The Railroad Hotel was built in 1831 of handmade brick by entrepreneur and civic leader Seth Davis to welcome stagecoach and future rail travelers.

Washington Street was from the early days a major east-west road, linking the Charles River basin with the town of Natick to the west. The railroad was constructed alongside it. West Newton became a terminus stop on the Boston and Albany line in 1834. Horse-drawn coaches connected West Newton to Waltham to the north and Newton Lower Falls to the south. The availability of transport spurred development of the area as a commuter suburb.

One of the oldest buildings in the district is the Railroad Hotel, also known as the Davis Tavern, built in 1831 by entrepreneur, educator and civic leader Seth Davis, and now serving as a retail and office space. Originally rail tickets were sold here, making it one of the oldest train stations still standing in the country. The Railroad Hotel, at 1279 Washington Street, was designated a Newton City Landmark in 2019.

On April 7, 1834, the directors of the Boston and Worcester Railroad and 50 guests gathered at the Davis Tavern to celebrate their first train journey coming west from Boston. From that time, the train brought suburban commuters to West Newton and over the next several decades housing lots were developed both north and south of the railroad tracks to accommodate these families.

Seth Davis (1787-1890) had arrived in Newton in 1802, built his house nearby at 32 Eden Avenue, founded a school housing Newton’s first lending library, and planted thousands of trees throughout the neighborhood. Photographs remain of the widely-attended celebration of his 100th birthday. Several nearby streets are named after him.

The only remaining large commercial building from the 19th century in West Newton village is the Robinson Block, at 989-1001 Washington Street. Dating to 1875, this substantial brick building features balanced massing and detailed ornamentation with elaborate brick work and incised floral patterns over the windows. Look towards the roofline on the south-facing façade for the “1875” date. Originally it housed an apothecary and provided housing for immigrant workers. It has had many uses since then, including a general store, and it now houses a pharmacy on the street level.