Parker-Burnett House
Why it's listed
Built in 1873-1874 at 48 Vinal Avenue, this Italianate house sits on the west side of the street at the head of Pleasant Avenue in Somerville's Prospect Hill neighborhood. Prospect Hill was farmland until the mid-1800s, when investors and well-to-do merchants bought large tracts. Vinal, Pleasant and Grandview Avenues were part of an 1870 subdivision plan by Ira Hill and others. Lot 27 was subdivided by Robert Vinal and sold in 1873 and 1874 to Silas and Emma Parker, who developed many Prospect Hill properties. They built the house and sold it to James and Sophia Burnett; he was a machine blacksmith in Boston. The clapboard dwelling keeps its paired cornice brackets, a two-story molded bay, and a projecting entrance porch with brackets, squared columns, pilasters and a paired panelled door. A large two-story rear ell extends behind. It remains in excellent condition and is a focal point of the Pleasant Avenue streetscape.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is historically and architecturally significant as a representative Italianate dwelling from a period of rapid residential growth in Prospect Hill. It is a well-detailed, well-conserved example of a popular post-Civil War house type and a focal point at the end of Pleasant Avenue. It retains integrity of location, setting, design, materials, workmanship, feeling and association.
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 89001291, listed September 18, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 48 Vinal Ave., Somerville |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | September 18, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89001291 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Silas Parker (developer); architect unknown |
| Architectural style | Italianate |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition described as excellent; present use is residential, with no major alterations and not moved. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.38473, -71.09702 (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 89001291.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7138262
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.