Building at 102-104 Inman Street
Why it's listed
Built in 1845 on Inman Street in Cambridge, this wood-frame double house was commissioned by J.D. Russell and has remained residential throughout its history. William Ricker and David Chandler are named as architect and builder. The building has four-bay facades with full pilasters and a paired Italianate porch. It belongs to a series of Greek Revival houses erected on the street in the same year. Slight differences in handling give variety among these closely related buildings, yet none departs from Greek Revival forms, unlike more pretentious houses of the period. The double house is essentially intact, with no recorded alterations or moves. It is regarded as an important expression of the Greek Revival in a form not found elsewhere in Cambridge, which is the basis for its recognition as an important example of its type and style. A c.1925 concrete block garage at the rear is not counted as contributing, and a neighboring building at 104A sits on a separate lot.
Significance in brief: It is part of a series of Greek Revival houses built on Inman Street in 1845 that keep strictly to classical Greek Revival forms. The double house is essentially intact and is described as an important expression of the style in a form not found elsewhere in Cambridge. It was found to meet criterion C as an important example of its type and style.
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 83000790, listed June 30, 1983. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 102-104 Inman St., Cambridge |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | June 30, 1983 |
| Reference number | 83000790 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | William Ricker/David Chandler |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Present use residential; essentially intact, unaltered and unmoved. A c.1925 one-story concrete block garage at the rear is not considered contributing. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.37200, -71.11323 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
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 83000790.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4986534
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.