National Register of Historic Places

Gray Cliff Historic District (Boundary Increase)

Newton, Middlesex County, Massachusetts
Listed
February 16, 1990
Type
District
Period
Listed
Ref No.
90000011

About this property

The Gray Cliff Historic District is a residential historic district encompassing a cluster of exceptionally high quality houses built in Newton, Massachusetts, between about 1890 and 1940. When first listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986, it included only the eight houses at 35, 39, 43, 53, 54 (destroyed by fire in July 2022), 64, 65, and 70 Gray Cliff Road, which were predominantly Shingle style house built before the turn of the 20th century. The district was expanded in 1990 to include an adjacent area known as The Ledges, where the houses were built between 1900 and 1940, and are mainly Colonial Revival and Tudor Revival in their styling. The Gray Cliff area was the estate of Massachusetts politician Robert Bishop before it was subdivided for development. The construction of Commonwealth Avenue increased development pressure, and his was one of many estates that was subdivided. The houses are large, and sited on well-proportioned lots that take advantage of the topography of the area, which features rocky outcrops and ledges. It is possible that the subdivision was laid out by a draftsman who once worked for Frederick Law Olmsted. The house at 53 Gray Cliff Road is one of Newton's finest Shingle style houses. The area of The Ledges was laid out between 1906 and 1912, and includes the original Bishop House at 40 The Ledges Road. This house was originally built in 1861, probably with Italianate styling, but was completely enlarged in the 1890s and restyled in the Colonial Revival style. Two of the houses in this area include two that were designed by architects for their own use: James Ritchie designed the Tudor style house at 10 The Ledges Road, and Henry J. Carlson designed the Colonial Revival house at 91 Bishopsgate Road for his own use; he also designed 131 Bishopsgate Road.

Location

Newton, Middlesex County, Massachusetts
42.33351, -71.18426

Categories

COMMUNITY PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENTARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

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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Nearby Historic Sites

Stewart, Frank H., House
Industrial
0.1 mi
Claflin, Adams, House
Industrial
0.2 mi
Gray Cliff Historic District
Listed
0.2 mi
Monadnock Road Historic District
Listed
0.2 mi
Church, William L., House
Industrial
0.4 mi

Nearby Battles

Siege of Boston – Roxbury Lines
1775Revolutionary War
4.3 mi
Siege of Boston – Cambridge Lines
1775Revolutionary War
4.7 mi

Questions about this property

When was Gray Cliff Historic District (Boundary Increase) listed on the National Register?

Gray Cliff Historic District (Boundary Increase) was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on February 16, 1990.

What type of historic resource is Gray Cliff Historic District (Boundary Increase)?

Gray Cliff Historic District (Boundary Increase) is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Gray Cliff Historic District (Boundary Increase)?

The period of significance for Gray Cliff Historic District (Boundary Increase) is recorded as the listed era.

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