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 inventorted property and nearest intersection(s). Indicate north (SEE ATTACHED MAP) UTM REFERENCE USGS QUADRANGLE SCALE 19.318250. 4685200 NEWTON, MA 1: 25,000 AREA FORM NO. NH 299 Newton, Mass. MRA Town NEWTON (Newton Highlands) Address 333 Nahanton Street Historic Name Working Boys Home Use: Present DESCRIPTION Date- Source Style Jewish Community Center Original home for homeless boys 1896 Archdiocese Chancery Archives Romanesque Revival Architect W.H. & J.A.
McGintly Exteriorwall Fabric red brick Outbuf1dings gym, playground shelters community facilities (1980s) Major Alterations (with dates) single- story addition; sash replaced Condition Good. Moved no Date 74,860 square feet (1.7 acres' Acreage Setting Hilltop setting overlooking Charles River; rural Recorded by Elsie M. Husher; Peter Stott Organization Newton Historical Comm. Date Sept. 4, 1980; April 1986 NATIONAL REGISTER CRITERIA STATEMENT (if applicable) As a major example of Romanesque Revival architecture in Newton, the working Boys Home meets criterion C of the National Register of Historic Places. ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE Describe important architectural features and evaluate in terms of other buildings within the conmunity. Designed by the Boston church architects, William H. and John A. McGinty, in the Romanesque Revival style, the Working Boys Home was built in 1896.
Its 4-1/2 stories on a raised basement has an H-shaped plan with a 7-story tower at the right front wing. There are 13 bays on the front facade arranged in a 2-9-2 pattern. The building is constructed of red brick with granite capitals, window sills, lintels, and pilasters, colonettes, and stairway at the front entrance. The grey slate roof has copper flashings, and copper is the roofing material of both cupolas. A corbeled cornice extends around the entire building. At each corner there is a brick pilaster with a granite capital. HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE Explain the role owners played in local or state history and how the building relates to the development of the community. The Working Boys Home was started in Boston in 1883 by Rev. David H. Roche, a Roman Catholic priest who used as his models similar successful homes in New York City and Baltimore.
It was designed "to provide a home for a great number of working boys -- messenger boys, newsboys, boot blacks, etc. -- who, having no homes of their own nor means of renting decent lodgings, were accustomed to roam the city at night, sleeping in stables, alleyways, vacant lots or flop houses, often thrown among the worst companions or exposed to most evil influences." (History of the Archdiocese of Boston, Vol. III, p. 365) It was opened for homeless boys between 12 and 17 years of age, who were expected to work and contribute a part of their wages to the support of the home. The need for such a home was so tremendous that a second building was soon required, this to accomodate younger boys as well, and also to provide training in a number of trades as well so that the boys would be be betterable to earn decent livings as adults.
This second building was constructed in 1896 on a large lot in Newton at the corner of Winchester and Nahanton streets, which had been purchased earlier by Archbishop Williams as a site for a seminary, but never used. The enormous-for-its-day expense for the construction of this building was BIBLIOGRAPHY and/or REFERENCES Records, Chancery Archives, Archdiocese of Boston. Lord, Sexton & Harrington, History of the Archdiocese of Boston, Vol. III, 1866-1943. (Boston, 1944). O'Connell, William Cardinal, Recollections of Seventy Years (Cambridge, The Mirror of Newton, Past and Present, ed. by The Newton Federation of Women's Clubs, 1907. The Boston Herald, 4 June 1961. The Newton Graphic, 24 July 1891. Architects File, Fine Arts Division, Boston Public Library. 1ofl INVENTORY FORM CONTINUATION SHEET Commnity: MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Office of the Secretary, Boston Newton, Mass.
MRA Form No: NH 299 Property Name: Working Boys Home Indicate each item on inventory form which is being continued below. ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE, cont. The front facade has a recessed central section embellished with a semicircular bay rising full height. The shallow right wing contains the main entrance at the 2nd-story level: a broad round-arched opening with a granite keystone containing triple doors. The arch is supported by granite Corinthian colonettes supporting a granite entablature. Access to the entrance is provided by a sweeping horseshoe staircase consisting of rock-faced granite ashlar and contains a second arched entrance at the ground level. Entrance to the building is through the large square 7-story clock tower which has a tall pyramidal roof. Each corner of the tower's eaves is ornamented with a round copper-faced tourelle.
