Unique Homes MA

Craftsman Homes in Massachusetts

The Craftsman style (1905–1930) is the architect-designed face of the American Arts and Crafts movement — exposed structure, hand-fitted joinery, and honest natural materials, from grand front-gabled houses to the everyday bungalow.

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The Craftsman style (1905–1930) is the architect-designed face of the American Arts and Crafts movement — exposed structure, hand-fitted joinery, and honest natural materials, from grand front-gabled houses to the everyday bungalow.
Photo: User:Magicpiano · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

What is a Craftsman house?

The Craftsman house is the early-1900s home that put handwork and natural materials back at the center of how a house was made. It grew out of the Arts and Crafts movement, a reaction against the busy, machine-cut ornament of the late Victorian years. In place of that fuss, it shows off honest wood, stone, and craftsmanship. The look started in California, where two architect brothers in Pasadena built the showpiece examples everyone copied, and traveled east through Gustav Stickley’s magazine, The Craftsman, and the Sears and Aladdin kit catalogs. Most went up in Massachusetts between about 1910 and 1925. The word often overlaps with Bungalow: a bungalow is the small one-story house type, Craftsman is the design language it usually wears.

Why it’s special

A Craftsman house wears its structure on the outside. The roof sits low and wide, with deep eaves that throw real shade. The rafter ends are left out in the open, and small braces under the gables show how the house is put together. The front porch is the heart of the design, set on short, tapered columns that rest on chunky piers of stone or brick. Step inside and the warmth continues: stained woodwork so the grain shows, plus bookcases, benches, and cabinets built right into the walls around a fireplace. A century later it still feels solid and handmade.

What it’s like to live in one

Craftsman homes feel grounded and cozy, full of woodwork, with a deep porch that makes the front of the house a place to sit. People who love them love the built-ins and the honest materials. In Massachusetts they cluster in the old streetcar suburbs. Newton and its neighbors Arlington, Belmont, and Watertown hold many of the finer ones. Worcester’s West Side, Greendale, and Tatnuck have whole streets of them, as do Springfield, Holyoke, and Pittsfield. Cape Ann adds its own shingled summer cottages in Gloucester and Rockport. Going in, the house is roughly a hundred years old, so plan to update the wiring, heating, and plumbing over time and to care for that original woodwork.

Is it the real thing?

The giveaways are the exposed rafters, the gable braces, and the tapered porch columns on stone piers. A Colonial Revival from the same years hides its structure behind neat classical trim and is usually painted white with shutters. A Craftsman shows its bones. For a listing to be classified as Craftsman here, we look for an early-1900s build date plus those signature details, confirmed when age matters through the state’s historic inventory (MACRIS).

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Common questions about Craftsman homes

How do you identify a Craftsman home?
  • Low, wide roofline with broad overhanging eaves
  • Exposed rafter tails and triangular braces under the gables
  • Deep front porch on short, tapered columns
  • Columns resting on heavy stone or brick piers
  • Natural materials: clapboard, shingle, stone
When were Craftsman homes built?

Craftsman homes were built during 1905–1930.

Where in Massachusetts are Craftsman homes found?
  • Newton and the Boston streetcar suburbs (Arlington, Belmont, Watertown)
  • Worcester West Side, Greendale, and Tatnuck
  • Springfield, Holyoke, and Pittsfield streetcar neighborhoods
Who designed notable Craftsman homes in Massachusetts?
  • Greene & Greene (Pasadena; the canonical high-style Craftsman, widely emulated)
  • Gustav Stickley (The Craftsman magazine, 1901–1916; published mail-order plans)
  • Sears, Roebuck & Co. and Aladdin (kit catalogs that brought Craftsman detailing to MA)

Current listings (81)

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Related styles

National Historic Landmark

Federally designated as nationally significant — the highest U.S. historic recognition. Section 106 review applies to federal undertakings affecting the property.

National Register

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Owners may qualify for the 20% federal Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit on certified rehabilitation work.

State Register

Listed on the Massachusetts State Register of Historic Places.

Local Historic District

Inside a Local Historic District. Exterior changes visible from a public way require approval from the local historic district commission.

Local Landmark

Individually designated by the town as a local landmark. Exterior alterations require commission approval.

MACRIS Inventory

Documented in MACRIS, the state historic inventory. Informational only — no regulatory constraints.

Article 85 (Boston)

Subject to Boston Article 85 demolition-delay review, which can pause demolition of buildings 50+ years old for up to 90 days.

Ch. 91 Waterways License

An active MassDEP permit for a dock, pier, seawall, or other structure on or over a Massachusetts waterway. Many older licenses are not digitized; this record is provided for reference only.

Massachusetts Great Pond

A Great Pond under M.G.L. Ch. 91 — the Commonwealth retains public rights to fish and navigate these state-designated waters. Private docks and other waterfront structures require a Waterways License from MassDEP.

Likely Great Pond

The MLS listing describes this property as being on a Great Pond, which would be a state-designated water body under M.G.L. Ch. 91. GIS data did not independently confirm the pond name — verification needed.