The Dr. Henry Jacob Bigelow House is a historic house at 72-80 Ober Road in the
Oak Hill village of
Newton, Massachusetts. Built in 1887, it is one of the last private residences designed by noted American
architect Henry Hobson Richardson. It was converted into condominiums in the 1980s by the
PBS program ''
This Old House''. It was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places in 1976.
Description and history
The Bigelow House is located high on Oak Hill, from which the Newton neighborhood takes its name. It is a large -story wood-frame structure, with a rambling structure organized roughly around a central courtyard. It is in the
Shingle style, with a combination of roof types. A small turret with conical roof projects from the building's southwest corner. The main section of the house is on the east side of the courtyard, with the southern wing primarily servants' quarters and facilities, and the carriage house to the north.
It was designed by
Henry Hobson Richardson, and was one of the famous architect's last residential commissions before his death in 1886. The house was built for Dr.
Henry Jacob Bigelow
Henry Jacob Bigelow (March 11, 1818October 30, 1890) was an American surgeon and Professor of Surgery at Harvard University.
A dominating figure in Boston medicine for many decades, he is remembered for the Bigelow maneuver for hip dislocation ...
, a prominent Boston surgeon best known for his role in organizing the 1846
demonstration of ether as an anesthetic, but also important for developing surgical techniques for correcting dislocated hips.
[
His house was during the 20th century converted into a dormitory space for the New England Peabody Home for Crippled Children, whose main facility was built adjacent to the house. By the 1970s the property was owned by the city of Newton and in deteriorating condition.][ It was restored and divided into five condominium units in the 1980s by the PBS television series '' This Old House''.]
See also
* Henry Bigelow House, Newton, Massachusetts, honoring a different individual
* National Register of Historic Places listings in Newton, Massachusetts
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bigelow, Henry Jacob
Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Newton, Massachusetts
Houses completed in 1887
Henry Hobson Richardson buildings
Shingle Style houses
Shingle Style architecture in Massachusetts