Newton has a rich architectural history and there are many ways to learn more about your home and the surrounding neighborhood. An overview of resources for researching your home may be found below.

Historic Newton will research the date your home was built and its original owners if you order an Historic House Marker.

General Resources

• City Directories
• Historic Maps
• Historic Property Survey files (MACRIS database)
• Newton in 1917: An Interactive Map
• Beautiful Newton: The Garden City of Massachusetts

Historic Newton Collections

Click on the collection link and then look for inventories under 'attachments' to see if your house is included in the collection.

• Carley Realty photographs
  • Photographs of houses in Newton taken prior to 1950s
• Historic Newton 35mm Slide Collection

Frequently Asked Questions

Is my house historic?

The National Register considers age, style, and context when determining a house historic. Structures more than fifty years old that are architecturally significant because of the design or building type or historical association may be eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. Determinations of a building's historic significance are most often made by the Newton Historical Commission and the Massachusetts Historical Commission.

What are the regulations regarding changes to houses in historic districts?

For information about Historic District regulations, consult Newton's Local Historic Districts and Commissions page.

Do you have any old pictures of my house?

The Archives has a large collection of Newton photographs. Please consult our collection inventories listed above. If you don't see your address in the collections, fill out a Research Request Form to see if we own a photograph of your individual house elsewhere. Copies of photographs may be purchased from Historic Newton.