Carr, Martin W., School
Also known as: Carr School
Why it's listed
Martin W. Carr School, completed in 1898 at Atherton Street in Somerville's Spring Hill neighborhood, is a three-story red brick building with an H-shaped plan. Two classroom wings flank a central hall and grand staircase. Granite trim, rusticated first-story brick courses, round-arched third-story windows, a slate hip roof and a Palladian-motif window over the main entry give it a formal Renaissance and Colonial Revival character. Architect Aaron H. Gould designed it as a 14-room grade school with two manual training rooms, and it was the city's first H-plan school, a layout meant to bring light and air into classrooms. It replaced an 1850 primary school and an 1852 church, and it served a city whose population rose from about 40,000 to over 61,000 between 1890 and 1900. Named for jeweler and School Committee member Martin W. Carr, it is Gould's only surviving Somerville work and retains its original design and setting.
Significance in brief: The school is a well-preserved example of Renaissance and Colonial Revival institutional architecture and the only surviving Somerville work of architect Aaron H. Gould. It stands on the site of earlier Spring Hill buildings and reflects the growth of city facilities during rapid population increase around 1900. It was also the first H-plan school in Somerville.
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 84002530, listed July 5, 1984. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 25 Atherton St., Somerville |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | July 5, 1984 |
| Reference number | 84002530 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 |
| Architect / builder | Aaron H. Gould, architect |
| Architectural style | Renaissance and Colonial Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Education, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as occupied, with work in progress; present use is private residence (apartments). |
| Acreage | 0.5 |
| Within district | Spring Hill Historic District |
| Coordinates | 42.38481, -71.10722 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
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 84002530.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6776829
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.