19 Kenton Road Study Report

The Boston Landmarks Commission has posted a study report on the proposed designation of 19 Kenton Road in Jamaica Plain as a Landmark under Chapter 772 of the Acts of 1975, as amended.

19 Kenton Road was built on land belonging to prominent Boston businessman and real estate developer Isaac Harris Cary. Cary was particularly influential in developing the Stony Brook area of Jamaica Plain. By the 1830s, he had amassed much of the land between Washington Street and Forest Hills Street. It appears that Cary built 19 Kenton Road as an income-producing rental property. Isaac Harris Cary’s main house still exists at 235 Forest Hills Street.

The house at 19 Kenton Road was constructed on the cusp of a major period of transition for Jamaica Plain which was ushered in by the arrival of the omnibus, horse-drawn streetcars, and the expansion of the railroad. The house is significant as a surviving example of a detached two-family dwelling built for investment purposes from the early period of Jamaica Plain’s transformation from farming and resort community to streetcar suburb. It is one of the earliest houses in the area. 

19 Kenton Road is also architecturally significant as an early example of the Italianate style in Boston, having been constructed sometime between 1843 and 1856. It has Italianate detailing featured on a front-gabled form that was popularized by the earlier Greek Revival style. The front-gable subtype comprises about 10 percent of surviving examples of Italianate architecture.

Kenton Road is a short, tree-lined street ending in a cul-de-sac that features a mix of mid- to late-nineteenth century architectural styles, including Italianate, Greek Revival, Second Empire, and Colonial Revival. The house at 19 Kenton Road is a historic anchor of this architecturally distinctive enclave which has seen little change or intrusion.

If designated, the Standards and Criteria in this study report will serve as guidelines for the Commission’s review of proposed changes to the property, with the goal of protecting the historic integrity of the landmark and its setting.

Read the 19 Kenton Road study report

There are two ways to provide feedback on this potential Landmark designation:

1. Written feedback can be provided by visiting this link: feedback form.
2. The study report will be discussed at a public hearing on June 10, 2025. Members of the public are invited to attend this hearing and provide comments there as well. Please look for the hearing notice in the public notices section of our website. Hearing notices are posted no later than ten days in advance of the hearing.