Langmaid Building

Located at 48-52 Highland Avenue in Somerville, Massachusetts, this brick apartment rowhouse dates from about 1875 to 1883. It was developed by Samuel Langmaid and the Langmaid family, who built several handsome brick rows in the city. The building is typical of the Second Empire apartment rows constructed in Somerville during the 1870s and 1880s. Its features include panel brick with decorative insets, a slate-covered mansard roof, three towers with polygonal roofs of varying height, stone lintels and sills, and segmental-arched windows on the end facade. It was the first building on its block of Highland Avenue, and later apartment construction nearby included the Romanesque Revival Highland Building. Because Highland Avenue was a well-travelled route to Boston, residents could commute easily into the city. The property retains its original integrity, has had no major alterations, and remains in good condition as an apartment house facing Somerville's institutional district on Central Hill. It was recognized for its architecture and its link to the city's period of greatest growth.