39 Phillips Avenue, Norwood

39 Phillips Avenue is a historic colonial revival home built between 1909 and 1914 in Norwood, Massachusetts, walking distance from the MBTA Norwood Central Commuter Rail.

It is currently listed for sale on Zillow for the first time in almost 75 years. This article will focus on recording the structure as it stands today before sale.

Like many homes in Norwood facing redevelopment pressure, it is my passion to preserve and enhance documentation of local properties eligible for a Historic Preservation Designation.

People

Who lived here? Why are they selling now?

These are the questions I consider when I see this home that served generations of a single owner.

39 Phillips Avenue

Chain of Title · 1909–2025

Pre-1900 – 1909

Margaret McNaught

Owner of Record — William E. McNaught, Landowner

Margaret McNaught, of the family of landowner William E. McNaught, held ownership of the parcel in 1909 where no buildings were situated on the land.

November 3, 1914

John & Cariani Balboni

Purchase from Margaret McNaught — Bk 1296 Pg 452

John and Cariani Balboni purchased the parcel of land from Margaret McNaught, marking the first recorded transfer of the property into new hands and the likely beginning of its development as a homestead.

February 14, 1951

Eva & Otis Wenstrom

Purchase from John J. Lanzoni — Bk 2983 Pg 364

Eva Wenstrom and her husband Otis Wenstrom purchased the property from John J. Lanzoni on Valentine’s Day, beginning what would become a multigenerational family stewardship of 39 Phillips Avenue. Sadly, Otis Wenstrom passed away on August 12, 1967, leaving Eva to carry the home forward.

August 7, 1974

Eva, Alice & Nancy Wenstrom

Transfer for $1.00 — Bk 5066 Pg 403

Eva (Croteau) Wenstrom conveyed the home for $1.00 to herself and her daughters Alice and Nancy Wenstrom — a quiet act of family continuity, keeping 39 Phillips Avenue within the Wenstrom family.

2009

Homestead Declaration

Alice & Nancy Wenstrom — Bk 5966 Pg 206

Alice Wenstrom and Nancy Wenstrom formalized a Homestead Declaration in 2009, affirming 39 Phillips Avenue as their primary residence and protecting it under Massachusetts homestead law — a quiet but meaningful act of commitment to the home they had long shared.

April 11, 2025

Nancy Irene Wenstrom

Transfer from Alice Wenstrom for $1.00 — Bk 42566 Pg 549

Nancy Irene Wenstrom was a lifelong resident of Norwood — the beloved daughter of the late Otis and Eva (Croteau) Wenstrom, and devoted sister of Alice M. Wenstrom of Norwood and William E. and his wife Eleanor Wenstrom, also of Norwood. On April 11, 2025, Alice transferred 39 Phillips Avenue to Nancy for $1.00, a final gesture of family continuity. Nancy Irene passed away on that very same day, at the age of 84. James M. Wenstrom was subsequently named Personal Representative of her estate, bringing almost 75 years of Wenstrom family stewardship of this home to a close.

Architecture

39 Phillips Avenue was built between 1909 – 1914. It has a fairly simple exterior that fits in with the residential development happening in Norwood at the time.

The house has a traditional two-and-a-half-story form, a pitched roof, and a straightforward facade without a lot of elaborate ornamentation.

Inside, the house has several features that help show its age, including original woodwork, high ceilings, and the traditional room layout found in many houses of this period.

The high ceilings give the interior a more spacious feeling, while the wood details add some of the character that can be lost in older houses after renovations.

There is also an unfinished third-floor attic, which would have provided additional storage space and could offer clues about how the house was used by the original occupants.

Overall, 39 Phillips Avenue is a good example of a modest early twentieth-century Colonial home, where the architecture is more about its traditional form and surviving interior details than elaborate decoration. On sale for $649,000, this 4 bedroom 1 bath home represents the long lineage of Norwoods own.