National Register of Historic Places

Harriman, Henry I., House

Newton, Middlesex County, Massachusetts
Listed
February 16, 1990
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
90000028

About this property

The Henry I. Harriman House is a historic French château style house at 825 Centre Street in Newton, Massachusetts. Built in 1916 for Henry I. Harriman, it is one of Newton's most elegant 20th-century suburban estate houses. It is now part of the campus of the Boston College Law School. It was known as Putnam House, in honor of benefactor Roger Lowell Putnam, when the campus was that of Newton College of the Sacred Heart. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990. The Harriman House is located on the campus of the Boston College Law School, just west of Centre Street, and south of Colby Road, which separates the campus from that of the Newton Day School of the Sacred Heart. The house is fully integrated into the campus and has not retained any other elements of the original Harriman estate. The house is a 2+1⁄2-story stuccoed structure, seven bays wide, with a steep hip roof pierced by a series of hip-roof dormers. The cornice is highlighted by a band of egg-and-dart moulding. The entrance, centered on the facade, is sheltered by a balustraded portico supported by Tuscan columns, and set in an arched opening. There are sunporches attached to both sides of the building. The house was built for power company executive Henry I. Harriman (who later became president of the United States Chamber of Commerce). The architect was John Barnard and the landscape architect was Arthur Shurtleff, both of Boston. It was the first major commission for Barnard, a local architect, and its success led to a number other high-profile commissions. The house was acquired in 1950 by the Newton College of the Sacred Heart (founded 1946), and integrated into its campus. In 1967 the school dedicated the building a major benefactor, Roger Lowell Putnam. The school merged with Boston College in 1974, which uses the campus to house its law school. The building is identified on its maps as "825 Centre Street". National Register of Historic Places listings in Newton, Massachusetts

Location

825 Centre St.
Newton, Middlesex County, Massachusetts
42.34405, -71.19181

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

Towle, Loren, Estate
Industrial
0.1 mi
Prescott Estate
Industrial
0.2 mi
East Parish Burying Ground
Listed
0.2 mi
Nichols House
Industrial
0.3 mi
Hyde House
Industrial
0.4 mi

Nearby Battles

Siege of Boston – Cambridge Lines
1775Revolutionary War
4.7 mi
Siege of Boston – Roxbury Lines
1775Revolutionary War
4.7 mi
Skirmish at Menotomy (Arlington)
1775Revolutionary War
5.2 mi

Questions about this property

When was Harriman, Henry I., House listed on the National Register?

Harriman, Henry I., House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on February 16, 1990.

What type of historic resource is Harriman, Henry I., House?

Harriman, Henry I., House is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Harriman, Henry I., House?

The period of significance for Harriman, Henry I., House is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Harriman, Henry I., House?

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