The home of Dr. Samuel Wheat at 399 Waltham St. is one of the oldest homes in Newton, built in 1735 by William Williams, whose Newton-born cousin Ephraim founded Williams College.

The original West Newton Branch Library at 25 Chestnut Street is a Tudor Revival structure built in 1926 with funds raised by community subscription. Over the front door carved in the stone lintel are the words "Memorial Library". The building has now been re-purposed as an annex to the city police headquarters on Washington Street.

The former Peirce School, built in 1896, is visible at the rise of Chestnut Street and notable with its terracotta/brick massing, symmetry and impressive collection of chimneys. When originally built, it provided classrooms for the booming population of children as more and more families moved to West Newton Hill. In the 1970s, as Newton’s school population dipped, it was converted for use as senior housing.

As West Newton grew as a commercial, transport and intellectual center in the late 19th century, residential areas continued to develop both to the north and south of the village center, providing a veritable walking textbook of architectural styles by decade, from mansard roofs to turrets. Homes from the early 19th century can still be found along Cherry and Webster Streets and on adjacent streets. Over 200 houses featuring an unusual level of integrity of the original residential architecture from the mid-19th century through to early 20th century are found on West Newton Hill, clustered in two National Register historic districts: the Putnam Street Historic District and the West Newton Hill Historic District. Many of these houses have Historic Newton House Markers.