House at 6 Kent Court
Why it's listed
Standing on a short street in South Somerville near the Cambridge line, 6 Kent Court is a house dated to about 1750 on the basis of its style. It has a narrow, steep-pitched gambrel roof and a five-bay facade with a central entrance. The main block is one room deep, with a lean-to added later. Vinyl siding now covers the exterior, and the house remains in residential use. It was probably moved around the turn of the twentieth century, possibly from Somerville Avenue, as many Somerville buildings were. The street itself developed as a connector between Beacon Street, laid out in 1813, and the older Milk Row. By 1874 it was squeezed between a mink tannery, a bleachery and the Fitchburg Railroad tracks. The house is regarded as one of the oldest surviving residences in the city and a reminder of the Georgian houses once scattered near Milk Row. It was listed for its architecture at the local level.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it one of the oldest surviving residences in Somerville, a type once scattered near 18th-century Milk Row. Its gambrel roof and five-bay facade with central entrance point to a ca. 1750 date. It is judged to retain integrity of design, workmanship, feeling and association, and to meet Criterion C and Exception B at the local level.
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 89001269, listed September 18, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 6 Kent Ct., Somerville |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | September 18, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89001269 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Georgian |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition is described as fair; the building is used as a residence and is clad in vinyl siding. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.38249, -71.11091 (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 89001269.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5914446
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.