{"nrhp_refnum":"89001285","name":"Nichols, John F., House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"17 Summit St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Somerville","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.39998538800006,"lon":-71.11951748399997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1989-09-18","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A Queen Anne-style residence at 17 Summit Street in Somerville, Massachusetts, built around 1890 by an unknown architect, with clapboard and shingle walls and a garage/barn outbuilding.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the house is a well-preserved, finely detailed example of Queen Anne architecture, representing the houses built in the Williams Russell Farm subdivision between 1886 and 1900. It meets Criterion C at the local level and retains integrity of location, design, materials, workmanship and association.","narrative":"This house at 17 Summit Street in West Somerville was built around 1890 in the Queen Anne style. Its architect is unknown. It has clapboard and shingle walls, a prominent corner oriel or bay, shingled gables, and jigsawed trusswork in the gable ends. The full front porch has turned posts and a jigsawed frieze board. The decorative detailing is well preserved, and the house has had no major alterations. It sits in a residential neighborhood of late-19th-century dwellings near College Avenue and Powder House. The house belongs to the former William Russell estate north of Davis Square, one of the last large tracts subdivided in West Somerville, with about ninety lots platted around 1880. John Nichols is recorded as owner in 1895, though his occupation could not be traced; he was likely a local merchant or businessman, like many early owners there. The subdivision's stylish homes have a suburban character, unlike the earlier workers' houses nearby. The house was listed for its architectural quality.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Queen Anne","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Recorded in excellent condition with no major alterations and not moved; used as a residence.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:02.067999-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/31/7918/63791831/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/89001285.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/89001285/c6c3029330-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/89001285/c6c3029330-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"User:Magicpiano","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SomervilleMA_JohnFNicholsHouse.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">User:Magicpiano</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SomervilleMA_JohnFNicholsHouse.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63791831","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_F._Nichols_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6232484"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/nichols-john-f-house-89001285/"}