Discover 10 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Needham (United States). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering, St. Bartholomew Parish - Needham, and Emery Grover Building. Also, be sure to include Amos Fuller House in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Needham (Massachusetts).
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Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering
Undergraduate in Needham, Massachusetts. Olin College of Engineering, officially Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering is a private college focused on engineering and located in Needham, Massachusetts. Olin College is noted in the engineering community for its relatively recent founding, small size, project-based curriculum, and large endowment funded primarily by the defunct F. W. Olin Foundation. The college covers half of each admitted student's tuition through the Olin Scholarship. Olin College is ranked among the top undergraduate engineering programs in the United States.[1]
Address: 1000 Olin Way, Needham (Wellesley)
St. Bartholomew Parish - Needham
Historical place, Church
Address: 1180 Greendale Ave, 02492 Needham (Needham)
Emery Grover Building
Building in Needham, Massachusetts. The Emery Grover Building is a historic structure in downtown Needham, Massachusetts. It currently houses administration offices for the Needham Public Schools, including the office of Daniel E. Gutekanst, Superintendent of Schools.
Built in 1898 in the Italian Renaissance Revival architectural style from a design by Whitman & Hood, the symmetrical tan brick building features an upper arcade of six Georgian Revival windows, an arched center entrance stoop flanked by multi-paned Diocletian windows, arched wings, and a curved pediment dormer crown sporting the Needham Public Schools seal.
The Emery Grover Building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.
In 2010, the Boston architectural firm of Bargmann Hendrie + Archetype Inc. conducted a feasibility study for the building's restoration and renovation as a downtown senior center. The firm estimated the rehabilitation cost at $8.6 million, $2.5 million of which could come from the Community Preservation Act.[2]
Amos Fuller House
The Amos Fuller House is a historic house located at 220 Nehoiden Street in Needham, Massachusetts. Built in 1754, possibly using parts of an older house, it is one of the town's older surviving structures, made further notable by several of its inhabitants. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 31, 1983.[3]
James Smith House
The James Smith House is a historic colonial house in Needham, Massachusetts, United States. It is a 2+1⁄2-story wood-frame structure, five bays wide, with a side gable roof and clapboard siding. Its front facade is symmetrical, with a center entrance with a Greek Revival surround consisting of flanking sidelight windows and a flat entablature above. The house was built c. 1727–28 by James Smith, a recent immigrant from Ireland. The house is one of the oldest in Needham.
The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.[4]
Kingsbury-Whitaker House
Building in Needham, Massachusetts. The Kingsbury-Whitaker House is a historic house in Needham, Massachusetts. The 2+1⁄2-story wood-frame house has at its core elements of a house that was built on the site in about 1720. The old house, built by Deacon Timothy Kingsbury, became the significantly-altered nucleus of a larger house built in 1840 by Edward Whitaker, a prominent local businessman. With further additions, the building encapsulates more than 200 years of construction methods. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.[5]
Townsend House
Building in Needham. The Townsend House is a historic late First Period house in Needham, Massachusetts, United States. The 2+1⁄2-story wood-frame house was built in 1720 by Gregory Sugars, a sea captain, for his son-in-law, Rev. Jonathan Townsend. The building has retained little external appearance as an early 18th century house, showing the adaptive reuse and restyling of older houses. It was given a Federal appearance in the 1780s by its second owner, Rev. Samuel West, and was, under his ownership, used as a muster site for the local militia prior to the 1775 Battles of Lexington and Concord. The building has been much modified over the years, but many of its older interior rooms have retained features from the 18th century.
The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.[6]
Davis Mills House
The Davis Mills House is a historic house in Needham, Massachusetts. It is 2+1⁄2-story wood-frame house, five bays wide, with a side gable roof, two interior chimneys, and clapboard siding. It has a Greek Revival entrance, flanked by sidelight windows and pilasters and topped by an entablature. The house was built in 1834 by Davis Mills, member of one of Needham's major landowning families at the time. Mills was a butcher, tavernkeeper, and politically active citizen. The junction where his house is located, Central Avenue and Nehoiden Street, was Needham's town center until the 19th century.
The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.[7]
Israel Whitney House
The Israel Whitney House is a historic house in Needham, Massachusetts. It is a 2+1⁄2-story wood-frame house, five bays wide, with a side gable roof and clapboard siding. Its front facade is symmetrical, with a center entrance flanked by sidelight windows and pilasters, and a corniced entablature on top. The house was built in 1830 by Israel Whitney, who had married Mary Fuller, a descendant of one of Needham's early settlers. Whitney had purchased the land on which the house was built in 1829. Whitney was a shoemaker and active in local politics, holding a variety of offices.
In the 1940s, the house was sold to Elizabeth D. Revere, the wife of a distant relative of Paul Revere.
The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.[8]
Tolman-Gay House
The Tolman-Gay House is a historic house at 1196 Central Avenue in Needham, Massachusetts. Built in 1743, it is a well-preserved example of mid-18th century architecture, which was occupied for nearly two centuries by members of two of Needham's early families. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.[9]