{"nrhp_refnum":"89001264","name":"First Unitarian Church","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"130 Highland Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Somerville","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.38752993700007,"lon":-71.10148356699995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1989-09-18","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Community Planning and Development","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A Richardsonian Romanesque Revival church at 130 Highland Avenue on Central Hill in Somerville, Massachusetts, built in 1894 and designed by Hartwell, Richardson, & Driver.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the church is a fine example of the Richardsonian Romanesque style by a well-known architectural firm. It is also associated with the late-19th-century development of Central Hill as Somerville's civic and institutional center, and with the growth of the religious community. It is judged locally significant under Criteria A and C.","narrative":"Built in 1894 at 130 Highland Avenue, this granite church sits on Central Hill in Somerville, at the corner of Trull Lane. It was designed by the firm Hartwell, Richardson, and Driver in the style popularized by H.H. Richardson. The asymmetrical building has a steeply pitched gable roof of greyish-green slate, random faced granite walls, lancet and round-headed windows, stained glass, and a polygonal bay. A recessed Romanesque arch entrance sits at the base of a pyramidal corner belfry. Original details survive, including vertical wood batten doors, iron scroll hinges, and copper gutters and flashing. The building was the last of several erected for a congregation organized in 1844, which had used three earlier church buildings between 1844 and 1869. Highland Avenue became a corridor of civic buildings, large churches, and substantial houses. The church was listed for its well-defined architectural style, its link to a noted firm, and its role in Central Hill's development as the civic and institutional center of Somerville.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Hartwell, Richardson, & Driver","architectural_style":"Richardsonian Romanesque Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Recorded in good condition with no major alterations; original and present use is religious.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:01.096344-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/70/7918/63791870/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/89001264.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/89001264/1cbc8dde81-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/89001264/1cbc8dde81-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 3.0","author":"Tim Pierce","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Somerville_MA_First_Unitarian_Church.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Tim Pierce</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Somerville_MA_First_Unitarian_Church.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63791870","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Unitarian_Church_(Somerville,_Massachusetts)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5453944"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/first-unitarian-church-89001264/"}