House at 25 Clyde Street
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Why it's listed
This modest cottage at 25 Clyde Street in Somerville, Massachusetts, dates to about 1850 and was built as housing for brickyard workers. Clyde Street once held many such homes near the city's brickyards, and an 1857 map shows at least eight houses on the street. The Boston Brick Company's extensive yards lay nearby on Cedar Street. The house is considered the best surviving example of a mid-nineteenth century brickworker's house in the Clyde-Murdock Street area. Its high brick foundation serves as the first-story wall, and a flight of stairs leads to a central entry in a plain three-bay facade with no ornament. Similar houses stood in northwest Cambridge, built between 1820 and 1850. The property retains its location, design, setting, materials and workmanship. It is valued for its architecture and for its link to the brickmaking workforce that shaped the neighborhood. It remains residential today.
Significance in brief: It is described as the best example of a mid-nineteenth century brickworker's house in the Clyde-Murdock Street area. It reflects the neighborhood of brickyard workers' housing near the Boston Brick Company's yards. The form finds that it meets Criteria A and C at the local level and retains integrity.
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 89001247, listed September 18, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 25 Clyde St., Somerville |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | September 18, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89001247 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Vernacular workers housing |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Industry, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Present use is residential; condition is described as fair, with an addition at the first story and a garage outbuilding. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.39451, -71.10901 (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 89001247.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5914173
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.