There is a clock face in each facade above the 7th story. At the 7th story, there is an ornate copper-clad balcony supported on consoles. Opening onto the balcony paired glass doors with rectangular transoms under granite lintels. Additionally ornamenting this level are staggered quoins of granite. At the 6th story beneath the balcony there is a band of 5 windows with scamozzi capitals. This treatment can be found on each facade of the William H. McGinty (1862?-1942), a native of St. Albans, Vermont, was a prominent Catholic architect practicing in Boston at the turn of the century. For several years he practiced with his brother John. William was also credited with the design of the Working Girls Home, 89 Union Park Street, Boston (1892-3); St. Ambrose Church and Rectory, Dorchester; and the Administration Building for the Holy Ghost Home for Incurables in Cambridge (c.1901).
He also contributed to the magazine Catholic World and wrote on Catholic architecture. HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE, cont. $300,000, and the construction loans and mortgages for this, together with the mistake of an inexperienced management, came very near to bankrupting the entire nobly-conceived organization. After a number of economically turbulent years, the Home was reorganized in both its management and financing by the newly elevated Archbishop William O'Connell in 1907, and then placed under the direction of the Xaverian Brothers. The Working Boys Home continued to provide successfully a good place to live, schooling, trade instruction, and religious training for generations of boys for many years. Its last class of 16 boys graduated in June of 1961. Younger boys were transferred elsewhere and the Home was closed.
was reorganized almost immediately as the Xaverian Brothers Novitiate, but it, too, was closed in the mid-1970s. The buildings were sold in 1979 to the Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston to be used as a center for activities meeting cross-generational needs. At that time, the nearly 70 acres of land was divided, the City of Newton purchasing about 30 acres near the Charles River for conservation/recreation land for Newton's citizens. Staple to Inventory form at bottom NPSForm 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 1/23/32 date entered Page Multiple Resource Area Thematic Group Name State Newton MRA Middlesex County, MA Nomination/Type of Review 121.
Whittemore's Tavern-- Bourne House Date/Signature Entered in the Matlonol Begister Theeper delameByen 914/66 122. Working Boys Home Entersd fkeeper Matlonn.d Register Byun 11/16 .20. Attest 123. Brae-Burn Historic Districtintered in the sateoed 1hotistorjuteper Attest 124. Commonwealth Avenue Historign Daiedr fêt the National Register -Keeper Attest 125. Day Estate Historic Districtintered in the Reeper National Register Aeemyua/4/5c AelumAgu 210/21 Ahemßgan Afe Attest 126. Gray Cliff Historic District (Boundary Increase) Entered in the National Registez Keeper AulaueByen 2/4/9C Attest 127. Monadnock Raad Historic District Reeper Entered in the National Regiater debreya2/105 128. Morton Road Historic Distrightered in the National Begister Attest Reeper Kelmußyen 216/50 * 129. Newton Highlands Historic District (Boundary Increase) * 130.
Newtonville Historic District (Boundary Increase) Attest Sokeeper Attest A BarLn fkeeper Attest Savze 4/4/50 2/a WASO Form - 177 ('R" June 1984) 86001898 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES EVALUATION/RETURN SHEET Working Boys Home (Newton MRA) Middlesex County MASSACHUSETTS resubmission nomination by person or local government owner objection appeal Substantive Review: sample Reviewer's comments: Lrequest Working No. Fed. Reg. Date: 23 1986 Date Due: _ 8/21/56 Action: _ACCEpT _ -166 Entered in the -RETURN lot1o001. Regtatsr _ REJECT- Federal Agency: _ - appeal LNR 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 L 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 J 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: _ GPO 918-450 Comments for any item may be continued on an attached sheet Newton, Mass. MRA 333 Nahanton St., N. Highlands (Working Boys Home) Inv. #NH 299 Jevtony Mass INCHESTER - + STREET WINCHESTER SECTION 03 BLOCK 35 STREET AMANTON City of Newton Assessor's Maps. Sheets 145,153, 154 Metric Series. 1979 Scale: UTM grid line interval = 100 meters (328 feet). Newton, Mass.
MRA 333 Nahanton St., N. Highlands (Working Boys Home) 83-35-4