{"nrhp_refnum":"89001294","name":"Munroe, Robert, House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"37 Walnut St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Somerville","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.38268448700006,"lon":-71.09561273499997,"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 2 1/2-story sidehall Greek Revival house at 37 Walnut Street on Prospect Hill in Somerville, Massachusetts, built about 1849. It was originally a single-family residence and is now a multi-unit residence.","why_significant":"The house is described as a modestly pretentious Greek Revival building noted for its fine Ionic-columned portico, and it meets Criterion C at the local level. It is also tied to Robert Munroe, a Boston grain dealer who was an early Prospect Hill resident and for whom nearby Munroe Street is named.","narrative":"Perched on an embankment above Walnut Street on Prospect Hill in Somerville, this 2 1/2-story house was built around 1849 in the Greek Revival style. Its sidehall plan places the entrance off to the left, framed by sidelights and a transom light. A wrap-around Ionic portico, wide corner pilasters and full-length first-floor windows give the modest house its most distinctive character. A garage was later built into the lower hillside, with a terrace added above. Robert Munroe, a Boston grain dealer, was an early Prospect Hill resident. During the 1840s he and fellow grain dealer Robert Aldersley Vinal built modest Greek Revival homes on the southern slope of the hill off Walnut Street. Munroe Street, named for him, forms a circle around the hill with Boston Street; both were laid out in 1842. The house was recognized for its architecture at the local level. Alterations from the 1980s include aluminum siding, a raised shed dormer and metal window awnings, and it now holds multiple units.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Greek Revival","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Present use is a multi-unit residence; condition rated fair to good. Altered in the 1980s with aluminum siding, a raised shed dormer and metal window awnings.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:00.025478-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/32/7909/63790932/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/89001294.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/89001294/355939fcd8-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/89001294/355939fcd8-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"User:Magicpiano","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SomervilleMA_RobertMunroeHouse.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_RobertMunroeHouse.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63790932","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Munroe_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7347878"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/munroe-robert-house-89001294/"}