Crafts--Wiswall Farm 113. Stone, Ebenezer, House 114. Stone, Joseph L., House 115. Strong's Block 116. Thaxter, Celia, House 117. Thayer House 118. Ward, Ephraim, House 119. Wheat, Samuel, House 120. Woodward, John, House Date/Signature Satered inthet Keeper National Register Aloubzun 96 Attest Enterad in the Jiat1onsà RogisfReeper AeluByun 9/4/56 Attest st1xe.
Zeview Retersine ,) Keeper gaite aluik Andu 9/4154 Attest Entercl in the Nationci Rogister DelByen 211186 Attest Entered 12 cue Iatlonal Register /Keeper Aelrußzun 914156 Attest Entarou ube Matlouel Logis Hkeeper Auloreßyan 314/66 Attest Entored in 35e National Rogister Keepe ShhreBgun 914/81 Entereû 1n 1ho Mational Hegister Attest fKeeper AeloeByan 9/4/86 Entered in the Mational Register Attest fReeper Delmeßyan 914/16 Lit o2ad Jations Bogistek. Attest FKeeper LeloreByu 914/86 Attest WASO Form - 177 ("R" June 1984) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES EVALUATION/RETURN SHEET 86001812 Thaxter, Celia, House (Newton MRA) Middlesex County MASSACHUSETTS resubmission nomination by person or local government owner objection appeal Substantive Review: Reviewer's comments: J sample LJrequest Working No. Fed. Reg.
Date: . IUL 231986 2/3/87 Date Due: 8/21/86 9/6/86 Intered in the Action: LACCEPT- 9-4-86 National Regiatsr RETURN _REJECT- Federal Agency: _ Lappeal -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 Loriginal 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 Jother STXE 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 J 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 524 California St., Nonantum (Celia Thaxter House) Inv. #2016 'elemoma Massa MRA' odak ROAD ROAD EC BLOI Ol N ROAD 9 20 UCTLON 21 21 BEMIS 22 THAXTER STREET MELVILLE NEVA D LAWN AVENUE CALIFORNIA STREET THON BLO ICK 20 4 318000M E E 678400 SECTO ON .OCK ~- 20 21 E E 678800 31 8209 City of Newton Assessor's Maps. Sheet 8 Metric Series. 1979 Scale: UTM grid line interval = 100 meters (328 feet) Newton, Mass. MRA 524 California St., Nonantum (Celia Thaxter House) 14-7-24