Highland, The
Why it's listed
Built in 1892 at 66 Highland Avenue, this brick apartment house occupies a prominent corner on Central Hill in Somerville, facing the city's institutional district of library, high school and city hall. Boston architect Samuel Dudley Kelley, known for designing apartment buildings, gave it a Richardsonian Romanesque character, with brownstone trim, a corner tower under a slate-covered conical roof and a low Romanesque entrance arch. Inside, the original finishes included marble entrances, tile floors and oak trim. The building held twelve suites with views toward Central Hill Park, City Hall and Boston beyond. It was widely advertised around Boston as Somerville's leading apartment house, and its location near Winter Hill Station offered 88 trains a day to the city. These features reflect Somerville's rapid growth as a Boston bedroom community at the turn of the century. It remains an apartment house in good condition with no major alterations.
Significance in brief: The building is cited as one of Somerville's most elegant late-19th-century apartment blocks and a fine Richardsonian Romanesque design. It also reflects Somerville's growth as a popular Boston bedroom community around the turn of the century. It is judged significant at the local level under Criteria A and C.
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 89001260, listed September 18, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 66 Highland St., Somerville |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | September 18, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89001260 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Samuel D. Kelley (Samuel Dudley Kelley) |
| Architectural style | Richardsonian Romanesque |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition good; present use is an apartment house, with no major alterations and not moved. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.38714, -71.09807 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary: it recognises significance and does not restrict what a private owner may do without federal money or permits. It unlocks the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit for income-producing buildings, state credits in many states, and Section 106 review when federal agencies are involved. See what listing means in practice.
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 89001260.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7739646
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.