West Newton, Massachusetts

West Newton Village Center

West Newton is one of the thirteen villages within the city of Newton in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States.

Among the oldest of the thirteen Newton villages, the West Newton Village Center is a National Register Historic District. The postal ("Zip") code 02465 roughly matches the village limits.

Location

West Newton is located in the north central part of Newton and is bordered by the town of Waltham on the north and by the villages of Auburndale on the west, Newton Lower Falls on the extreme southwest, Newtonville on the east, and Waban on the south.

West Newton Square

The town center, West Newton Square, is home to many local businesses and venues. These include the historic West Newton Cinema, the Davis Railroad Hotel, the Robinson Block, the Newton Bank Building and many more.

Many popular restaurants are located in West Newton, ranging from the more upscale Bluebird Cafe and Ninebark to Sweet Tomatoes Pizza, and Paddy's public house. Blue Ribbon Bar-B-Q is another local favorite, and attracts fans from far and wide.[citation needed]

There are several civic buildings in West Newton Square. They include the Newton Police Department and the local courthouse, both located on Washington Street, as well as the Chinese Community Center on Elm Street. The square once had a branch of the Newton Free Library as well as the Davis Elementary School on Waltham Street. Both closed in the 1980s owing to municipal financial constraints. The library building on Chestnut Street is now a police annex, while the school operates as a community center.

In 2016, a man in a pick up truck crashed into the Sweet Tomatoes restaurant in the historic Davis Railroad Hotel earning him four years in prison, a long-term license suspension and resulting in the deaths of two people. Today, there are sturdy metal posts along the sidewalk in front of the building, in hopes of preventing further damage to West Newton Square's oldest freestanding building.

West Newton Cinema

The West Newton Cinema is a small local cinema first opened in 1937, and designed by architects Krokyn & Browne of the Boston-based architectural firm Krokyn, Browne & Rosenstein. The theatre was owned by the M&P Theatre companies, whom also owned the present-day Boch Center in Boston. The theatre originally had a grand cut-stone facade and red and gold marquee.

In 1967, the theatre was converted from a single movie-house to three which saved the theatre from demolition. By 1977, the theatre was seeing leaks and other issues. In 1978, the original marquee, which had been deteriorating for some time, was removed and replaced. In 1990, the theatre was expanded to a six screen theatre and some of its original art deco elements were restored.

In July 2022, plans were made to have the theatre sold to a development company for demolition and transformation into an apartment building. Locals soon fought back however, protesting its destruction. A group called the West Newton Cinema Foundation was created to raise money to purchase the theatre. The group needed to raise 5.6 million dollars by late August 2024. On August 27, 2024, this deadline was met and the cinema was saved from its unwelcome demise.

As of November 2025, the West Newton Cinema shows independent films in addition to popular mainstream films. Ty Burr is a popular regular, hosting classic movie nights and showing innovative, experimental films. In March 2025, audio services and closed caption services were added for those with visual and hearing impairments. In August 2025, the West Newton Cinema Foundation celebrated its first birthday with free movies all day.

Losses due to turnpike construction

  • West Newton Fire House, Washington Street
  • West Newton Boston and Albany Railroad Station
  • Lincoln Park, Washington Street, although the Lincoln Park Baptist Church, where Martin Luther King Jr. once preached, still exists.
  • The Curve Street neighborhood, originally settled by freed slaves before the Civil War and still inhabited by many black families and the largely black Myrtle Baptist Church, was considerably reduced in size.
  • Tony's drug store. Tony moved the business to a corner location out of the way of the turnpike, but to the detriment of the old-fashioned atmosphere. The new place was called the Newtondale Pharmacy.
  • The Block: at Washington St. and Davis Court. 1st floor was store fronts; the upper floors were apartments. When you went around to the back you could see all the back porches which overlooked a lot with railroad cars and Border Street.
  • Davis Ct: still exists as completely commercial, however, the houses scattered on the land are all gone; 5 Davis Court was a duplex.

Transportation

The village is served by West Newton station on the Framingham/Worcester Line of the MBTA Commuter Rail system, as well as by MBTA bus routes 505, 553, and 554.

West Newton also has easy access to the Massachusetts Turnpike and Route 128 (Massachusetts)/I-95. The Massachusetts Turnpike (Interstate 90) runs through West Newton. Routes 30 and 16 also pass through the West Newton.

Places on the National Register of Historic Places

See also: List of Registered Historic Places in Newton, Massachusetts

Fourteen of these are pictured below.

  • Arthur F Luke House
    Arthur F Luke House
  • C G Howes Dry Cleaning - Carley Real Estate
    C G Howes Dry Cleaning - Carley Real Estate
  • Charles D Elliott House
    Charles D Elliott House
  • Charles Maynard House
    Charles Maynard House
  • Dr Samuel Warren House
    Dr Samuel Warren House
  • Galen Merriam House
    Galen Merriam House
  • 170 Otis Street
    170 Otis Street
  • Levi F Warren Jr High School
    Levi F Warren Jr High School
  • Nathaniel Topliff Allen Homestead
    Nathaniel Topliff Allen Homestead
  • George W Eddy House
    George W Eddy House
  • Peirce School
    Peirce School
  • Railroad Hotel
    Railroad Hotel
  • Second Church
    Second Church
  • West Parish Burying Ground
    West Parish Burying Ground

Notable people

42°21′N 71°14′W / 42.350°N 71.233°W / 42.350; -71.233

allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Newton,_Massachusetts