House at 16-18 Preston Road
Why it's listed
Built around 1910, this Colonial Revival three-decker on Preston Road in Somerville is considered the city's best-detailed example of its type. The flat-roofed building has projecting eaves and an elaborate modillioned cornice. A full-height polygonal bay sits offset to the left, and tiered porches with flat roofs rest on clustered colonnettes. The entrance has a door with an oval panel of bevelled glass beneath a transom. Curved porch balustrades and a newel post topped by a large spherical finial are typical of the style. The third tier of the front porch has since been removed. The house was among the last built on George Ireland's subdivision of a former apple orchard, and the road was named for his wife, Jane Preston. The adjoining barn/garage was built for the neighbouring house at number 20 and later became part of this lot. The building keeps its original character and is in excellent condition.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues that this is Somerville's best-detailed example of the three-decker form of multifamily housing, and it meets Criterion C at the local level. It retains integrity of location, design, materials, feeling, workmanship and association. It was also one of the last buildings on the George Ireland subdivision of Preston Road, a former apple orchard.
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 89001279, listed September 18, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 16--18 Preston Rd., Somerville |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | September 18, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89001279 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition is described as excellent; it is currently used as a multi-family house. The third tier of the full-height front entrance porch has been removed. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.38384, -71.10160 (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 89001279.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14715570
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.