Longwood Historic District (Massachusetts) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Longwood Historic District
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 Location in Massachusetts
Location in the United States
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| Location | Roughly bounded by Chapel, St. Marys, Monmouth, and Kent Sts., Brookline, Massachusetts |
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| Area | 52 acres (21 ha) |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne, Gothic Revival, Romanesque |
| NRHP reference No. | 78000460 |
| Added to NRHP | September 13, 1978 |
The Longwood Historic District is a special area in Brookline, Massachusetts. It's known for its beautiful old buildings and rich history. This district was created in the mid-1800s by two important businessmen, David Sears and Amos Adams Lawrence. They wanted to build a fancy neighborhood with stylish homes.
Today, you can still see many amazing buildings here. These include the Longwood Towers at 20 Chapel Street, Christ's Church Longwood, and the Church of Our Saviour, Brookline. Because of its unique history and architecture, the Longwood Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 13, 1978. This means it's officially recognized as an important historical site.
Exploring the Longwood Historic District
The Longwood area in eastern Brookline was once a huge farm. It belonged to a famous judge named Samuel Sewall a long, long time ago. For many years, before 1850, it stayed mostly farmland. Only one street, Colchester Street, cut through it.
How Longwood Became a Neighborhood
In the early 1800s, two well-known businessmen from Boston, David Sears and Amos Lawrence, bought large parts of this old farmland. They saw a chance to create something new. A big change happened when the Brookline Branch Railroad arrived. This train line, which is now part of the MBTA Green Line "D" Branch, made it much easier to travel to and from the area. This encouraged Sears and Lawrence to develop the land even more.
They built many houses, some of which became homes for their friends and business partners. Even though they developed the area, neither Sears nor Lawrence lived in Longwood themselves. Lawrence had his home in the nearby Cottage Farm Historic District. Sears was responsible for building Christ's Church, Longwood. Lawrence helped fund the building of the Episcopal Church of Our Saviour, Brookline. These two churches are important non-residential buildings in the district.
What You Can See in Longwood Today
The Longwood Historic District has a shape like a triangle. On its eastern side, it's bordered by St. Marys Street, which is also the town line with Boston. To the west, you'll find Kent Street. Beacon Street forms the northern border, but the buildings right on Beacon Street are not part of the district. The southern edge follows the MBTA train tracks, which curve along the north bank of the Muddy River.
At the very heart of this district is Longwood Park. David Sears designed this park. The most noticeable buildings are the Longwood Towers. These are a group of tall apartment buildings built in the 1920s. They have a special style called Gothic Revival. Even though they are very large, they fit in well with the older homes around them. Most of the houses in the neighborhood are built in the Second Empire style. Some also have elements of Gothic architecture, just like one of the churches.
