Newton Centre

Former Newton Centre Methodist Episcopal Church // 1899

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This building, the former Newton Centre Methodist Episcopal Church, is Romanesque in style, and is one of the more notable adaptive reuse projects in Newton. The church was designed by the esteemed architectural firm of Andrews, Jacques & Rantoul and completed in 1899 for the local Methodist Episcopal congregation. The edifice is built of locally quarried rubblestone, often called Roxbury Puddingstone, and trimmed with rough cut Milford granite. The granite is used at the windows, forming the arches and heads, and most strikingly in the large arched entrance. The church eventually closed and was renovated with modern windows, additions, and more, and currently houses a restaurant, bank, book store, and professional offices.

Samuel D. Garey House // c.1870

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Samuel D. Garey (1825-1891) was born in Auburn, Maine, and worked as a carriage manufacturer there before moving to Newton, Massachusetts to use his carpentry skills building houses in the rapidly developing Boston suburb. He became a prominent builder and developer in Newton Centre, residing there and building this mini-mansard house on Gibbs Street before 1870. Garey likely rented the house out to tenants for supplemental income, with the family maintaining the charming cottage into the 20th century.

John H. Sanborn Mansion // c.1868

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One of the finest Second Empire style residences in Newton, Massachusetts, can be found on Herrick Road in Newton Centre. This is the John H. Sanborn house, built before 1870 for John H. Sanborn, a Boston broker and commission merchant who also served as a Representative to the Massachusetts General Court. The imposing residence is a two-story house based on a rectangular plan, and capped with a bellcast Mansard roof of gray, fish-scale patterned slates. The focal point of the design is the four-story, towered entrance pavilion which dominates the facade.

Trinity Episcopal Church, Newton // 1915

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The Trinity Episcopal Church in Newton Centre is one of the most unique and architecturally significant buildings in the village. Episcopalians began meeting in Newton Centre by at least 1889 and began discussions about erecting their own church. A small wood-frame chapel was built (since relocated and used by the Newton Parks Department) and provided worship space for years until the 1910s when the congregation acquired enough funds to build a more substantial structure. The cornerstone for the new church, which was designed by architect George W. Chickering, was laid in May of 1915, and the building was completed in 1916. Modeled after the stunning King’s College Chapel in Cambridge, England, the high-style Gothic edifice is notable for the crenelated parapet and pinnacles rising above the buttresses.

Former First Congregational Church, Newton // 1904

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The former First Congregational Church (now the Greek Evangelical Church of Boston) of Newton Center, Newton, is a landmark example of the Neo-Gothic architectural style for a church building. Built in 1904, the structure resembles an English village church in the form of a Roman Cross with short trancepts. The structure is constructed of Quincy granite and was designed by the architectural firm of Shepley, Rutan & Coolidge. The First Congregational Church of Newton was originally established in 1664 as a parish church when Newton was still a part of Cambridge (then known as Newtowne). The parish has had six meeting houses built by the Congregation, with the last four on this site. Seeing dwindling membership in the mid-20th century, First Church in Newton dissolved in 1972, after more than 300 years of service to the Newton community. Luckily, the newly formed Greek Evangelical Church of Boston would buy the church that same year and has maintained the significant edifice ever-since!

Newton Centre Railroad Station // 1890

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All aboard! Next Stop… Newton Centre! The Newton Centre station was originally commissioned by the Boston and Albany Railroad in 1884 as one of a series of new, highly designed stations in the Boston suburbs. Architect, H. H. Richardson designed five passenger stations for the Boston & Albany Railroad in Newton, and of which, only one survives. After his death in 1886, Richardson’s successor firm, Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge, followed the design vocabulary of Richardson for the remainder of the stations outstanding. The new station, built by the Norcross Brothers firm of Worcester, opened in 1891. The station was heavily modified in 1905–07 when the line was lowered below grade to eliminate street crossings. The Highland branch was closed in 1958 and quickly converted for streetcar use; streetcar service began in July 1959, with this station being located on the MBTA Green Line D. The station has long been leased to commercial stores and coffee shops but has been unused since 2022. Here’s to hoping the building can be used again in the future!

Leatherbee House // c.1870

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Andrew F. Leatherbee (1842-1920), a wealthy lumber dealer in Boston, built this large Stick style victorian house in Newton Center around 1870, likely using his own lumber products! The large frame house is prominently sited on a corner lot on Beacon Street, a short walk to Crystal Lake, a natural pond in the center of town. I could not find information as to who the architect was, but it was likely a notable local firm. As Andrew got older, he downsized and relocated to a smaller apartment in Cambridge. Upon his death in 1920, the property was sold by his heirs to Mae Van Dusen. The house is a high-style example of the Stick style of architecture, with large half-timbers, heavy porch bracing, and a central tower with pyramidal roof. Swoon!!!

First Baptist Church in Newton // 1888

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The Boston area has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to Richardsonian Romanesque style buildings, due in part to its namesake, Henry Hobson Richardson lived and worked locally. One of my all-time favorites is the First Baptist Church in Newton Centre. The church was designed by architect John Lyman Faxon, who was clearly influenced by Richardson. The First Baptist Church in Newton is among the oldest Baptist congregations in the state. Baptists were recorded as living in Newton as early as the 1720’s, but growth was slow and marked by persecution. In 1780, a congregation was assembled and the next year a rough, unplastered barn like meeting house was begun alongside Baptist Pond (now Crystal Lake). Fifteen years later, the congregation was finally able to afford a stove; twenty one years later, in 1802, the structure was enlarged. In 1836, the congregation constructed a larger meeting house in a more convenient location, the corner of Beacon and Center Streets. The second building was remodelled in 1856 and 1869 and finally was moved from the site to make way for the present church, the third meeting house, dedicated in November 1888. The First Baptist Church is undergoing some work at the exterior at the time of the photo, but the amazing brownstone trim and the winged creatures on four sides of the octagonal tower still shine!

Sudbury Aqueduct Waste Weir Control House // 1878

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The Sudbury Aqueduct was constructed between 1875 and 1878 and runs for 16 miles from Framingham, Massachusetts to the Chestnut Hill Reservoir in Boston, and was in use for almost 100 years. It was designed to carry water from the watershed of the Sudbury River to Boston and its surrounding communities, supplying the ever growing metro area with fresh drinking water. Along the route, meter and control houses were built along with the Echo Bridge, to guide the running water to Boston for distribution all over the city. City architect of Boston, George A. Clough designed many of the structures along the route including this waste weir structure in Newton Centre. The weir was known as “Clarks Waste Weir” as it was built on the edge of land owned by Charles P. Clark. The aqueduct was taken out of regular service in 1978 but remains an emergency backup. Much of the aqueduct’s route is open to the public as an unimproved walking trail.

Charles H. Bennett Cottage // c.1868

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Another of the charming gingerbread cottages in Newton Centre built on Charles Davis’ “Mount Pleasant” estate is this charmer. Like the Charles Davis rental cottage on Pleasant Street nearby, this home was rented by Mr. Davis to tenants briefly before it was purchased by George A. Rollins who later sold the property to its longest owner, Charles H. Bennett, a Boston stockbroker. The house is one of four near-identical gingerbread cottages developed by Davis, all retain their decorative bargeboard trim and porch detailing. This one may be my favorite!