House at 35 Temple Street
Why it's listed
A five-bay house at 35 Temple Street in Somerville's Ten Hills neighborhood, dated by stylistic analysis to about 1750-1780, ranks among the earliest houses still standing in the city. It began as a double house and was probably moved to its corner site in the early twentieth century, since it does not appear on nineteenth-century atlases. It may have come from Broadway or Mystic Avenue. Many original features survive, including a steep-pitched, narrow gambrel roof typical of the Georgian style, 6/6 sash windows, and four-panel exterior doors with full-length sidelights. Pressed wood shingles cover the walls, and the building is in good condition and used as multifamily housing. The street follows the old seventeenth-century road to Governor Winthrop's house at Ten Hills Farm, later the route to Robert Temple's eighteenth-century house and Samuel Jacques's stock farm. It was listed for its architecture, as one of few Somerville houses predating 1800, with its relocation treated as an exception.
Significance in brief: It is one of the few surviving houses in Somerville that date to before 1800. It is a well-preserved example of late Georgian/early Federal styling and retains integrity of design, materials, workmanship, feeling and association. It is considered significant at the local level under Criterion C and Exception B, since it was moved.
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 89001288, listed September 18, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 35 Temple St., Somerville |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | September 18, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89001288 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Georgian-period vernacular (late Georgian/early Federal) with a gambrel roof; a mansard roof is also noted |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition described as good; present use is residential, multi-family. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.39364, -71.09221 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
Religious properties are listed for their architectural or historical significance, not their religious use. Listing is honorary and does not restrict the congregation's use of the building. The federal rehabilitation credit is generally unavailable unless part of the building is income-producing; some state programmes and preservation grants do cover religious buildings. Federal funding or permits trigger Section 106 review.
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 89001288.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5914261
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.