The Bigelow House is located high on Oak Hill, from which the Newton neighborhood takes its name. It is a large 2+1⁄2-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.[3]
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, 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.[3]
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.[3] It was restored and divided into five condominium units in the 1980s by the PBStelevision series This Old House.[4] Some of the original features, including a circular tower, have been preserved. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places at 742 Dedham Street.[1]
