Named Buildings of Newton

From Dave Brigham:

I defy you to find a town or city in these United States that doesn't have a building with a permanent name on it, or historical records showing that there used to be such a thing. Back when architects, builders and businesses believed in permanence, they carved names into stone, presuming that, like Stonehenge, these edifices would stand for eons. Speaking of hewing things into the living rock....

Spinal tap - Stonehenge by samithemenace

Anyway, as regular Backside readers know, I've been on an on-and-off quest to document named buildings in Greater Boston. I could pursue this forever, and perhaps I shall. As for now, I'm highlighting a few buildings in Newton, where I live. Backside fans can expect a greater focus on Newton in the coming months. I plan to feature each of the city's 13 villages -- information about their history, links to old photos and of course my photos of what I found scurrying around the edges.

For now, here are some of the named buildings of Newton:

(Newtonville's Orr Building, longtime home of Armenian/Middle Eastern restaurant Karoun. Go for the food, stay for the belly dancing. I have no idea who or what this building is named after, but I plan to find out what I can as I work on the Newtonville component of my above-stated project.)

(The side entrance to the imposing Masonic Temple in Newtonville. Home to the Dalhousie Lodge, the building was erected in 1896.)

(Former Claflin Grammar School in Newtonville, now apartments. Built in 1891.)

(Stevens Building, Newton Highlands. Built in 1888.)

See the four previous parts of my ongoing Named Buildings series: #1, #2, #3 and #4.