Barnes, Walter S. and Melissa E., House
Why it's listed
Standing at 140 Highland Avenue on the south side of a heavily traveled east-west route through Somerville, this clapboard house blends Stick Style and Queen Anne design. Dormers, bays, porches and chimneys give it a symmetrical appearance. Gables are set into a steep hipped roof, with a half-round window in the central gable, and a brace-supported shed-roofed porch shelters the entry. The house has no recorded major alterations and has kept its location, design, materials and workmanship, making it one of the few unaltered examples of its style in Somerville. It was first owned by Walter S. Barnes, who worked in the paper box business in Boston. From 1903 until his death in 1945 it was the home of Robert Luce, a Harvard graduate, state representative, lieutenant governor and longtime congressman. The final listing rests on the building's architectural integrity, judged significant at the local level.
Significance in brief: The final version argues the house is an intact, largely unaltered Stick Style/Queen Anne residence, one of few such examples in Somerville, and meets Criterion C at the local level. An earlier draft also cited Criterion B for its association with politician Robert Luce, but the accepted version dropped it.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 89001266, listed March 8, 1990. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 140 Highland Ave., Somerville |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | March 8, 1990 |
| Reference number | 89001266 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Architect unknown; first owner Walter S. Barnes, a Boston paper box businessman |
| Architectural style | Stick Style/Queen Anne |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition is described as good, with no major alterations, no outbuildings, and not moved; current use is residential. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.38805, -71.10272 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 89001266.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7966052
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.