Winslow–Haskell Mansion
building in Massachusetts, United States
The Winslow–Haskell Mansion, also known locally as The Castle, is a historic house at 53 Vista Avenue in Newton, Massachusetts. The large Gothic Victorian house was built c. 1870, and enlarged and remodeled in 1882. The early construction included Gothic pointed-arch windows and vergeboard trim. Later work added Queen Anne styling, including the three-story tower, with polychrome roofing and cement-like wall surfacing. It has several ornately decorated porches. The house was purchased in 1872 by Edwin Haskell, owner of the Boston Herald.
The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, and included in the Lasell Neighborhood Historic District in 1986. It was converted into a multiunit condominium in the 1980s.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Winslow–Haskell Mansion” as building in Massachusetts, United States. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the places & architecture register because the source frames it as building in Massachusetts, United States. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 6, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q8025938. Authority coordinates are 42.340, -71.246. 2 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1870, 1882, 1872 and 1979.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Winslow–Haskell Mansion”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Winslow–Haskell Mansion primary sources, Winslow–Haskell Mansion archive and Winslow research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Winslow–Haskell Mansion”?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Winslow–Haskell Mansion” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.