Bigelow, Dr. Henry Jacob, House
About this property
The Dr. Henry Jacob Bigelow House is a historic house at 72-80 Ober Road in the Oak Hill village of Newton, Massachusetts. Built in 1887, it is one of the last private residences designed by noted American architect Henry Hobson Richardson. It was converted into condominiums in the 1980s by the PBS program This Old House. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. The Bigelow House is located high on Oak Hill, from which the Newton neighborhood takes its name. It is a large 2+1⁄2-story wood-frame structure, with a rambling structure organized roughly around a central courtyard. It is in the Shingle style, with a combination of roof types. A small turret with conical roof projects from the building's southwest corner. The main section of the house is on the east side of the courtyard, with the southern wing primarily servants' quarters and facilities, and the carriage house to the north. It was designed by Henry Hobson Richardson, and was one of the famous architect's last residential commissions before his death in 1886. The house was built for Dr. Henry Jacob Bigelow, a prominent Boston surgeon best known for his role in organizing the 1846 demonstration of ether as an anesthetic, but also important for developing surgical techniques for correcting dislocated hips. His house was during the 20th century converted into a dormitory space for the New England Peabody Home for Crippled Children, whose main facility was built adjacent to the house. By the 1970s the property was owned by the city of Newton and in deteriorating condition. It was restored and divided into five condominium units in 1981-1982 by the PBS television series This Old House. Some of the original features, including a circular tower, have been preserved. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places at 742 Dedham Street. To see this rehabbed structure in online maps, use any of these addresses: 72, 74, 76, 78, or 80 on Ober Road in Newton, Massachusetts. Each condominium has its own address. The property on Dedham Street is a different development. Henry Bigelow House, Newton, Massachusetts, honoring a different individual National Register of Historic Places listings in Newton, Massachusetts
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Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).
Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
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Questions about this property
When was Bigelow, Dr. Henry Jacob, House listed on the National Register?
Bigelow, Dr. Henry Jacob, House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on January 1, 1976.
What type of historic resource is Bigelow, Dr. Henry Jacob, House?
Bigelow, Dr. Henry Jacob, House is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for Bigelow, Dr. Henry Jacob, House?
The period of significance for Bigelow, Dr. Henry Jacob, House is recorded as the industrial era.
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Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Bigelow, Dr. Henry Jacob, House will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
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