{"nrhp_refnum":"98000095","name":"James, Joseph K., House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"83 Belmont St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Somerville","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.38840169200006,"lon":-71.10795115299999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1998-02-11","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Community Planning and Development"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A single-family house at 83 Belmont Street on Spring Hill in Somerville, Massachusetts, built in 1893-1894 for soap company partner Joseph Knightley James. A former carriage house on the lot is a noncontributing building.","why_significant":"The house is significant under Criterion A for its link to the development of substantial residences for prosperous businessmen on Spring Hill. It also meets Criterion C as a well-preserved, transitional Queen Anne/Shingle Style house of the late 19th century. It was the first commission of architect Thomas Marriott James, who designed it at age 18.","narrative":"Built in 1893-1894 at 83 Belmont Street on the north slope of Spring Hill in Somerville, this wood-shingled house combines Queen Anne, Shingle Style and Colonial Revival elements. It has a stone foundation, a four-square plan under a steep hipped roof, a polygonal corner tower, and a full-length porch with a pedimented entrance. Inside, the original central hall plan survives, along with oak wainscoting, hand-carved mantels, anaglypta wallpaper and leaded and stained glass. Joseph Knightley James, a partner in the Henry James & Sons Soap Company, commissioned the design from his 18-year-old son, Thomas Marriott James, who later became an architect of banks and other public buildings across New England. Farrington, a local builder, constructed it. The house is listed as one of the last well-preserved late 19th century homes on Belmont Street. It reflects the growth of large estates for businessmen who commuted to Boston. The former carriage house on the lot has been altered and does not contribute.","period_of_significance":"1893-1947","architect_builder":"Thomas M. James, architect; Thomas F. Farrington, builder","architectural_style":"Queen Anne/Shingle Style/Colonial Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Current function is listed as multiple dwelling. The interior is described as relatively intact. The carriage house was converted to a dwelling in 1989 and no longer retains integrity.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:03.598454-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/66/7913/63791366/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/98000095.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/98000095/5cd2de7965-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/98000095/5cd2de7965-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"John Phelan","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Joseph_K_James_House,_Somerville_MA.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">John Phelan</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Joseph_K_James_House,_Somerville_MA.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63791366","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_K._James_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6284470"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/james-joseph-k-house-98000095/"}