Crowell, C. C., House
Why it's listed
Built around 1890 at 85 Benton Road in Somerville, this 2 1/2 story cross-gable house is an elaborately ornamented, patternbook-based example of the Queen Anne style. A broad semicircular porch with turned posts and jigsaw struts is its most distinctive feature, and a full-height polygonal bay on a panelled base stands beside it. The walls combine clapboards with wood shingles laid in a variety of patterns. The house closely resembles its neighbor, the Lemuel Snow Jr. house at 81 Benton Road. Its detailing is lighter and more delicate, but the form and decorative vocabulary are very similar, and both may be the work of the same builder. Several high-quality houses were built along Benton Road in the early 1890s. The 1895 owner, C. C. Crowell, was a printer. The house has no recorded major alterations, has been kept in very good condition, and is still used as a residence. It was found significant at the local level for its architecture.
Significance in brief: The house is an elaborately ornamented, patternbook-based example of the Queen Anne style and retains integrity of location, design, materials, workmanship, feeling and association. It is significant at the local level under Criterion C. It also resembles the neighboring Lemuel Snow Jr. house at 81 Benton Road, and both may be the work of the same builder.
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 89001236, listed September 18, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 85 Benton Rd., Somerville |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | September 18, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89001236 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Recorded in very good condition, with no major alterations, no outbuildings, and not moved. Present use is residential. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.38972, -71.10472 (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 89001236.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5006323
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.