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Newton Railroad Stations Historic District

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Newton Railroad Stations Historic District
Newton Highlands station in 2011
LocationNewton, Massachusetts
Built1886–1891
ArchitectHenry Hobson Richardson; Shepley, Rutan & Coolidge
Architectural styleRichardsonian Romanesque
NRHP reference No.76002137[1]
Added to NRHPMarch 25, 1976

The Newton Railroad Stations Historic District in Newton, Massachusetts is composed of three geographically separate historic railroad stations and one baggage/express building on the former Boston and Albany Railroad Highland branch, which was converted to MBTA Green Line D branch in 1959.

The four buildings in Newton are the only extant stations of thirteen designed by H.H. Richardson and his successors Shepley, Rutan, and Coolidge in Allston/Brighton, Newton, and Brookline for the Boston and Albany's Newton Circuit between 1881 and 1894.[2] Most originally had their grounds designed by landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, but none of the landscaping has survived.[3]

On March 25, 1976, the district was added to the National Register of Historic Places as the Woodland, Newton Highlands, and Newton Centre Railroad Stations, and Baggage and Express Building.

Structures

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The District consists of four structures:[3]

  • Woodland Railroad Station: Designed by Richardson (likely with significant input from Shepley, Rutan, and Coolidge); constructed in 1886. Now used for storage for an adjacent golf course; the modern station is some distance away.
  • Newton Highlands Railroad Station: Designed by Shepley, Rutan, and Coolidge; constructed in 1887. Now houses a private business, with eaves providing shelter for the modern station.
  • Newton Centre Railroad Station: Designed by Shepley, Rutan, and Coolidge; constructed in 1891. Now houses a restaurant, with eaves and canopy providing shelter for the modern station.
  • Baggage and Express Building: constructed next to Newton Centre Railroad Station in 1891. Part of the structure has been demolished; the remaining portion has been integrated into a private business building.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010. Retrieved February 4, 2016.
  2. ^ Ochsner, Jeffrey Karl (June 1988). "Architecture for the Boston & Albany Railroad: 1881–1894". Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians. 47 (2). doi:10.2307/990324. JSTOR 990324.
  3. ^ a b Roy, John H. Jr. (2007). A Field Guide to Southern New England Railroad Depots and Freight Houses. Branch Line Press. pp. 198–200, 261, 274. ISBN 9780942147087.
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Media related to Newton Railroad Stations Historic District at Wikimedia Commons